Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus (/tɨˌrænəˈsɔrəs/ or /taɪˌrænəˈsɔrəs/ means "tyrant lizard," from Greek
tyrannos (τύραννος) which means "tyrant," and
sauros (σαῦρος) which means "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species
Tyrannosaurus rex (
rex meaning "king" in Latin), commonly abbreviated to
T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. The
T. rex lived throughout what is now western North America, which then was an island continent named Laramidia.
Tyrannosaurus had a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the Maastrichtian age of the upper Cretaceous Period, 67 to 66 million years ago. It was among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. Like other tyrannosaurids,
Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and powerful hind limbs,
Tyrannosaurus fore limbs were short but unusually powerful for their size and had two clawed digits.