T-rex: Scavenger or Predator?

I would guess that at least four times a month I receive emails from people asking me if I think T-rex was a hunter or scavenger. Since it was first discovered in 1902, people have been arguing this very question.
In my opinion, Tyrannosaurus rex was a predator. I have little doubt that if it found something dead, that was not too rotten to eat, then it would certainly take advantage of it. But this dinosaur could not survive by scavenging alone. Here are my reasons:

• Size - Tyrannosaurus rex was just too large to be able to rely on finding enough dead meat laying within walking distance.
• Eyesight - This dinosaur had some of the most advanced vision in the dinosaur kingdom. A huge percentage of its brain is dedicated to its sense of vision. It also had highly advanced binocular vision which allowed it to judge distance and depth; both of which are important when you are chasing something. Why would an animal need incredible vision if all it was doing was eating dead thing?
• Hearing - CT scanning shows that these dinosaurs had the ability to hear within a wide range of tones. This suggests that it is using its hearing to listen for the location of its prey. It did not need an acute sense of hearing to find something that was already dead. And if it was only using its hearing to listen to other members of its family, the it would not need a wide range of hearing.
  
• Tooth Design - The teeth of Tyrannosaurs point slightly backwards. All living creature that have backwards pointing teeth use them to hold onto prey that it trying to get away. If this dinosaur was only eating dead things, then it would not need teeth to hang on to it because it isn't going anywhere!
• Food Quality - Rotting and decaying meat begins to lose its nutritional value in a very short time. A dinosaur as large as T-rex needed a lot of high quality, protein rich food. Dead stuff is like cardboard. Eating might make you feel full, but you'll die of starvation because it has no nutrition.
• Metabolism - This dinosaur was 45 feet long and weighed nearly 7 tons. It burns calories like a Ferrari burns fuel. This dinosaur cannot survive if it has to walk around aimlessly looking for something that might have died nearby. It's just not plausible.
  

So there you have it. My reasons why I believe that Tyrannosaurus rex was a predatory dinosaurs first...and maybe a scavenger if it found a fresh kill just laying at its feet!

How Many E-mails?

Someone wrote to me today and asked me how many emails I receive and answer each month. So I thought I would take time out of answering them to tell you how many I answer! :)

Over the last 10 years I have grown a reputation for making myself very accessible to the public when it comes to asking questions about paleontology. On average I receive and answer about 500 emails each month. But while Jurassic Fight Club was running, I was getting around 1200 to 1600 a month, along with a few hundred letters. Now I must admit that it was nearly impossible to answer every single one because I just did not have the time. But I got at least 80% of them during that time.

When I was a kid, I wrote a letter to a local museum curator. I spent day after day waiting to hear back from him, but I never did. I have never forgotten the disappointment I felt when I finally realized that he was not going to write back. So I make it a point to do everything I can to answer as many letters as possible. (When a child takes the time to write, then I feel an obligation to respond!)

Many people in paleontology either don't have the time to answer, or in some cases see the public as a nuisance and refuse to answer, so most people who write to me often say that they were ignored by numerous others. I try to explain that not everyone can set aside the same amount of time I do to answering questions. Personally I enjoy answering them.

I get questions from adults, young people asking for advice as to where to attend college, people who have found unusual shaped rocks that want them identified, and even Paleontologists who are looking for a particular specimen that I might have access to. But the overwhelming majority are from kids. And their questions are the BEST! Every single day I get emails and letters from adults who thank me for taking the time to write to their kids. My office is lined with over 10,000 hand written letters and drawings from kids over the years. Their is nothing more rewarding on earth!!!

I have lectured to well over a million students in my career, and have probably read and answered at least that many letters. It might be tough at times.....but I LOVE doing it. And now with Jurassic Fight Club going international, I am receiving letters from kids all over the globe. But now I have to use a translator for some!!!! :)


So there you have it. Now I better get back to answering email. I have a 4 year old in New Jersey who wants to know if T-rex could kill a Transformer!

Cheers!
Dinosaur George

If you would like to ask Dinosaur George a question, visit www.dinosaurgeorge.com