With its massive head, enormous jaws, and formidable teeth, Tyrannosaurus rex has long been the young person's favorite creepy carnivore in the Mesozoic zoo. Nor has T. rex been ignored by the scientific community, as this new collection amply demonstrates. Scientists explore such questions as why T. rex had such small forelimbs; how the dinosaur moved; what bone pathologies tell us about life in the Cretaceous; and whether T. rex was a predator, a scavenger, or both. There are reports on newly discovered skeletons, on variation and sexual dimorphism, and how the big beasts chewed. The methods used by the contributors to unlock the mysteries of T. rex range from "old fashioned" stratigraphy to contemporary computer modeling. Together they yield a wealth of new information about one of the dinosaur world's most famous carnivores. An enclosed CD-ROM presents additional photographic and filmed reconstructions of the mighty beast.

A treasure trove of information about the most famous dinosaur of all-with a supplementary CD-ROM

About the Author

Peter Larson is founder and president of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City, South Dakota, whose staff was responsible for excavating the T. rex known as "Stan." He lives in Hill City, South Dakota.

Kenneth Carpenter is the dinosaur paleontologist for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. He is author of Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs (IUP, 2000) and editor of The Carnivorous Dinosaurs (IUP, 2005) and The Armored Dinosaurs (IUP, 2001). He lives in Aurora, Colorado.

Reviews

Though the chapters are somewhat technical, most interested readers will find them fascinating and of great interest. This volume is a major contribution to dinosaur research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and public libraries, all levels.January 2009

* Choice *

In all, 'Tyrannosaurus rex, the Tyrant King' is an interesting read. It provides food for thought about a number of controversial topics in dinosaurian biology, and definitive evidence in support of even more hypotheses.6(3) (2009)

* Palarch's Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253350879
Author Peter L. Larson
Format Hardback
Page Count 456
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 1116g