Ever had a nightmare where a giant T. rex is chasing you down, running at you like the Hell beast it probably was when it was alive? Well, guess what. T. rex can't even run, so don't worry too much about that.
Yes, T. rex – the mighty dinosaur depicted as a cunning, powerful speed demon – was probably a walker. Scientists made the stunning discovery using a computer simulation program that took into account the dinosaur's proportions and size. While we now know T. rex walked rather than ran, it doesn't mean he was slow. But still, it does make the T. rex a little less scary, no?
Jurassic Park Was A Huge Lie - T. Rex Probably Couldn't Even Run,
T. Rex Probably Walked About 12 Miles Per Hour Max – Which Is Slow For An Animal Of Its Size
Scientists at the University of Manchester used a computer program to simulate T. rex's movements, taking into consideration the size of the animal, the density of its bones, and the proportions of its limbs. And, to some surprise, they determined T. rex could only travel about 12 miles per hour. Moreover, it could only travel at a brisk walk. If it went any faster, its legs would snap underneath it. For a dinosaur of that size, 12 miles per hour is relatively slow.
But It Doesn't Mean He Wasn't Still Super Strong And Scary
Just because T. rex wasn't fast doesn't mean it wasn't strong. T. rex had the strongest bite of all land dinosaurs, and there is no creature on Earth now that even comes close. Researchers from the University of Liverpool determined T. rex's bite had a 12,800-pound bite force. And T. rex could take down huge dinosaurs with ease – it was incredibly strong.
This Means T. Rex Wasn't A Pursuit Predator Like Everyone Thinks
Because of this new information, scientists are confirming a theory they've had for a while: T. rex did not chase its prey. Scientists sort of knew this because of fossil footprints that indicate the dino wasn't particularly agile. Being large and slow is not conducive to being a predator, scientists said.
"We can basically say that running was unlikely in any of the big predatory dinosaurs, but that doesn't mean that the smaller ones were not fast," said University of Manchester Professor William Sellers. "That means that as it grows up, T. rex would get larger and slower and we would expect to see the hunting behavior change."