Update (1/29/23):
I wrote a paper on UCMP 119853:
https://www.academia.edu/96575022/A_Baby_Tyrannosaurus_rex_Premaxillary_or_First_Maxillary_Tooth
Update (8/11/23):
I wrote a description of the baby T. rex specimen BHI 6439:
https://www.academia.edu/105502160/A_Description_of_the_Baby_T_rex_Specimen_BHI_6439
I've decided to make my very own ontogenetic growth series for T. rex (excluding the Nanotyrannus individuals). Honestly, I don't know why I didn't do this before. T. rex is my favorite dinosaur, so I should have dome this eons ago.
The purpose of this post is to examine actual young specimens of T. rex, and see how this animal grew. I am excluding the Nanotyrannus specimens because, as I've mentioned in another post, that whole debate is built on bias and willful ignorance. Also, based on my own investigation, Nanotyrannus isn't even a derived tyrannosaurid, but a basal tyrannosauroid that was closely related to Dryptosaurus and Appalachiosaurus.
Using other tyrannosaurids as a guide, I hope to uncover how this animal truly matured as it aged. My ages for each specimen are as followed:
Baby: 0-9.
Juvenile: 10-15.
Subadult: 16-18.
Adult: 19 and onward.
1. UCMP 119853:
Age: Baby (Age is unknown, but judging from the size of the tooth, it's the youngest T. rex specimen I've found. It's definitely a baby, or better yet, a hatchling).
Tooth:
-Position: More likely a premaxillary tooth (also backed up by Joshua B. Smith in 2023, author of Smith, 2005). However, it could potentially be a first maxillary tooth (confirmed by Professor Holtz and Sebastian Dalman on 9/29-30/22).
-Length/Height: 8 mm.
-Width: 4 mm.
Baby T. rex UCMP 119853 first maxillary tooth (Carpenter, 1982):
P. 128 Figure 5 (A is side/lateral view, B is posterior (back) view). Scale bar is 2 mm:
P. 130:
Subadult T. rex "Stan's" 4th premaxillary and 1st maxillary teeth (Smith, 2005, p. 875 Figure 8 F-G; both are side views) (Arrows indicate serrations). Scale bar is 1 cm:
Nanotyrannus "Jane's" first maxillary tooth (posterior/rear view) (Larson, 2013, p. 35, Figure 2.14 D):
Voris et al., (2022) stated that juvenile, and adult, Gorgosaurus specimens had a first maxillary tooth that was incisiform, and had similar morphology to the premaxillary tooth.
Gorgosaurus had incisiform premaxillary, and first maxillary, teeth, and the first maxillary tooth had ridges and a groove, on it throughout the animal's lifetime (Voris et al., 2022, Systematic Paleontology, Description of Juvenile Gorgosaurus Skulls, Dentition, para. 2):
Note: They said that juvenile T. rex had this because they lumped Nanotyrannus into T. rex.Size estimation:
TD-13-251:
Height:
2.8 cm (C).
3.15 cm (T).
"Stan":
Pm 4 (M-Li): 4.1 cm (C) (Smallest).
1.) TD-31-251:
Crown height:
4.1 - 2.8 = 1.3.
1.3/4.1*100 = 31.7% decrease.
12.2 m - 31.7% = 27 feet (8.3 meters).
2.) UCMP 119853:
Total height:
3.15 - 0.8 = 2.35.
2.35/3.15*100 = 74.6% decrease.
8.3 m - 74.6% = 7 feet (2.1 meters).
UCMP 119853's total length: 7 feet (2.1 meters).
Observations:
1. Very serrated, unlike Nanotyrannus' (Carr and Williamson, 2004, p. 517), or lightly serrated (Molnar, 1978, p. 77) (Larson, 2013, pp. 33-35) (Larson's Twitter post).
2. Serrations are located on the lateral/side views and not the anterior (front) and posterior (back) views, just like adult T. rex's and Tarbosaurus' (Bakker et al., 1988, p. 24) (Tsuihiji et al., 2011, p. 17) (Larson, 2013, pp. 33-35).
3. The front/anterior/mesial serrations (Figure 5 A) do not reach the base of the tooth, as in other T. rex specimens (Samman et al., 2005, pp. 762 and 768).
4. Tooth has an "incisiform appearance," or is either incisiform or sub-incisiform (Carpenter, 1982, p. 130) (Samman et al., 2005, p. 762).
5. No ridges on the sides of the tooth that contain serrations (?Lambe, 1917, p. 19) (Larson, 2013, p. 35, Figure 2.14 D) (Larson's Twitter post). This is present in T. rex's premaxillary teeth, but not the first maxillary tooth (Smith, 2005, p. 870 Figure 3 B; p. 875 Figure 8 F-G).
Links:
Lambe (1917):
https://ia800804.us.archive.org/19/items/b29809940/b29809940.pdf
Molnar (1978):
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1303791
Carpenter (1982):
Bakker et al., (1988) (P. 24):
https://zenodo.org/record/1037529#.YiYc4yVOmEc
Smith (2005) (P. 875 Figure 8 F-G):
Tsuihiji et al., 2011 (P. 17):
Larson (2013) (P. 34):
https://www.geokniga.org/bookfiles/geokniga-tyrannosaurid-paleobiology.pdf
Larson's Twitter post:
https://mobile.twitter.com/PeteLarsonTrex/status/1217195208921747463?cxt=HHwWjsC0of6lrOQhAAAA
Samman et al., (2005):
https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app50/app50-757.pdf
Carr and Williamson (2004):
Link 2:
https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/142/4/479/2632290
Voris et al., (2022):
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2021.2041651
Brunson (2023a):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367390306_A_Baby_Tyrannosaurus_rex_Premaxillary_or_First_Maxillary_Tooth
2. RSM P2347.1:
RSM P2347.1's maxilla (photo from Dr. Holtz's Twitter account). Scale bar is 30 cm:
RSM's maxilla pic. 2 (Jack Milligan's Twitter post):
RSM's maxilla and reconstructed skull (Jack Milligan's Twitter post):Age: 0-9 (Baby) (True age is unknown, but it was probably 4 or younger due to the maxilla possibly being about 20 or so cm long).
Maxilla:
-Length: ~20 cm (maybe more or less).
-Tooth Count: Teeth were not found, but reconstruction shows that about 13 can fit.
Observations:
Characteristics of the maxilla:
1. Large maxillary fenestra closer to the maxillary strut and not the antorbital fenestra.
2. Weak maxillary strut.
3. Maxillary strut is circular, and straight, in the beginning. This is near the front of the maxilla.
Links:
Dalman (pers. comm.).
Holtz's Twitter post:
https://mobile.twitter.com/TomHoltzPaleo/status/1305854281896132609
Jack Milligan's Twitter post:
Pic. 1:
https://twitter.com/Pieceofasaurus/status/1235964731380252672
Pic. 2:
https://mobile.twitter.com/Pieceofasaurus/status/1235964731380252672
3. "Baby Bob":
"Baby Bob" Dentary (Deak and McKenzie, 2016, slide 12):
Dentary with tooth sockets showing (Keblog):
Skull length (Detrich Fossil Co's Twitter post):
Femur and Tibia (Peter Larson's Twitter post):
"Baby Bob's" age (Michael Deak's Twitter post):
Skull fragments (FossilForum):
Age: 4 (maybe 5) (Baby) (Michael Deak's Twitter post) (Deak and McKenzie, 2016, slide 12).Dentary:
-Tooth count: 12.
Mandible/Dentary: 55.9 cm (22 inches).
Skull: 53.3 cm (21 inches).
Femur: 64.5 cm.
Tibia: 65 cm.
Size estimate:
Femur: 62.0 cm.
2.5/62 * 100 = 4% increase.
5.8 m + 4% = 20 feet (6.0 meters).
Observations:
Characteristics of the lacrimal:
1. No lacrimal horn seem to be present.
Characteristics of the dentary:
2. Lingual bar covers the first two dentary teeth.
3. 12 alveoli are present.
Characteristics of the teeth:
4. Wide and "D-shaped."
Traits in the femur and tibia:
5. Femur and tibia are basically the same length. Tibia is not drastically longer than the femur.
Dentary and tooth count info.:
Deak and McKenzie (2016) (Slide 12):
Dalman (pers. comm.).
Keblog:
https://www.keblog.it/fossili-t-rex-cucciolo-in-vendita-su-ebay/
Skull Length:Detrich Fossil Co Twitter post:
https://mobile.twitter.com/kingfossil/status/1121904029095866370
Skull pic from FossilForum:
Image:
https://images.app.goo.gl/bkcNXKVNCkuFi3d88
Link:
http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/61245-bob-the-baby-t-rex/
Femur and Tibia pic:Peter Larson's Twitter post:
https://mobile.twitter.com/PeteLarsonTrex/status/1226656066177523717
Age:
Deak and McKenzie (2016) (Slide 12):
Michael Deak's Twitter post:
https://twitter.com/deak_michael/status/1075732456412774401
4. BHI 6439:
Dentary length (pic. given to me from Dalman). Photo belongs to "Troodon" from Fossil Forum:
Nanotyrannus "Jane's" (top) and T. rex BHI 6439's (bottom's) dentaries (interior) (photo from Peter Larson's Twitter page):
Note: Interior groove covers the first two teeth/alveoli on BHI 6439's dentary, and in T. rex overall. "Jane's" only covers the first alveoli (Dalman, pers. comm.) (Dalman and Lucas, 2016, p. 23).
Top view (pic. provided by Dalman). Picture belongs to Peter Larson from Instagram:
Age: Between 4 and 9 (estimated) (Baby) (Dentary and tooth row are the same size as "Jane's," but the specimen is only slightly larger than "Baby Bob").
Dentary (incomplete):
-Tooth row length: 33 cm (Measured on 2/12/22).
Dryptosaurus specimen "Jane":
Dentary:
-Length: 52 cm (Measured in Brusatte et al., 2010 on 5/20/22).
-Tooth row length: 31.5 cm (Measured on 2/12/22 in pic from Dalman).
Skull: 77.7 cm (Measured in Brusatte et al., 2010 on 8/28/21).
Body Length: 22 feet (6.7 meters).
Size estimation:
T. rex specimen "Sue":
Dentary tooth row length: 56 cm.
Body length: 13.6 meters.
56 - 33 = 23.
23/56*100 = 41.1% decrease.
13.6 m - 41.1% = 26 feet (8.0 meters).
"Jane":
Dentary tooth row:
33 - 31.5 = 1.5.
1.5/31.5*100 = 4.8% increase.
6.7 m + 4.8% = 23 feet (7.0 meters).
52 cm + 4.8% = 54.5 cm for the dentary.
77.7 cm + 4.8% = 81.4 cm for the skull.
BHI 6439's Stats:
Dentary:
-Length: 54.5 cm.
-Tooth row length: 33 cm.
-13 alveoli.
Skull: 81.4 cm.
Body length: 23 feet (7.0 meters).
Observations:
Characteristics of dentary:
1. Lingual bar covers the first two dentary teeth/alveoli, unlike in Nanotyrannus "Jane's" dentary.
2. 13 alveoli are present, while 17 are present in "Jane."
3. The first tooth is incisiform, as seen in the adult specimens.
4. Dentary is taller and thicker than Nanotyrannus "Jane's," despite having a similar tooth row size. This shows that T. rex, from an early age, was designed to deliver a bone-crushing blow to its prey.
Links:
Dalman (pers. comm.)."Troodon" from Fossil Forum:
http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/93287-the-case-for-nanotyrannus/
Peter Larson's Twitter post:https://twitter.com/PeteLarsonTrex/status/974329880707063810
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7b0CTZpCto/?utm_medium=copy_link
UCRC-PV 1's arm (photo from Peter Larson's Twitter page):
Hand (Fran Vidakovic's Twitter post). Scale bar is 10 cm:Manual ungual 2 claw (Fran Vidakovic's Twitter post):Age: Baby (Subadult was given by Larson on Twitter, but my measurement places the specimen at being a meter longer than BHI 6439, so I'm placing it as a baby. The length of manual phalanx 1-1 backs this up too when compared to the subadult "Bucky").
Manual phalanx 1-1: 6.8 cm (at best) (Measured on 11/20/21).
Size estimation:
TCM 2001.90.1 ("Bucky"):
Manual phalanx 1-1: 9.2 cm (at best).
Length: 35 feet (10.8 meters).
9.2 - 6.8 = 2.4.
2.4/9.2*100 = 26.1% decrease.
10.8 m - 26.1% = 26 feet (8.0 meters).
Observations:
Characteristics of the arm:
1. Manual unguals (claws) appear short and thick, unlike Nanotyrannus', Dryptosaurus', and Megaraptor's.
2. Short, and skinny, manual phalanx 1-1. It's smaller than adult specimens (7.8-10 cm) (Persons IV et al., 2019, p. 669 Table 1). It's slightly larger than a young Tarbosaurus specimen (5.4 cm) (Brusatte et al., 2011, p. 47 Table 3). Nanotyrannus, Dryptosaurus, and Megaraptor had extremely long manual phalanx 1-1's, with the former two taxa being twice as long as T. rex's, if not longer.
3. Humerus is longer than the radius and ulna, unlike in Nanotyrannus and Dryptosaurus.
Adult T. rex manual phalanx 1-1 lengths (Persons IV et al., 2019, p. 669 Table 1):
Tyrannosauroid limb proportions (Brusatte et al., 2011, p. 47 Table 3):
Larson describing the specimen's age (Twitter):Larson and Carpenter (2008) wrote about the specimen. Catalogued as UCRC PV1, it was discovered in 1950, and excavated by Paul Sereno and his team in 2001. The specimen is in the University of Chicago. Sereno is quoted as saying that the specimen has both complete forelimbs (p. 41):
Comparison with Albertosaurus sarcophagus hand Mallon et al., (2019) (Figure 8):
Daspletosaurus torosus' arm (Russell, 1970, p. 34 Plate 4) (Scale bar is 5 cm):
Both Albertosaurus and Daspletosaurus had identical hand, and arm, morphology to T. rex specimen UCRC PV1's.
Links:
Peter Larson's Twitter post:
https://mobile.twitter.com/PeteLarsonTrex/status/973346519423246336
Fran Vidakovic's Twitter post:
https://twitter.com/Goji1999/status/1212775954667450373
Larson and Carpenter (2008) (P. 41):
https://books.google.com/books/about/Tyrannosaurus_Rex_the_Tyrant_King.html?id=5WH9RnfKco4C&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity#v=onepage&q=ucrc%20pv1&f=false
Mallon et al., (2019):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7079176/
Russell (1970) (P. 9):
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36032001#page/27/mode/1up
Brusatte et al., (2011):
https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/handle/2246/6117/N3717.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Age: 10-14 (Juvenile) (0.4 meters smaller than "Tinker") (11-19 in total from Padian and Horner, 2004, p. 1876 Table 1 and p. 1877, and Erickson et al., 2006, Supplementary Materials, p. 13).
Femur: 110 cm (Persons IV et al., 2019, p. 669 Table 1).
Tibia: 110.5 cm (Persons IV et al., 2019, p. 669 Table 1).
Size:
Acrocanthosaurus Holotype OMNH 10143:
Femur: 115.3 cm.
Body Length: 35 feet (10.7 meters).
115.3 - 110 = 5.3.
5.3/115.3*100 = 4.6% increase.
10.7 m - 4.6% = 34 feet (10.2 meters).
Observations:
Characteristics in the femur and tibia:
1. Femur and tibia are about the same length (Persons IV et al., 2019, p. 669 Table 1), just like "Baby Bob" and LACM 23845. This suggests that MOR 009 is a juvenile. The age range for this specimen are 11-19 (Padian and Horner, 2004, p. 1876 Table 1 and p. 1877) (Erickson et al., 2006, Supplementary Materials, p. 13). Based on the femur and tibia lengths being basically identical, I'm placing MOR 009 in the juvenile age range (10-15 years old).
Links:
Persons IV et al., (2019):
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ar.24118?tracking_action=preview_click&r3_referer=wol&show_checkout=1
Link 2:
https://www.gbif.org/species/159236947
Abstract:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ar.24118
Padian and Horner (2004) (P. 1876 Table 1):
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.515.6451&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Link 2:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8364874_Age_and_growth_dynamics_of_Tyrannosaurus_rex
7. "Tinker":
"Tinker's" skull (Christies):
"Tinker's" Dentary (photo belongs to Dalman) (Measuring tape is presumably in inches):
Age: 14 (Juvenile) (Erickson et al., 2006, Supplementary Materials, p. 13).Observations:
Maxilla:
1. Maxillary fenestra is large and on the maxillary strut instead of near the antorbital fenestra.
2. Maxillary strut is circular, and straight, in the beginning. This is near the front of the maxilla.
Dentary:
3. 12 teeth.
Size estimation:
"Jane":
Dentary:
-Length: 57 cm (Measured in Brusatte et al., 2010 on 8/28/21).
-Tooth row length: 31.5 cm (Measured on 2/12/22).
-Tooth count: 12 (visible).
Skull: 77.7 cm (Measured in Brusatte et al., 2010 on 8/28/21).
Body Length: 22 feet (6.7 meters).
Dentary:
82.6 - 57 = 25.6.
25.6/57*100 = 44.9% increase.
6.7 m + 44.9% = 9.7 meters.
BHI 6439:
Dentary:
-Length: 54.5 cm.
-Tooth row length: 31.5 cm.
Skull: 81.4 cm.
Body length: 23 feet (7.0 meters).
82.6 - 54.5 = 28.1.
28.1/54.5*100 = 51.6% increase.
7.0 m + 51.6% = 35 feet (10.6 meters).
81.4 cm + 38.4% = 123.4 cm for the Skull.
"Tinker's" Stats:
Body length: 35 feet (10.6 meters).
Dentary length: 82.6 cm (32.5 inches) (at best).
Skull length: 123.4 cm.
Links:
Sebastian Dalman (pers. comm.).
Christies:
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-5989561
8. RSM P.2990.1:
RSM P.2990.1's lacrimal (Holtz's Twitter page):
Age: 10-15 (Juvenile) (Dalman, pers. comm) (Carr, 2020).
Observations:
Characteristics of the lacrimal:
1. Shape is identical to Tarbosaurus specimen MCP-107/7's lacrimal (Tsuihiji et al., 2011, p. 10 Figure 8 F).
2. Lacrimal horn (or cornual process) may be present. Juvenile Tarbosaurus specimen GIN 100/66 has lacrimal horns (Currie, 2003, p. 200) (Yun, 2015, p. 4).
(?)3. No multiple pneumatopores (holes) are present except for the typical one seen in other tyrannosauroids, but the specimen could just be old enough not to have them.
4. One small pneumatopore inside the lacrimal, as in the juvenile Tarbosaurus specimen MCP-107/7. Nanotyrannus, Appalachiosaurus, and Gorgosaurus have large pneumatopores in their lacrimals.
5. Lacrimal is not covered in rugosities, as in Nanotyrannus and Appalachiosaurus (called a "ridge" in Carr et al., 2005).
RSM's lacrimal is basically identical to Tarbosaurus specimen MCP-107/14's lacrimal (Tsuihiji et al., 2011, p. 10 Figure 8 F):
Links:
Dalman (pers. comm).
Carr (2020):
https://peerj.com/articles/9192/
Holtz's Twitter post:
https://mobile.twitter.com/TomHoltzPaleo/status/1308744116365295617
Tsuihiji et al., (2011):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232865497_Cranial_Osteology_of_a_Juvenile_Specimen_of_Tarbosaurus_bataar_Theropoda_Tyrannosauridae_from_the_Nemegt_Formation_Upper_Cretaceous_of_Bugin_Tsav_Mongolia
Currie (2003):
https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app48/app48-191.pdf
Yun (2015) (p. 4):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308710995_Evidence_points_out_that_Nanotyrannus_is_a_juvenile_Tyrannosaurus_rex
9. TMM 41436-1:
TMM 41436-1's maxilla (Wick, 2014, Figure 1) (Scale bar is 10 cm):
Age: 10-15 (Juvenile), since the size of the maxilla is rather small (about 35-45 cm; 39 cm in Lawson, 1976, p. 159). Granted, it is incomplete at the end, but the tooth row is rather small (22.8cm in Lawson, 1976, p. 160).
-Other ages given: Subadult (Wick, 2014, Brief history and referral, para. 2) (Carr, 2020, pp. 59 and 93).
Observations:
Characteristics of the maxilla:
1. Maxillary strut is deep.
2. Maxillary strut is circular, and straight, in the beginning. This is near the front of the maxilla.
3. Maxillary fenestra is huge, and right on the maxillary strut instead of the antorbital fossa.
4. 11 teeth fit inside.
Links:
Lawson (1976) (PP. 159-161):
https://zenodo.org/record/3675277#.YOs7KBNKh-U
Wick (2014) (Brief history and referral, para. 2):
Figure 1:
https://images.app.goo.gl/5s863Z7Q9niWnQsC7
Paper:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667114000500
Carr (2020) (pp. 59 and 93):
https://peerj.com/articles/9192/
10. LACM 23845:
LACM 23845's preserved skull bones drawing (Olshevsky, 1995, p. 3):
Age: 14 (Juvenile) (Based on femur and tibia being the same length, as seen in "Baby Bob") (14-16 in total is based on Erickson et al., 2004, p. 774 Table 1, and Carr, 2020).
Note: Skull, femur, tibia, and fibula lengths come from multiple different sources, so I'll have to measure the fibula to get an accurate skull length estimate.
My Measurements:
Fibula: 88 cm (at best) (Measured on 11/21/21 in Molnar, 1980, p. 106) (Molnar, 1980, p. 107 says that the skull is the same size as the fibula).
LACM 23845's fibula (Molnar, 1980, p. 106). Scale bar is 10 cm:
Femur: 98.9 cm (Erickson et al., 2004, p. 774 Table 1).
Tibia: 98.9 cm (Erickson et al., 2004, p. 774 Table 1).
Note: The femur and tibia are the same size (Persons and Currie, 2016, p. 6 Table 2).
Skull: 90 cm (Paul, 1988, pp. 333-334).
Femur:
-98.9 cm (Erickson et al., 2004, p. 774 Table 1).
-82.5 cm (Persons and Currie, 2016, p. 6 Table 2).
Tibia: 82.5 cm (with a 82.5-cm femur) (Persons and Currie, 2016, p. 6 Table 2).
Size estimate:
Fibula:
Daspletosaurus torosus TMP.2001.036.0001:
Femur: 98.7 cm.
Length: 30 feet (9.2 meters).
98.9 - 98.7 = 0.2.
0.2/98.7 * 100 = 0.2% increase.
9.2 m + 0.2% = 30 feet (9.2 meters).
Allosaurus USNM 4734:
Fibula: 62.3 cm.
Body length: 7.9 meters.
88 - 62.3 = 25.7.
25.7/62.3*100 = 41.3% increase.
7.9 m + 41.3% = 11.1 meters.
T. rex specimen "Sue":
Fibula Length: 110.0 cm.
Body Length: 13.6 meters.
110 - 88 = 22.
22/110*100 = 20% decrease.
13.6 m - 20% = 36 feet (10.9 meters).
143 cm - 20% = 114.4 cm for femur and tibia.
T. rex specimen TCM 2001.90.1 (originally ICM) ("Bucky"):
Femur: 116.8 cm.
Body: 10.8 meters.
116.8 - 114.4 = 2.4.
2.4/116.8*100 = 2.1% decrease.
10.8 m - 2.1% = 35 feet (10.6 meters).
Skull:
T. rex specimen "Duffy":
Skull: 117 cm.
Body: 9.7 m.
117 cm - 88 cm = 29.
29/117*100 = 24.8% decrease.
9.7 m - 24.8% = 24 feet (7.3 meters).
LACM 23845's Stats:
Age: 14.
Skull and Fibula: 88 cm.
Body Length: 24 feet (7.3 meters).
Longrich and Saitta (2023) (preprint) said that LACM's skull was "about 12% larger" than the skull of the "Nanotyrannus" (cf. Dryptosaurus) specimen "Jane." They said its skull length was 80 cm (p. 26). This fits well with the 88-cm length I've obtained for it. The authors also stated that the specimen also comparable in size to the larger "Nanotyrannus" (cf. Dryptosaurus) specimens (I'm assuming they mean "Jane" and "Petey") (p. 28).
Observations:
Characteristics of the nasal:
1. The nasal has few and lower-sized rugosities (Molnar, 1980, p. 103) unlike the younger
Nanotyrannus ("Zuri" at 13-years of age) and Alioramus specimens (both 9 years old).
Characteristics of the lacrimal:
2. No lacrimal horn/cornual process is present (Molnar, 1980, p. 103) (Carr and Williamson, 2004, p. 497). The horn/process seems to have left by the time T. rex turned 14.
3. Top of the lacrimal is similar in morphology to RSM P.2990.1's and other adults, and is smooth unlike Nanotyrannus', Appalachiosaurus', and Gorgosaurus'.
(?)4. No multiple pneumatopores (holes) are present, but the specimen could just be old enough not to have them.
Characteristics of the maxilla:
5. The maxillary fenestra touches the margin of the maxillary strut (Olshevsky, 1995, p. 3) (Molnar says it's the antorbital fossa [p. 103]).
Characteristics of the maxillary strut:
6. Maxillary strut is circular, and straight, in the beginning. This is near the front of the maxilla.
Characteristics of the skull:
7. Skull is the same length as the fibula (Molnar, 1980, p. 107). It's smaller than the femur, which is also seen in "Baby Bob." This may suggest an age of 14 instead of 16.
Characteristics of the arms:
8. Arms are small (Paul, 1988, pp. 334 and 336) (Olshevsky, 1995, p. 4), or match the proportions of Albertosaurus (probably meaning Gorgosaurus) (Molnar, 1980, p. 106). Nanotyrannus, Dryptosaurus, and Megaraptor, had long arms.
Characteristics of the femur and tibia lengths:
9. Femur and tibia are the same length, just like "Baby Bob" (Persons and Currie, 2016, p. 6 Table 2). This helps to reaffirm an age of 14 instead of 16. Subadults have larger skulls compared to their femurs, not juveniles.
Links:
Molnar (1980):
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1304167
Paul (1988) (pp. 333 and 334):
https://archive.org/details/g.s.paul1988predatorydinosaursoftheworld/page/n338/mode/1up
Olshevsky (1995):
https://zenodo.org/record/1038228#.YT875SUpCEe
Erickson et al., (2004) (P. 774):
http://webpages.math.luc.edu/~ebalderama/bayes_resources/mt/nature02699.pdf
Persons and Currie (2016):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292188989_An_approach_to_scoring_cursorial_limb_proportions_in_carnivorous_dinosaurs_and_an_attempt_to_account_for_allometry
Carr (2020):
https://peerj.com/articles/9192/
Longrich and Saitta (2023) (Preprint):
11. USNM 6183:
Specimen's femur and tibia lengths (Gilmore, 1920, p. 122):
Tibia: 91 cm.
Femur: 98.9 cm.
Body: 30 feet (9.2 meters).
104.0 - 98.9 = 5.1.
5.1/98.9*100 = 5.2% increase.
9.2 m + 5.2% = 32 feet (9.7 meters).
Femur: 107.5 cm.
Body: 10.0 meters.
10.0 m - 3.3% = 32 feet (9.7 meters).
Observations:
Characteristics of the femur and tibia:
1. Femur is larger than the tibia. Given that it's 17 years old, this is a characteristic of a subadult T. rex.
Link:
Gilmore (1920) (P. 122):
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/125786#page/140/mode/1up
Erickson et al., (2006):
Supplementary Materials (P. 13):
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/suppl/2006/07/11/313.5784.213.DC1/Erickson.SOM.pdf
12. TCM 2001.90.1 (originally ICM) ("Bucky"):
Age: 16 (Subadult) (Erickson et al., 2004, p. 774 Table 1).
Femur: 116.8 cm (estimated) (Erickson et al., 2004, p. 774 Table 1).
Manual phalanx 1-1: 9.2 cm (at best) (Measured on 4/8/22).
Size estimate:
Acrocanthosaurus Holotype OMNH 10143:
Femur: 115.3 cm.
Body Length: 35 feet (10.7 meters).
116.8 - 115.3 = 1.5.
1.5/115.3*100 = 1.3% increase.
10.7 m + 1.3% = 35 feet (10.8 meters).
Observations:
Characteristics in the manual phalanx 1-1 bone:
1. Smaller than Nanotyrannus' (2nd one, white), despite the Nanotyrannus specimen BHI 6437 also being a subadult (Tyrannosauroidea central, Tyrannoethics: The naturalist T. rex and the and the T. rex list of shame, updated). It's also smaller than the adult T. rex specimen MOR 980's (brown) right next to it. This, and UCRC-PV1's manual 1-1 phalanx, seems to indicate that T. rex's manual 1-1 phalanx grew instead of shrunk during ontogeny. BHIGR showed that "Bucky's" manual phalanx 1-1 was indeed preserved.
Erickson et al., (2004) (P. 774 Table 1):
http://webpages.math.luc.edu/~ebalderama/bayes_resources/mt/nature02699.pdf
Nanotyrannus BHI 6437's age:
Carr, Thomas. Tyrannosauroidea central. Tyrannoethics: The naturalist T. rex and the and the T. rex list of shame, updated. 2015:
https://tyrannosauroideacentral.blogspot.com/2015/02/tyrannoethics-4-naturalis-t-rex-t-rex.html
Nanotyrannus BHI 6437's manual phalanx 1-1 bone from Peter Larson's Twitter post:
Pic.:
https://images.app.goo.gl/xDcRsxwf8bMu9BLj7
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/PeteLarsonTrex/status/1214576760718794753
T. rex manual 1-1 phalanx sizes:
Persons IV et al., (2019):
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ar.24118?tracking_action=preview_click&r3_referer=wol&show_checkout=1
Abstract:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ar.24118
Version 2:
https://www.gbif.org/species/159236947
Amount of bones found in "Bucky's" skeleton:
BHIGR:
http://www.bhigr.com/store/product.php?productid=526#detailed
13. BHI 3033 ("Stan"):
BHI 3033's ("Stan's") dentary (Dalman and Lucas, 2016, p. 25):
Note: Interior groove covers the first two alveoli/teeth.
Age: 18 (Subadult) (Erickson et al., 2006, Supplementary Materials, p. 13).
Skull: 147 cm.
Maxilla:
-Length: 76 cm.
-Tooth count: 11.
Dentary:
-Length: 91 cm.
-Tooth count: 13.
Femur: 130.0 cm.
Tibia: 109.6 cm.
Body: 12.2 meters.
Observations:
Characteristics of the maxilla:
1. 11 teeth are present.
Characteristics of the dentary:
2. Lingual bar covers the first two teeth.
3. 13 teeth are present.
Characteristics in the skull and femur lengths:
4. The skull is longer than the femur, unlike in the baby and juvenile specimens "Baby Bob" and LACM 23845.
Characteristics of the femur and tibia:
5. Femur is larger than the tibia, just like USNM 6183. This seems to back up my hypothesis of this being a subadult characteristic.
Link:
Hendrickx and Mateus (2014) (Figure 2):
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Left-maxillae-of-Tyrannosaurus-rex-in-A-B-lateral-view-CMNH-9380-reversed-and-C_fig2_260561984
Dalman and Lucas (2016) (P. 25):
https://www.dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp/archive/memoir/memoir016-017.pdf
Larson (2013) (p. 37):
https://www.geokniga.org/bookfiles/geokniga-tyrannosaurid-paleobiology.pdf
14. CM 79057 ("Samson") and PARC-TD-11-094/FDM-xx?:
CM 79057 ("Samson") dentary and tooth count (Deak and McKenzie, 2016, slide 9) (from Horner, 2011):
PARC-TD-11-094/FDM-xx? dentary (Stein, 2021, p. 37, Figure 16):
Note: First two alveoli are covered by the interior groove (A).
Stein's statement on the dentary having 14-15 tooth positions (Stein, 2021, p. 36):
Ages:
-"Samson": 23 (Adult) (Erickson et al., 2006, Supplementary Materials, p. 13).
-PARC-TD-11-094/FDM-xx?: Unknown, but compared to "Stan," it's probably a subadult (based on the length of the dentary given by Stein, 2021, p. 36).
Maxilla:
-"Samson": 13 (Carr et al., 2011, p. 5, Discussion).
-PARC: Unknown.
Dentary:
-"Samson": Length is unknown.
-PARC: 92 cm.
-Tooth count (both): 15 (Carr et al., 2011, p. 5, Discussion) (Stein, 2021, p. 36).
Observations:
Characteristics of the maxilla:
1. "Samson" had 13 teeth in its maxilla.
Characteristics of the dentaries:
2. Lingual bar covers the first two alveoli in PARC-TD-11-094/FDM-xx?'s dentary. "Samson" more than likely had this as well.
3. 15 teeth in the dentaries for both specimen.
Links:
Carr et al., (2011):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309340780_HYPOTHETICAL_DIVERGENT_EVOLUTION_OF_TWO_APEX_PREDATORS_FROM_THE_HELL_CREEK_FORMATION_NANOTYRANNUS_LANCENSIS_AND_TYRANNOSAURUS_REX
Stein (2021) (P. 36):
http://www.thefossilforum.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=755388
Age: 28-33 (Adult) (Erickson et al., 2004, p. 773 Figure 1 C) (Cullen et al., 2020).
Length: 13.6 meters.
Right Dentary: 101.0 cm.
Humerus: 39.0 cm.
Right Femur: 143 cm (at best).
Right Tibia: 124 cm.
Right Fibula: 110 cm.
Characteristics of femur and tibia:
1. Femur is larger than the tibia.
Characteristics of age:
2. EFS found in "Sue" states that T. rex stopped growing around the age of 19 (Erickson et al., 2004, p. 773 Figure 1 C).
Links:
Erickson et al., (2004) (P. 773 Figure 1 C):
http://webpages.math.luc.edu/~ebalderama/bayes_resources/mt/nature02699.pdf
"Abstract":
1. T. rex doesn't show any signs of increasing, and then decreasing, in tooth count during ontogeny. In fact, it shows the opposite. T. rex's tooth count seems to have stayed the same, or even increased. For example: "Stan" had 11 teeth in its maxilla and 13 teeth in its dentary, but "Samson" had 13 teeth in its maxilla and 15 teeth in its dentary. "Stan" is 18 years old, while "Samson" is 23. The small fluctuations in tooth counts is a result of individual variation, and variation is not too vast from specimen to specimen.
3. T. rex's maxilla had a wide maxillary fenesta (hole) in its antorbital fossa throughout its lifetime. It did not change shape during ontogeny.
5. Maxillary strut is circular, and straight, in the beginning. This is near the front of the maxilla, and doesn't change during ontogeny. The strut is so straight at the beginning that a straight line could be drawn through it, cutting it in half.
7. The lingual bar in the interior/medial side of the dentary covered the first two alveoli/teeth throughout its lifetime.
Growth Charts:
This is not good if the juvenile Dryptosaurus specimens ("Nanotyrannus") were juvenile T. rexes.