Tyrannosaurid Vertebra - SOLD 4.31"
Tyrannosaurid Vertebra - SOLD 4.31"
Measuring 40ft (12m) in length and weighing upwards of 14 tons, Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest and most powerful terrestrial predators in history. It was not the first of its kind on planet Earth, however. The ultimate apex predator was the last in a chain of 80 million years of evolution.
This specimen is a 4.31" showcase Tyrannosaurid vertebra recovered on private land from the Javelina Formation in Texas. It is an incredible piece of evolutionary history and comes with a beautiful display stand and certificate of authenticity.
📸 A sample tyrannosaurid vertebra fossil and stand
The Bones of a King
The Tyrannosaurid family is a group of massive theropod dinosaurs with incredible bite force. These factors have always placed them at the top of their respective food chains and made their final member, Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the most recognizable creatures of the Cretaceous to the modern world.
The fossil remains of tyrannosaurids are unusually complete for a dinosaur family and have been incredibly well documented. We know much about the different genera in this family, including such names as Daspletosaurus, Gorgosaurus, Albertosaurus, Qianzhousaurus, and of course, Tyrannosaurus. They grew to massive sizes and had huge skulls with a dangerous bite. Studies of tyrannosaurid jaw fossils show that this family of dinosaurs had specific adaptations to resist torsion stress when biting down, with some species capable of a bite force seven times that of a modern American alligator.
📸 A sample tyrannosaurid fossil on a dinosaur footprint stand
This specimen is a fossilized Tyrannosaurid vertebra from private land in the Javelina Formation in Texas. During the Cretaceous, this area contained swamps and woodlands that were home to ceratopsians, raptors, pterodactyls, and tyrannosaurids such as the iconic T. rex.
The history of this formation is still being discovered by paleontologists today, though we know it was quite an ecologically diverse environment. These particular fossils are estimated to be over 66 million years old and belong to the Tyrannosaurid family. Given the species known at this location today, it is quite possible they are from the Tyrannosaurus rex itself or a very near relative.
Each vertebra fossil ships with a certificate of authenticity as well as a handsome display stand. They make fantastic centerpieces for any paleontological collection and are incredible to hold in your hand. Several tyrannosaurid fossils are available, each photographed and listed separately in the collection below.
More About T. rex
📸 Skulls of Tyrannosauridae: a) Tarbosaurus bataar b) Daspletosaurus torosaurus c) Gorgosaurus libratus d) Bistahieversor e) Albertosaurus sarcophagus f) Tyrannosaurus rex
Most research suggests that T. rex and its fellow large tyrannosaurids (Gorgosaurus, Albertosaurus, and Tarbosaurus) both hunted and scavenged to meet the requirements for powering such huge bodies.
Among the other dinosaurs bearing tyrannosaurid bite marks are ceratopsids, hadrosaurs, and other tyrannosaurs (reflecting the sort of opportunistic cannibalism also widespread among predators). Sauropods such as Alamosaurus, which overlapped with T. rex in North America, and Opisthocoelicaudia, which shared Asian landscapes with Tarbosaurus, may also have been tyrannosaurid quarry.
📸 Tyrannosaurus rex tooth (Mini Museum)
Studies suggest the great tyrannosaurids achieved their huge size through accelerated growth spurts. At the peak of its growth spurt, a young T. rex may have put on the better part of a ton annually.
Bite marks from conspecifics have been found on the skulls of large tyrannosaurids, suggesting they may have bitten each other in dominance or reproductive interactions. It’s possible some species were gregarious, perhaps even pack-hunters; the first known tyrannosaurid trackway, from a Late Cretaceous formation in British Columbia, hints at three animals traveling together.
📸 Tyrannosaurus rex vertebra (Mini Museum)
Despite popular depictions of poor depth perception, studies show that when compared to other giant theropods, tyrannosaurids had a wide postorbital skull which resulted in forward-facing eyes and acute binocular vision.
The spine of a Tyrannosaurus rex was subject to tremendous force. The size and strength of the vertebrae were essential to providing support for this enormous predator, but the entire apparatus also had to allow for rapid changes in movement and critical striking speed.
Further Reading
Snively, Eric, et al. "Lower rotational inertia and larger leg muscles indicate more rapid turns in tyrannosaurids than in other large theropods." PeerJ 7 (2019): e6432.
Yun, Chan-gyu. Tyrannosaurids didn't use their claws in combat. No. e1207. PeerJ PrePrints, 2015.
Bell, Phil R., et al. "Tyrannosauroid integument reveals conflicting patterns of gigantism and feather evolution." Biology letters 13.6 (2017): 20170092.
Frederickson, J. A., M. H. Engel, and R. L. Cifelli. "Niche Partitioning in Theropod Dinosaurs: Diet and Habitat Preference in Predators from the Uppermost Cedar Mountain Formation (Utah, USA)." Scientific reports 8.1 (2018): 17872.
Longrich, Nicholas R., et al. "Cannibalism in Tyrannosaurus rex." PloS one 5.10 (2010): e13419.
Brusatte, Stephen L. , et al. “Tyrannosaur Paleobiology: New Research on Ancient Exemplar Organisms.” Science, 329, 2010, pp. 1481-1485.
McCrea, Richard T., et al. “A ‘Terror of Tyrannosaurs’: The First Trackways of Tyrannosaurids & Evidence of Gregariousness & Pathology in Tyrannosauridae.” PLOS ONE, 9(7), 2014, pp. 1-13.
Weishampel, David B., et al. (eds). The Dinosauria – Second Edition. University of California Press, 2004.
Carabajal, Ariana Paulina, et al. “Two Braincases of Daspletosaurus.” Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 58, no. 9, 2021, p. 885–, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2020-0185.
Hone, Dwe, and D. H. Tanke. “Pre- and Postmortem Tyrannosaurid Bite Marks on the Remains of Daspletosaurus (Tyrannosaurinae: Theropoda) from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada.” PeerJ (San Francisco, CA), vol. 3, 2015, pp. e885–e885, https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.885.
Voris, Jared T., et al. “Reassessment of a Juvenile Daspletosaurus from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada with Implications for the Identification of Immature Tyrannosaurids.” Scientific Reports, vol. 9, no. 1, 2019, pp. 17801–10, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53591-7.
Warshaw, Elías A., and Denver W. Fowler. “A Transitional Species of Daspletosaurus Russell, 1970 from the Judith River Formation of Eastern Montana.” PeerJ (San Francisco, CA), vol. 10, 2022, pp. e14461–e14461, https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14461.
Therrien, François, et al. “Bite Me: Biomechanical Models of Theropod Mandibles and Implications for Feeding Behavior.” The Carnivorous Dinosaurs, edited by Kenneth Carpenter, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 2005, pp. 179–237.
Curie, Philip J. “An Unusual Multi-Individual Bonebed in the Two Medicine Formation (Late Campanian) of Montana (USA).” The Carnivorous Dinosaurs, edited by Kenneth Carpenter, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 2005.
Hurum, J. H., Karol Sabath, and P. J. Currie. "Skull structure and evolution in tyrannosaurid dinosaurs." (2003).
Carr, Thomas D., et al. "A new tyrannosaur with evidence for anagenesis and crocodile-like facial sensory system." Scientific Reports 7.1 (2017): 44942.
Erickson, Gregory M., et al. "Gigantism and comparative life-history parameters of tyrannosaurid dinosaurs." Nature 430.7001 (2004): 772-775.