The vicious Tarbosaurus was a Tyrannosaurid second in size only to T-rex. But could a Tarbosaurus attack the massive Shantungosaurus and win? After all, Shantungosaurus was far larger than Sue, the largest known T-rex specimen. At almost double the size of Tarbosaurus, Shantungosaurus’s impressive size was its biggest advantage over large predators.
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Battle Facts about Shantungosaurus & Tarbosaurus
| Name | Shantungosaurus (Shantungosaurus giganteus) | Tarbosaurus (Tarbosaurus bataar) |
| Size | 49-54 feet long, 16-23 feet tall | 33 feet long, 11-12 feet tall |
| Speed | 22.5 mph | 25 mph |
| Offense | Weighed 16 tonnes or more | Sharp teeth and short bursts of speed |
| Defense | Moved in herds of other large Hadrosaurs | Locking mechanism on the lower jaw, thick legs to steady itself |
| Endurance and Behavior | Was a marathon runner and could maintain speeds of 22.5 mph for extended time periods | Was a sprinter and could only maintain 25 mph for short bursts |
What Is the Difference between Tyrannosaurid and Hadrosaurid Dinosaurs?
The biggest difference between Tyrannosaurids and Hadrosaurid Dinosaurs is that Tyrannosaurs are carnivores, and Hadrosaurs are herbivores.
Both are bipedal, but Tyrannosaurids are Theropod Dinosaurs like Velociraptors with tiny forelimbs. Hadrosaurs are duck-billed dinos that walked on both two legs and four.
Hadrosaurid Dinosaurs like Shantungosaurus and the closely related Edmontosaurus were social, hanging in groups for protection.
Tyrannosaurids preferred to be alone or hunt in pairs. They relied on their sharp teeth for hunting and protection since their forearms were small and useless.
How Could a Shantungosaurus Escape a Tarbosaurus?
Even though the Tarbosaurus could run about 2.5 mph faster than a Shantungosaurus, Tarbosaurus was a sprinter and tired easily. A Shantungosaurus that felt threatened by a Tarbosaurus could run for long distances without getting tired.
Unless a Shantungosaurus was older, sick, or especially young, its size and marathon stamina helped keep it safe.
A full-sized, healthy Shantungosaurus was safe from most predators. The vicious Carnotaurus and Allosaurus couldn’t do much to the ginormous Shantungosaurus.
While Tarbosaurus and the similarly large Chinese dino Zhuchengtyrannus were just about the only dino threats to Shantungosaurus, once Shantungosaurus was full grown, Tarbosaurus had much easier prey to target.
What special features did Tarbosaurus and Shantungosaurus have?
Tarbosaurus had a quick bite with a locking lower jaw, which helped it eat large Sauropods and smaller Hadrosaur Charonosaurus, a close relative of the Parasaurolophus.
This gave Tarbosaurus a larger bite, with a bite force of 8,000-10,000 pounds. That means, like T-rex, Tarbosaurus could crush bones with its bite.
Shantungosaurus had a very thick and long tail. A well-placed blow from its massive tail could knock over the Tarbosaurus.
Like the triceratops would push T-rex over, leaving the larger dino flailing on the ground, Shantungosaurus could swipe Tarbosaurus right off its feet. But the Shantungosaurus also had thick back legs it could use to stomp on Tarbosaurus while it lay helpless on the ground!
Where Did These Dinos Live?
Both Tarbosaurus and Shantungosaurus lived in the wetland forests of Asia (similar to Euhelopus, who lived in China).
Tarbosaurus was found in Mongolia. Shantungosaurus was found in Shandong, China, less than 1,000 miles apart. No fossils prove that Tarbosaurus and Shantungosaurus roamed in the same areas, but paleontology is full of discoveries every day, and 1,000 miles isn’t very far.
We do know that Tarbosaurus lived with the enormous Therizinosaurus. Like the Shantungosaurus, Therizinosaurus was bigger than Tarbosaurus and would’ve been very difficult for Tarbosaurus to take down when fully grown.
Even though Tarbosaurus and Shantungosaurus might not have met face to face during their lifetimes, by looking at their special features and their sizes, we can guess who would’ve won in a battle.
Tarbosaurus was huge and had sharp teeth, but Shantungosaurus was much bigger. Tarbosaurus could’ve won over Shantungosaurus occasionally, but most of the battle wins would go to the humungous Shantungosaurus.