The Tyrannosaurus rex was arguably the most terrifying creature to ever roam the Earth, but what's even scarier is how big the brute could get. For many years, a T. rex skeleton known as Sue held sway in the size department, getting a listing as largest in Guinness World Records, but recently an upstart named Scotty has stirred things up. Although the skeletons were found only a year apart -- Sue in 1990 and Scotty in 1991 -- it wasn't until recently that Scotty's true dimensions could be determined. While Sue's bones were easily assembled and comprised 90 percent of her bulk, Scotty's remains were buried in sandstone, requiring extensive work to remove. And even now, only 65 percent of Scotty's whole body has been put back together. Still, researchers now estimate that Scotty stretched 42 feet, 7 inches (13 m) in length and weighed approximately 19,555 pounds (8,870 kg). Those numbers mean that Scotty was slightly longer than Sue, and 900 pounds (410 kg) heavier. But Sue hasn't lost her title yet. According to Guinness World Records, since Scotty's true size is hard to determine, the two will share the title of largest T. rex ever discovered.
Facts about the T. rex:
- The bite of the T. rex was the strongest of any animal that has ever lived, with a single tooth capable of generating 12,800 pounds (5,806 kg) of force.
- The T. rex wasn't the biggest dinosaur, but its brain was twice the size of the brains of other giant carnivores.
- The skeleton of Sue the T. rex sold for $8.3 million USD in 1997, making her the most expensive dinosaur ever.