Lions might be considered the kings of the jungle now but roughly 66 million years ago, the title of 'king' went to a prehistoric beast: A Tyrannosaurus rex affectionately named Scotty. This prehistoric predator was discovered in Canada where scientists were able to discern many facts about both Scotty, in particular, as well as his species. It was by far one of the greatest fossil discoveries ever made, leading to new research that was recently published for the world to indulge in.
There's a level of fascination and intrigue when it comes to giant beasts that roamed the world without fear, especially when it comes to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, known as T. rex for short. This dinosaur has been depicted throughout Hollywood in movies such as Jurassic Park and, each time is painted in a light that makes people fearful and somewhat respectful of the enormous creature. For the most part, though, many are just thankful that Scotty no longer wonders the earth in search of food... Because humans would definitely have been far lower on the food chain back then.
Scotty's Measurements Top Any Dinosaur Known To Have Lived
During the spring of 2019, researchers were actually able to measure Scotty and give him specifics as far as his size and weight and the results were shocking, to say the least. Prior to that point, there had never been fossils discovered that reached the sheer size and space this T. rex would have taken up. Until Scotty, it's uncertain whether anyone knew that a dinosaur of this species could even breach the measurements that he sported. To start, Scotty was nearly 42 feet in length which is an extraordinary feat in itself. To match that incredible size, it was estimated that Scotty weighed a whopping 19,555 pounds, which topped two records: The largest T. rex in the world and the largest dinosaur ever discovered in Canada. Scotty's stomping ground was where Saskatchewen is today, and it was estimated that he lived there roughly 66 million years prior.
With that being said, researchers were able to go even further in their investigation of this dinosaur, noticing marks on his bones that told stories of his life. Research about the T. rex species has brought to light many things, including the fact that each dinosaur varied not only in size but in shape, as well. Just like humans, many dinosaurs had varying bone structures which allowed them to sport sizes that ranged in bulk as well as lankiness. It was determined that Scotty was of the first group with features that made him rather bulky and husky in nature and, of course, the true king of all dinosaurs. Another surprising discovery made by paleontologists was that Scotty lived for quite some time, compatibly, to many others: Just over 30 years.
It was also determined that Scotty had an interesting go of it, with injuries that were no small feat when it came to a dinosaur of his sheer size. It appeared that Scotty was no stranger to fights with his fellow dinosaurs and had the battle scars to prove it - literally. Broken ribs were found, along with a jaw infection and several significant bite marks along his tail. It's interesting to consider what a fight would have looked like with another T. rex of Scotty's size or similar, and one can only wonder if the wounds inflicted on him were due to territory or a battle during mating season.
If it's hard to believe a dinosaur such as Scotty could exist, fear not - his skeleton is on display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, and even standing in front of the giant is humbling. It's surmised by experts that Scotty was, in animal terms, the reigning king of the region based on all of the bite marks left on his skeleton as well as the scars that implied some sort of scuffle. When it came to the hierarchy of which dinosaurs were not to be messed with, Scotty would have undoubtedly earned the title as the most unchallenged, lest one end up with similar battle scars or worse.
The only T. rex that even came within reach of Scotty's measurements was affectionately named Sue and still came in at almost 10,000 pounds less than Scotty's overall estimated body mass. When Scotty was discovered, he effectively de-throned Sue for the title of being the largest T. rex in existence as well as the largest that ever roamed Canada's wilderness. To date, this 5% difference in size is still the one thing that keeps Scotty as the reigning champ and no dinosaur has been discovered as of yet to replace him.