Terrible T. Rex Was a Slowpoke

[Galactus]

By LiveScience Staff

posted: 06 June 2007 09:17 am ET

T. rex was no slacker. But the popular image of a nimble predator turning on a dime and chasing down prey with lightning speed is fiction, new computer models show. The terrifying tyrannosaur was actually a slowpoke.
Previous studies have looked at the movements of birds, the direct descendents of dinosaurs, and fossilized footprints to judge how Tyrannosaurus rex would have moved.
To get a better estimate of the giant’s movement, the new study modeled a typical complete T. rex skeleton, which probably weighed between about 13,000 and 17,000 pounds, and estimated its center of mass and the inertia, or resistance to movement, that it would have had when the animal turned or pivoted.
The center of mass is important to consider because two animals with similar weights may move in different ways depending on how their mass is distributed. For example, an elephant’s four tree trunk-like legs keep its center of mass over its feet, while T. rex would have had to balance its mass differently over its two small legs, bending them to keep from toppling over.
The model results, detailed in the June 21 issue of the Journal of Theoretical Biology, also showed that T. rex would have had considerable inertia preventing it from turning quickly; a 45-degree turn would have taken one or two seconds—far longer than for a human.
These calculations lend further support to previous research indicating that the large tyrannosaurs could run no faster than 25 mph (and certainly not the 45 mph seen in some movies), because its leg muscles weren’t big enough for fast running.
“We now know that a T. rex would have been front heavy, turned slowly and could manage no more than a leisurely jog,” said team leader John Hutchinson of the Royal Veterinary College.

[JP]

:eek:

I. Am. Shocked.

[Halcohol]

Hold on. You're telling me Jurassic Park WASN'T scientifically accurate?

Blasphemy!

Seriously though, good article.

[kane9321]

I'm not surprised by this....the t-rex was big as hell

[Mee]

Heard aboout this a while back. Goes along with the theory of T-Rex being a scavenger and not a hunter I guess.

[Fran]

How fast did they clock the T. Rex in Jurassic Park? 35 mph? I can't remember.

[Halcohol]

How fast did they clock the T. Rex in Jurassic Park? 35 mph? I can't remember.
Sounds about right

[Fran]

I thought that was kinda inaccurate anyways. When you watch the movie, and it's at the part when the Rex is chasing Ellie, Muldoon and Ian in the Jeep, they must be going 45-50 MPH, maybe faster, but the T. Rex is right there with them! :huh:

[Kebab gud]

Heard aboout this a while back. Goes along with the theory of T-Rex being a scavenger and not a hunter I guess.

yeah.. and that it had a red face ...

[PhotoJones]

Clearly, this is a politically biased article. We've known for over a decade now that Rexes can travel up to 45 mph.

[Fran]

Clearly, this is a politically biased article. We've known for over a decade now that Rexes can travel up to 45 mph.

I blame the Democrats.

[LouFerignoDemon]

By LiveScience Staff

posted: 06 June 2007 09:17 am ET

T. rex was no slacker. But the popular image of a nimble predator turning on a dime and chasing down prey with lightning speed is fiction, new computer models show. The terrifying tyrannosaur was actually a slowpoke.
Previous studies have looked at the movements of birds, the direct descendents of dinosaurs, and fossilized footprints to judge how Tyrannosaurus rex would have moved.
To get a better estimate of the giant’s movement, the new study modeled a typical complete T. rex skeleton, which probably weighed between about 13,000 and 17,000 pounds, and estimated its center of mass and the inertia, or resistance to movement, that it would have had when the animal turned or pivoted.
The center of mass is important to consider because two animals with similar weights may move in different ways depending on how their mass is distributed. For example, an elephant’s four tree trunk-like legs keep its center of mass over its feet, while T. rex would have had to balance its mass differently over its two small legs, bending them to keep from toppling over.
The model results, detailed in the June 21 issue of the Journal of Theoretical Biology, also showed that T. rex would have had considerable inertia preventing it from turning quickly; a 45-degree turn would have taken one or two seconds—far longer than for a human.
These calculations lend further support to previous research indicating that the large tyrannosaurs could run no faster than 25 mph (and certainly not the 45 mph seen in some movies), because its leg muscles weren’t big enough for fast running.
“We now know that a T. rex would have been front heavy, turned slowly and could manage no more than a leisurely jog,” said team leader John Hutchinson of the Royal Veterinary College.

Actually, many scientists have believed this for a while now that T-Rex was more of a scavenger due to his size, and lack o' arms, and olafactory senses.

And your name totally f'ing rocks.

[PhotoJones]

I blame the Democrats.

Actually, it's the religious right who're claiming that Dinos didn't exist.

[terry78]

That's common knowledge. You'd be more scared of the raptors than the T-Rex, unless that mofo just had you cornered. You can't outrun a cheetah or a raptor more than likely.

[Speedball]

Of course it couldn't "turn on a dime". I don't think it did that in Jurassic Park.
And It could go fast, much faster than a human at least, but it's endurance was very low, as we saw in Jurassic Park when it chased the jeep. The chase only lasted maybe a minute or so before it gave up.

[Themanofbat]

And your name totally f'ing rocks.

Galactus is a cool poster, and he lives in Belarus. :woot :woot: :woot:

:yay:

[Wilhelm-Scream]

Of course it couldn't "turn on a dime". I don't think it did that in Jurassic Park.
And It could go fast, much faster than a human at least, but it's endurance was very low, as we saw in Jurassic Park when it chased the jeep. The chase only lasted maybe a minute or so before it gave up.How many T. Rexs have you seen running? :huh:

[BRUTAL]

How many T. Rexs have you seen running? :huh:

At least eleven...

[Speedball]

How many T. Rexs have you seen running? :huh:
Just the ones in my cousin's backyard. He lives in the Savage Land. You may have heard of him, his name is Ka-Zar.

[The Lizard]

Clearly, this is a politically biased article. We've known for over a decade now that Rexes can travel up to 45 mph.

This is indeed just the latest item in an ongoing historical revisionist smear campaign against the tyrannosaurus rex. First that whole "he was a scavenger" argument, then the insulting suggestion that T-rex might have had feathers, now the claim that he couldn't even run down a human being.

I tell you, there are anti-T-rex forces at work here that are trying to erode the traditional image of T-rex as the coolest dinosaur ever and I for one am not buying into this poisonous propaganda! :cmad:

[DorkyFresh]

are you guys foreal in thinking that this is politically driven? sometimes it's hard to tell if people are joking on the net...

...if so, why would scientists be trying to slander a creature that's extinct? it's not as if any of them were around to eat these scientists' families or anything. they've already found evidence that the T-Rex was a scavenger instead of a hunter, why is it hard to believe that it would also be slow?

[Ice-man]

didnt evry one know t-rex was slow?

its large legs and body praportion would have thrown the dino off balance if it hit speeds more than 20 to 25 causing it to fall over giving smaller carnivorus dinos an advantage at eating it.

i watch too much science channel.

[Themanofbat]

I tell you, there are anti-T-rex forces at work here that are trying to erode the traditional image of T-rex as the coolest dinosaur ever and I for one am not buying into this poisonous propaganda! :cmad:

I say "Screw the T-Rex!!!" :cmad: :cmad: :cmad:

Long live the Triceratops!!! :word: :word:

:yay:

[Themanofbat]

http://www.dinosauria.com/gallery/chris/triceratops.jpg

[Ice-man]

Velociraptor ftw.

http://cas.bellarmine.edu/tietjen/images/velociraptor.jpg


:woot:

[Orko Is King]

My childhood is getting raped without a lubricated condom.:csad:

I looked up to you, Rex! I LOOKED UP TO YOU!!!

[Ice-man]

Scariest bunch of dinosaurs of ive ever seen, id hate to mess with these guys :dry:


http://www.impawards.com/1993/posters/were_back_a_dinosaurs_story_ver1.jpgfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Admin/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-10.jpg

[DorkyFresh]

Long live the Triceratops!!! :word: :word:

:yay:
triple horns was always my fave as a kid.

[Captain_Death]

triple horns was always my fave as a kid.

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/818/502pxtriceratopstyrannoci2.th.jpg (http://img103.imageshack.us/my.php?image=502pxtriceratopstyrannoci2.jpg)

[Kmack]

Heard aboout this a while back. Goes along with the theory of T-Rex being a scavenger and not a hunter I guess.
Yeah, makes a lot of sense now I guess.

[PhotoJones]

This is indeed just the latest item in an ongoing historical revisionist smear campaign against the tyrannosaurus rex. First that whole "he was a scavenger" argument, then the insulting suggestion that T-rex might have had feathers, now the claim that he couldn't even run down a human being.

I tell you, there are anti-T-rex forces at work here that are trying to erode the traditional image of T-rex as the coolest dinosaur ever and I for one am not buying into this poisonous propaganda! :cmad:

Exactly. Fellow Hypesters, do not believe the recent "reports" about the T-Rex. The T-Rex remains the coolest dinosaur that ever ran the Earth. I can only assume this path of slander and libel will continue throughout the entire prehistoric kingdom.

[LouFerignoDemon]

Ankylosaurus would kick T-Rex's butt. :o

In fact, it did. XD

[PhotoJones]

Ankylosaurus would kick T-Rex's butt. :o

In fact, it did. XD

That's simply not true.

[Halcohol]

Ankylosaurus would kick T-Rex's butt. :o

In fact, it did. XD
What I wouldn't give to have evolved with a freakin' CLUB attached to my ass. In a completely non-ghey manner, of course.

[Carcharodon]

What I wouldn't give to have evolved with a freakin' CLUB attached to my ass. In a completely non-ghey manner, of course.Impossible. :o

[Speedball]

That's simply not true.
But it it possible.

[PhotoJones]

But it it possible.

No, it itn't.

[Speedball]

No, it itn't.
Yes it is. They both lives in the Cretaceous period, around the same time and same area.

[Themanofbat]

Impossible. :o

You sig doesn't have the same pizazz with the "Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:" before the "Less".

:csad: :csad: :csad:

[Themanofbat]

triple horns was always my fave as a kid.

Long live the Triceratops!!! :word: :word: :word:

:yay:

[Halcohol]

You sig doesn't have the same pizazz with the "Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:" before the "Less".

:csad: :csad: :csad:
I disagree. I clicked it a minute ago and burst out laughing. :p

[Carcharodon]

You sig doesn't have the same pizazz with the "Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:" before the "Less".

:csad: :csad: :csad:Lol I know, I've been too lazy to change it.

:(

God I must have had that for going on two years.

[Themanofbat]

I disagree. I clicked it a minute ago and burst out laughing. :p

Yeah, but in the old days, you would read "I'm Peter Pan" with a simple black square next to the Pan part, and if you held you're mouse over it, you would read the word "Pantless" in it's entirety and had a better effect.

But I'm glad it gave you a chuckle.

:yay:

[Trainwreck2100]

I hate those velociraptors, just once I'd like to see them lose (not counting that whole extinction thing)

[DorkyFresh]

Exactly. Fellow Hypesters, do not believe the recent "reports" about the T-Rex.

*sarcasm* okay...i won't listen to what educated scientists say. T-Rex was a fast predator, global warming doesn't exist, and Earth was literally made in 7 days...:whatever:

oh yeah, i forgot....everything revolves around Earth.

[Halcohol]

I think the T-Rex would've been even more frightening if it had a small mane of feathers or something.

Well, honestly, if a 14,000 lb reptile was roaring at me, I'd probably be impressed regardless.

[PhotoJones]

*sarcasm* okay...i won't listen to what educated scientists say. T-Rex was a fast predator, global warming doesn't exist, and Earth was literally made in 7 days...:whatever:

oh yeah, i forgot....everything revolves around Earth.

Exactly. :up:

[OverMyHead]

What do you expect?

Think of him/her as a lion.

[Trainwreck2100]

This is all protriceratops propaganda.

[PhotoJones]

This is all protriceratops propaganda.

It's all bull****, plain and simple.

[The Lizard]

Yeah, I was just kidding about this being a conspiracy.


But still, T-Rex > Triceratops, suckas. :cmad:

[Golgo-13]

They change the physiology of the T-Rex every 10 years or so. First he was a killer, then he was a Scavenger.Then he was slow, then he was fast, now he's slow again. What's next, he played Poker during his spare time? :whatever:

[Golgo-13]

Stegasaurus owns all you pro-Rex/pro triceratops groupies. :cmad:

http://www.dinoland.dk/Dinobilleder/stegosaurus_550px.jpg

[SuperFerret]

Triceras are tops! :up:

And despite this new development, it's crucial to remember that everything we know of dinosaurs are results of theories and "probablys", so the Rex may have been as fast as we've previously thought, or it could be slower or faster.

[Fran]

Yeah, I was just kidding about this being a conspiracy.


But still, T-Rex > Triceratops, suckas. :cmad:

:up:

I felt bad when Spinosaurus killed him in JPIII :csad:

[unstoppable]

Velociraptor ftw.

http://cas.bellarmine.edu/tietjen/images/velociraptor.jpg


:woot:


well that's was discovered to be bout the size of a chicken

[SuperFerret]

:up:

I felt bad when Spinosaurus killed him in JPIII :csad:

Spinosaurus was sleeping with the director. :o

Rex was bumped off because he wanted more money.

[Ice-man]

well that's was discovered to be bout the size of a chicken

well the jurassic park ones are kickass.

[Arkady Rossovich]

I could still believe that the Rex could run,that bulk could be muscle also.

[SuperFerret]

I could still believe that the Rex could run,that bulk could be muscle also.

They should have massive legs. Granted, they'd not be likely to be manuverable, but they should be fast.

[Red Mask]

By LiveScience Staff

posted: 06 June 2007 09:17 am ET

T. rex was no slacker. But the popular image of a nimble predator turning on a dime and chasing down prey with lightning speed is fiction, new computer models show. The terrifying tyrannosaur was actually a slowpoke.

What? The news only caught wind of this now? I already watched scientists argue this point years ago! It was on the Discovery channel and National Geographic!

Looks like it's the news that's slow. We need education reform!

[Trainwreck2100]

That whole Spinosaurus intro was crap, why did he follow the tiny humans around the island when he could kill a frickin TRex, so he should be able to pretty much kill any dinosaur that wasn't a brontosaurus.

[Red Mask]

Just because we call it 'Tyrannosarous Rex' doesn't mean it really behaved like one. The research is ever developing because we're learning something new. And what does it matter if it wasn't so great? It's only a dinosaur.

[Carcharodon]

well that's was discovered to be bout the size of a chickenThere is a variety of raptor known as the Utah Raptor that was 8' tall.

[Venomfan]

:up:

I felt bad when Spinosaurus killed him in JPIII :csad:
that was such B.S. anybody that studies dinosaurs knows that a Spino would never stand a chance against a Rex
well that's was discovered to be bout the size of a chicken
Velociraptors were about 3 feet tall in real life, so i dont know what chickens you've got but i want one

[Halcohol]

well that's was discovered to be bout the size of a chicken
Also Dilophosaurus is approximately 10-14 ft. tall, but the characteristics of the dilo and the raptor were switched for Jurassic Park to make the raptors more fearsome.

[Deadpool876]

Damn it! Just when I was about to make a SM3 fan-script wherein Dr. Connors experiments with reptiles and unknowingly or accidentally creates a T-Rex which obliterates his lab and wreaks havok on NY city, then Spiderman tries to catch up with the T-Rex but Spidey struggles because the T-Rex is fast! Now, this article comes up?! Damn it! :o Now, I'm changing the T-Rex to Raptors with the side-plot of them eating the scientists! :o
..... :woot: :woot: :woot:

[Speedball]

Damn it! Just when I was about to make a SM3 fan-script wherein Dr. Connors experiments with reptiles and unknowingly or accidentally creates a T-Rex which obliterates his lab and wreaks havok on NY city, then Spiderman tries to catch up with the T-Rex but Spidey struggles because the T-Rex is fast! Now, this article comes up?! Damn it! :o Now, I'm changing the T-Rex to Raptors with the side-plot of them eating the scientists! :o
..... :woot: :woot: :woot:
Make it Giant Raptors, and there ya go.:woot:

[The Lizard]

Also Dilophosaurus is approximately 10-14 ft. tall, but the characteristics of the dilo and the raptor were switched for Jurassic Park to make the raptors more fearsome.

Also, the velociraptors in the first JP movie were more similar to the deinonychus (http://www.ircs.upenn.edu/cogsci2000/deinonychus.html) in size and skull shape.

[The Lizard]

Wait a minute! Complete scientific 180 degree turn!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070822/ts_nm/dinosaur_speed_dc

T-rex versus Beckham? Sorry, David, you're lunch

By Michael Kahn Tue Aug 21, 8:20 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - The smallest dinosaur could reach speeds of nearly 40 mph (64 kph) and even the lumbering Tyrannosaurus rex would have been able to outrun most modern-day sportsmen, according to research published on Wednesday.

Scientists using computer models calculated the top speeds for five meat-eating dinosaurs in a study they say can also illustrate how animals cope with climate change and extinction.

The velociraptor, whose speed and ferocity was highlighted in the film "Jurassic Park," reached 24 mph while the T-rex could muster speeds of up to 18 mph, the study published in the Royal Society's Biological Sciences showed.

"Our research, which used the minimum leg-muscle mass T-rex required for movement, suggests that while not incredibly fast, this carnivore was certainly capable of running and would have little difficulty in chasing down footballer David Beckham, for instance," said Phil Manning, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester, who worked on the study.


So the T-rex goes from being a "slowpoke" a couple months ago to being "faster than David Beckham" now?

Make up your minds, paleontologists! Which is it? :cmad:


Of course you realize that this scientific flip-flopping means that the Bible is true and evolution is officially debunked. :o

[lollycop]

Actually, this isnt that shocking. But still, if a big T was chasing after you, you still have no advantage.

[Carcharodon]

Wait a minute! Complete scientific 180 degree turn!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070822/ts_nm/dinosaur_speed_dc




So the T-rex goes from being a "slowpoke" a couple months ago to being "faster than David Beckham" now?

Make up your minds, paleontologists! Which is it? :cmad:


Of course you realize that this scientific flip-flopping means that the Bible is true and evolution is officially debunked. :oIt is a slowpoke, relative to other dinosaurs, and to prior thought. :woot:

[keith_v]

I think it's safe to say that until scientists can actually observe T-Rex running, all these computers models and estimations are just educated guesses. They just as likely to be correct as they could be entirely untrue.

(About 100 years ago, scientists didn't think sharks were capable of killing people. Good call on that one, guys.)

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Wait a minute! Complete scientific 180 degree turn!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070822/ts_nm/dinosaur_speed_dc




So the T-rex goes from being a "slowpoke" a couple months ago to being "faster than David Beckham" now?

Make up your minds, paleontologists! Which is it? :cmad:


Of course you realize that this scientific flip-flopping means that the Bible is true and evolution is officially debunked. :o

Even the old article still stated they could go about 25mph, which is faster than any human can run.

[Carcharodon]

(About 100 years ago, scientists didn't think sharks were capable of killing people. Good call on that one, guys.)Where the hell did you hear this? There have been documented cases of sharks killing people long before that time.

I call bull****. Plain and simple.

[Shuley]

It is kind of amazing how lizards that huge were once walking around,imagine if they were around today? people think global warming is bad...The dinosours were around when planet Earth was far much worse and man wasn't even around to ruin it all either!

[Galactus]

'Jurassic Park' Villain Had Feathers
By Ker Than, LiveScience Staff Writer

posted: 20 September 2007 02:00 pm ET

Tiny bumps on the fossilized arm bone of a Velociraptor specimen show that the carnivorous dinosaur—made infamous in the movie "Jurassic Park"—had feathers.
The finding, detailed in the Sept. 21 issue of the journal Science, confirms what scientists have long suspected about the creature as fossils of some of its close relatives bear imprints of feathers.
The researchers believe the bumps on the arm bone are remnants of quill knobs, places where the quills of secondary feathers—important for flight in many modern birds—were anchored to the bone.
"Finding quill knobs on Velociraptor means that it definitely had feathers," said study team member Alan Turner, a paleontology graduate student at the American Museum of Natural History and at Columbia University in New York. "This is something we'd long suspected, but no one had been able to prove."
Not for all birds
Quill knobs are most evident in modern birds that are strong flyers, such as falcons and hawks. Birds that have lost the ability to fly or that primarily soar, like broad-winged albatrosses, typically lack quill knobs.
While studying the forearm of a Velociraptor specimen unearthed in Mongolia in 1998, the researchers noticed six regularly spaced indentations in the fossilized bone that appeared remarkably similar to the quill knobs of modern birds.
In modern birds, secondary feathers are connected to the forearm by way of ligaments. When the feathers move, they place stress on the bone. “The bones respond to the tug of the feathers by developing these little bumps,” Turner explained. “The quill knobs are a side effect of how the feathers anchor.”
Velociraptor lived during the late Cretaceous Period about 85 million years ago and belonged to a group of agile, bipedal dinosaurs called Dromaesoaurs that were closely related to birds. It was roughly the size of a turkey and weighed about 30 pounds.
A prehistoric turkey
Despite having feathers, Velociraptor could not fly or even glide, Turner said.
“Even though it had really long arms compared to most carnivorous dinosaurs, they’re not long enough compared to the rest of its body,” Turner told LiveScience.
The researchers suggest that an ancestor of Velociraptor might have lost the ability to fly but retained its feathers anyway. The feathers might also have been used for display, to shield nests, for temperature control or to help the dinosaur maneuver while running.
The new finding is just the latest example of how remarkably alike modern day birds and their closely related dinosaur ancestors were, said study team member Mark Norell, a curator in the AMNH’s Division of Paleontology.
“Both have wishbones, brooded their nests, possess hollow bones and were covered in feathers,” Norell said. "If animals like Velociraptor were alive today our first impression would be that they were just very unusual looking birds."

[Immortalfire]

This is such crap. These people seriously need to layoff with the "smear T-Rex" agenda :cmad: