Is Scotty the largest T.rex yet?

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Alphadino65

MemberTriceratopsMarch 28, 20197743 Views4 Replies

An article in the National Post (from Canada) is reporting that the T.rex specimen "Scotty" is the largest and potentially most mature T.rex uncovered. Contrary to what may be implied in the article, Scotty was discovered in 1991, then started being excavated in 1994.

Scientific American's report gives clarification on this sensationalized report from the Post, which caters to the lowest common denominator.

And here is the scientific journal article that actually describes the evidence pointing to Scotty being the largest T.rex specimen found to date.

IMO, I'm sure Scotty is the largest specimen found yet. But like the Scientific American article states, it isn't by much compared to other large adults like Sue. Still, an almost 10 ton T.rex is astounding.

Enjoy reading!

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Replies to Is Scotty the largest T.rex yet?

TheLazyFish
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TheLazyFishMarch 29, 2019

Wow, never thought a rex could get that big!

If people weren't lazy, we wouldn't try to be efficient. If we weren't efficient, we'd never get anything done.

I Meme Everything
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I Meme EverythingMarch 29, 2019

I still Sue is the largest. The method used to obtain the 8870 kg mass relied on femoral circumference, which isn't the most reliable volumetric mass estimate to use. It also had an inaccurate thirteen meter estimate, which is 0.9 meters longer than Scotty's actual length. The paper also had inaccurate estimates for other theropods, like ~1600 kg for the neotype specimen of Spinosaurus used in Ibrahim et al. (2014).

"Part of the journey is the end..."

Alphadino65
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Alphadino65March 29, 2019

@I Meme Everything

More than using femoral circumference, Scotty is only around 65% complete, so comparing it to Sue's skeleton means taking into account a greater margin of error.

For the 13m estimate, that's a rounded figure AND an "over the curves" measurement of the body in a presumed neutral stance, which normally isn't used. The "over the curves" body length for Sue is 12.8m.

For the Spinosaurus part...yeah, that's wrong.

I Meme Everything
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I Meme EverythingMarch 30, 2019

^The length along the centra (which is shorter than over the curves) is the true length of the animal. That makes Sue 12.3 meters and Scotty 12.1.

"Part of the journey is the end..."

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