Current Events > Do you believe that T Rex was mostly a scavenger?

(+) Yeah! (+)

jack horner has been the biggest proponent of this, but iirc most paleontologists don't agree with him

Yes it also had feathers

Irony posted...

Yes it also had feathers

even as an adult?

t rex wasn't the alpha chad of the dinosaurs

SSJ2GrimReaper posted...

t rex wasn't the alpha chad of the dinosaurs

what ? what does that mean, though?

I dunno. The idea that T Rex fixed beat-up old cars for a living, it just ... seems far-fetched.

SSJ2GrimReaper posted...

t rex wasn't the alpha chad of the dinosaurs

it was alpha sigma brad

I thought it was believed that it was a predator, but also did scavenge from time to time.

Also, when you think of the size of the other dinosaurs and the competition a trex would face for eating it's fill, scavenging doesn't sound so bad.

if not them, who was the apex predator of their environment?

it's dirty and sweet oh ya

T-Rex became a decent band after scavenging glam rock, yes

Eh?

bump

T-Rex Kwon Do

last bump

the tyrannosaur was a misunderstood artist

The thing interesting to me is it's little tiny arms. Most predators have claws used for ripping up flesh and to grab on, the T-Rex's arms were basically non-functional in that regard, relying only on it's mouth.

I voted undecided, i've read into this a bit but I don't know enough about dinosaurs to have a firm opinion.

As far as I can tell the scavenging theory is largely based on a lack of imagination as to why its arms are so small.

First they took away Pluto being a planet now they're trying to take away the T-rex being an unstoppable killing machine, damn you science.

MabusIncarnate posted...

The thing interesting to me is it's little tiny arms. Most predators have claws used for ripping up flesh and to grab on, the T-Rex's arms were basically non-functional in that regard, relying only on it's mouth.

I voted undecided, i've read into this a bit but I don't know enough about dinosaurs to have a firm opinion.

Yea, design wise it's kind of a mess and idk why it evolved to have such short arms unless they weren't needed for anything, including combat and hunting. But it's face and jaws are clearly designed for tearing shit up.

There are some creatures now like that but most of them are birds.

I don't know, what's the current paleontological consensus? Sure then, that.

Makes sense some dinosaurs would be scavengers since they were basically birds.

I'd be a bit surprised if it was one as large as a T-Rex though.

Collat posted...

Makes sense some dinosaurs would be scavengers since they were basically birds.

I'd be a bit surprised if it was one as large as a T-Rex though.

Would it? Due to its size and therefore energy requirements I would think it would eat anything it could. Hunting takes a large amount of energy, and I doubt the T-Rex would have much to spare.

The T Rex was likely a cannibal who lived in small herds and ate anything it could.

T Rex could bang a gong.

Can triceratops kill a trex? Triceratops is my fave dinosaur

Ratchetrockon posted...

Can triceratops kill a trex? Triceratops is my fave dinosaur

I'd think so, on accident at the least. It lands on one of those horns the right way, they are long enough to hit an organ.

Bones and all

Inbred? Absolutely

explains the missing links or lack thereof

MabusIncarnate posted...

I'd think so, on accident at the least. It lands on one of those horns the right way, they are long enough to hit an organ.

damn. that would be a painful way to go

Sounds kinda like a dog

I read that they probably had a hard time moving around due to their size. Like they could charge when they needed to but couldnt turn easily. Hard to imagine them running down smaller dinos.

I think the idea is that all animals are scavengers to a point. Animals need to eat, and none are keen on passing up a free-meal, especially ones as big as a t-rex that needs a good amount of food to fuel itself.

Of course, it's also capable of taking down other dinos, so it will hunt as well when it can't just find free food. Also, those arms are deceptively strong, if I recall correctly.

I'm just thankful that we live in a world where the big land predators are bears and lions, and not massive dinosaurs like the T-rex, haha. Imagine one of those guys roaming around your backyard.

we know it couldnt type on a keyboard

VampireCoyote posted...

we know it couldnt type on a keyboard

that is no longer true with virtual keyboards and eye tracking technology

PiOverlord posted...

I think the idea is that all animals are scavengers to a point. Animals need to eat, and none are keen on passing up a free-meal, especially ones as big as a t-rex that needs a good amount of food to fuel itself.

Of course, it's also capable of taking down other dinos, so it will hunt as well when it can't just find free food. Also, those arms are deceptively strong, if I recall correctly.

I'm just thankful that we live in a world where the big land predators are bears and lions, and not massive dinosaurs like the T-rex, haha. Imagine one of those guys roaming around your backyard.

Spiderlike

Ratchetrockon posted...

Can triceratops kill a trex? Triceratops is my fave dinosaur

I'd venture a guess that the answer would be yes. Triceratops were basically tanks with horns. I'm sure that even if you gave odds to a T-Rex that a triceratops could gore a t-rex on occassion.

GranTurismo posted...

jack horner has been the biggest proponent of this, but iirc most paleontologists don't agree with him

It's weird watching Jack Horner's evolution from respected albeit mildly eccentric paleontologist to a laughingstock of the field. The whole thing with trying to recreate a dinosaur by gene editing a chicken embryo is something he has been mocked for.

The scavenger hypothesis has largely fallen by the wayside and IIRC Horner has since acknowledged that it's been falsified.

BB_mofo posted...

It's weird watching Jack Horner's evolution from respected albeit mildly eccentric paleontologist to a laughingstock of the field. The whole thing with trying to recreate a dinosaur by gene editing a chicken embryo is something he has been mocked for.

He's really a laughingstock now? Him being responsible for Robert Bakker being caricatured in The Lost World makes more sense now.

Shadowplay posted...

He's really a laughingstock now? Him being responsible for Robert Bakker being caricatured in The Lost World makes more sense now.

According to "Trey the Explorer" that is what happened to Horner with the "chickensaurus." Unsurprisingly, the idea came to Horner from his consulting work on the Jurassic Park franchise.

I think theyd scavenge if they had the opportunity, but were also hunters and they hunted very differently prey depending on age.

LightHawKnight posted...

Would it? Due to its size and therefore energy requirements I would think it would eat anything it could. Hunting takes a large amount of energy, and I doubt the T-Rex would have much to spare.

They also can't run like they do in the movies. They were more likely to be scavengers then predators

they have found bones of dinos that have wounds inflicted by T rex that healed

BB_mofo posted...

According to "Trey the Explorer" that is what happened to Horner with the "chickensaurus." Unsurprisingly, the idea came to Horner from his consulting work on the Jurassic Park franchise.

@BB_mofo which Trey the Explainer video is this?

DeadBankerDream posted...

@BB_mofo which Trey the Explainer video is this?

I don't remember. It was a while back, though I'm fairly certain it was Trey.

rodu_jr posted...

they have found bones of dinos that have wounds inflicted by T rex that healed

A couple years ago the most accurate computer model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex was created. It was even colored black based on the fossil record. The model looked like a friggin tank. It made the T-rex in Jurassic Park look emaciated.

no offense to the field of paleontology but I find it hard to believe most of what we know about dinosaurs isn't just speculation

i've looked at t-rex from both sides now
from thunder lizard to chickadee ancestor
and still somehow
it's t-rex;s illusions i recall
i really don't know t-rex at all

I may not be a paleontologist, but I've been a paleo and herp enthusiast for many many years.

TRex simply doesn't make sense as primarily a scavenger. However, it most likely did scavenge when opportunity presented. As many many reptiles will.

meestermj posted...

I may not be a paleontologist, but I've been a paleo and herp enthusiast for many many years.

TRex simply doesn't make sense as primarily a scavenger. However, it most likely did scavenge when opportunity presented. As many many reptiles will.

And mammals and birds.

kinda hard to imagine carnivores that large consistently hunting most of the time tbh

granted the prey back then was obviously bigger too so...

ElleRagu posted...

kinda hard to imagine carnivores that large consistently hunting most of the time tbh

Sometimes I wonder if the T-Rex was the bully of predators like the male lion. Male lions will wait for another predator to make a kill, then they chase the predator away and eat it themselves.