The largest tyrannosaurus rex in the world has reportedly been discovered. The massive apex predator was unearthed in Canada, Science Daily reports.
“This is the rex of rexes,” said Scott Persons, the study’s lead author and postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta. “There is considerable size variability among Tyrannosaurus. Some individuals were lankier than others and some were more robust. Scotty exemplifies the robust. Take careful measurements of its legs, hips, and even shoulder, and Scotty comes out a bit heftier than other T. rex specimens.”
Scotty was named after the bottle of scotch the researchers celebrated with after the made the ginormous discovery.
The new T. rex is thought to be the largest found, or perhaps the largest rex roaming the land some 66 million years ago. Scotty’s leg bones suggest a living weight of more than 8,800 kg- that’s almost 19,500 pounds!
The tyrannosaurus rex fossils were first discovered in 1991, however it took over a decade to remove the bones from the hard sandstone where it had been encased for millions of years. Researchers have only recently reconstructed and studied the predator.
Being the biggest beast in the neighborhood wasn’t easy for Scotty: “By Tyrannosaurus standards, it had an unusually long life. And it was a violent one,” Persons said. “Riddled across the skeleton are pathologies — spots where scarred bone records large injuries.”
This summer, a new exhibit featuring Scotty will open at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Saskatchewan.
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