Post created by: Sam Dawson
Since the dawn of the first Jurassic Park movie in 1993, the terror of being hunted by large primal beasts like a Tyrannosaurus or a Carnotaurus has haunted the dreams of children (and grown-ups) around the world. After all, what could one do in the face of such an intimidating menace sporting a mouth of serrated, jagged teeth? Kyle Hill, a “Nerdist Science Editor” on the Because Science channel on Youtube, attempts to answer just this question as he explains what it means to face a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The T. Rex is one of the fiercest predators to ever walk this Earth. With a mass of over 8,000kg, an impressive 13m length from head to tail, and a height of 3.7m at the hip, the T. Rex was a tested killing machine. Using digital reconstructions, it is also possible that the therapod could have had tennis ball sized eyes granting clear vision for up to 6 km (compared to our clear vision of about 1 km). Paired with an excellent sense of smell, there is no hiding from this monster. All of these features, however, serve as a support system for its five-foot-long head housing a mouth filled with around 60 serrated teeth up to 12 inches long. This maw won the T. Rex the title of having the largest biting force of any land animal to ever exist - 57 KN or over 12 thousand pounds (it could also devour about 500 pounds in one bite). Concerning speed, there is still plenty of debate concerning the matter, but it is generally agreed that the T. Rex could reach 11 - 20 mph (if it could run at all). This would mean the T. Rex, under every step, would exert 117 KN of force.
With this in mind, how can one survive a T. Rex? Standing still and playing dead are out of the question due to the creature’s eyesight and smell. Outrunning a T-rex is possible if you are an excellent sprinter, especially in an environment with plenty of obstacles. With such a high center of mass, a T. Rex should have a difficult time controlling its inertia. This is where the concepts we learned in physics intersect with this issue. The fastest recorded human in the world, Usain Bolt, can run up to 28 mph. An average human male can jog about 8.3 mph, while some faster humans can sprint up to 15.9 mph. Comparing the two speeds, a speedy human could outrun a T. Rex. Acceleration is another variable we must consider. As with the buffalo-lion example used within our physics textbooks (p. 35), acceleration can mean the difference of life or death, even if the top speeds are relatively the same. Even though the buffalo has the same maximum speed as a lion, the acceleration of the lion, how fast it can reach high speeds, is much higher, allowing the lion to catch up with the slow-accelerating buffalo. Sadly, acceleration is a bit tricky to determine when it comes to a T-rex. We can’t calculate it very well due to lack of data. Tracks for the Tyrannosaurus Rex are very rare, and there are few animals alive today that could come close to mimicking the behemoth. On top of this, it is theorized that the acceleration of a T. Rex could change with age. It is also reasoned that the T. Rex didn’t need to travel very fast at all in the first place. Most of its prey were just as slow if not slower, and the animal could always scavenge other kills. Many predators today don’t have to chase their food such as crocodiles. In fact, recent studies show similarities between the T-rex and diapsids, a group of crocodilians, birds, lizards, and tuatara who have fenestra on the top of their skulls to regulate heat, a trait scientist now are certain the T. Rex had.
So, how does one go about surviving a T. Rex? Hill, along with the help of professor John R. Hutchinson, deduced the best strategy to win against such a predator is to use its own mass against it. Tripping a T. Rex would incapacitate the animal or even cause fatal injuries as a result of its mass. Similarly, cutting the tendons in the legs would also topple the beast and incapacitate it; at the end of the day though, the T. Rex is just a Brobdingnagian reptile. High caliber rounds or explosives would work. The most important thing you can do is to stay calm – it’s probably just a dream.
Picture taken from: The Real T. rex with Chris Packham: an attempt at a truthful Tyrannosaurus… “Presenter Chris Packham and paleontologist Dave Hone explain the challenges involved in recreating Tyrannosaurus rex for a new BBC documentary…”
Source for Assignment: Because Science, How to Fight a T. Rex (and Win); Youtube
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooWYQb_6dWM)
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