
Makaveli7
MemberCompsognathusMay-17-2013 9:41 PM Now first off, you have to remember that most disputes amongst dinosaurs were settled by intimidation. So before the fight began, we have to assume that the T-Rex wouldn't back down. Spinosaurus' sail probably served as an intimidation device among other things, and it was probably pretty effective. A larger dinosaur with a scary sail that made it look even bigger was sure to have won a non-physical confrontation.
Another misconception is that Spinosaurus had weak jaws. In absolute terms, it was massive. A full grown (about 43 feet) T-Rex's bite force was recently estimated at 6.5 tons. A Spinosaurus of the same size had a bite force of an estimated 3-3.5 tons. Still big, but not as huge as T-Rex's. however, recent estimates have put Spinosaurus at nearly 60 feet long. A Spinosaurus this large would have had a bite force of about 5.5 or 6 tons, due to its sheer size.
Spinosaurus was primarily a piscivore, right? It must have preyed on some pretty massive fish to reach upwards of 54 feet. Fish back then had more armor, even more than the [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUQjslyarGI]alligator gar[/url]
, and it would have to bite through it. And along with that, you have to imagine Spinosaurus had some pretty beefy arm and neck muscles to pull a multi-ton crocodile, fish or shark out of the water.
Keeping in mind that it hunted crocodiles and sharks (if not, at least among them), it would have had some sort of defense, which has led some scientists to speculate that it had thick, leathery, tough skin, capable of stopping or at least resisting penetration from a bite. Though this would have a smaller chance of stopping a T-Rex's bite, it would at least hinder it.
Also, another advantage it had would be the long arms. As I mentioned earlier, they were probably pretty muscular, and much more useful than those of the Tyrannosaurus. They could be used offensively, to slash and grip, at defensively, to push back.
But you could argue that it was lighter. Well maybe not. Modern estimates suggest that it was 48 to 59 feet in length and up to 23.0 tons in weight. I know. I had to reread that, too.
Well it was slower right? Well probably. Speed estimates for T-Rex range from 10-30 mph, with most suggesting a maximum of 25 for short distances. Spinosaurus probably wouldn't have been able to run as fast, perhaps only 15 mph.... But it would have been able to keep up longer. Another use of the sail was likely thermoregulation, so the Spino wouldn't get exhausted after a short burst of speed.
Didn't matter. It only ate small dinosaurs. Maybe not. Most of what we know about Spino is based off of baryonyx, which has been shown to eat young Iguanodon, fish, and pterosaurs. Scaled up, Spino could have eaten anything from the smaller Ouranosaurus to Angolatitan, maybe even the huge Paralititan.
So in conclusion, I have decided that the T-Rex would probably back out from the fight before it started, due to the Spino's superior display. If not, the first one to get a bite to the neck would win, and Spinosaurus would have a better chance due to its long, narrow head and neck that permitted more flexibility, on top of the arms that could defend from a Rex bite. I have determined that Spino would win 63-47, almost purely due to size. From equally sized individuals, Rex would definitely win.
What do you think? Agree? Probably not, but let me know anyways!
Future Team Raptor member