Don’t Be Alarmed by the Tarbosaurus!

Tarbosaurus 1
The Tarbosaurus was one of the last dinosaurs to ever exist. As a late Cretaceous dinosaur, this fierce ancestor of the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex died out during the great extinction event. Keep reading to learn all about T-Rex's great-grandfather.

Some Quick Facts about the Tarbosaurus

Tarbosaurus
Tarbosaurus
Name Tarbosaurus (alarming lizard)
Type of dinosaurTheropod
TerritoryGrasslands and forests in Asia (China, Mongolia, the Gobi Desert – Nemegt Formation)
Size Very large, 40-50 feet long, and weighed around 10,000 pounds
ColorGreen with scales
Interesting CharacteristicsOne of the last dinosaurs to ever exist, a unique jaw that could lock in place
Diet Other dinosaurs
Major Threats Natural disasters

What Were the Unique Features of a Tarbosaurus?

The Tarbosaurus (Tarbosaurus Bataar or Tyrannosaurus bataar) had small, feeble forearms and the smallest arms of any Tyrannosaur. However, it had long, strong back legs to make up for its tiny limbs.

Experts also believe that the Tarbosaurus hunted in packs, like the Yutyrannus. When Mongolian paleontologists discovered the Tarbosaurus fossil’s remains, they found six Tarbosaurus in one location. This means that groups of Tarbosaurus hunted and traveled together, like birds, looking for a tasty snack.

What’s also interesting about the Tarbosaurs is that it was one of the last dinos to walk planet earth. As a late Cretaceous dinosaur that lived in the Mesozoic era, it died out during the great extinction event that wiped out all the dinosaurs.

What Were Tarbosaurus’ Teeth Like?

Tarbosaurus
Tarbosaurus

The Tarbosurus had a narrower skull than the Tyrannosaurus Rex but had more teeth.

Its scary mouth had between 58 and 64 razor-sharp teeth. As a carnivore, it used its sharp teeth for ripping meat off bones, whether hunting down herbivores or scavenging on dead sauropods.

The Tarbosaurus also had a locking mechanism in its lower jaw, which the T-Rex didn’t have. Fossil records of a Saurolophus show that the Tarbosaurus used different biting techniques.

When scavenging on an already dead dino, like paleontologists found with the Saurolophus, the bite marks were slightly different than when hunting down fresh prey.

What Did Tarbosaurus Eat?

The Tarbosaurus was a carnivore, meaning it ate other dinosaurs.

However, paleontologists believe the Tarbosaurus was an active predator and a scavenger. This means that these dinos would travel in packs and hunt down their prey or pick the meat off the bones of dinosaurs that had already died.

These large dinosaurs ate almost any dinosaur, whether it was fellow Theropod dinosaurs or sauropods. In the Asian regions where it lived, it dined on dinosaurs like the Deinocheirus, as well as:

  • Saurolophus
  • Nemegtosaurus
  • Tarchia
  • Triceratops
  • Hadrosaurs

Did T. Rex Evolve From Tarbosaurus?

The Tarbosaurus was the great-grandpa of Tyrannosaurus Rex
The Tarbosaurus was the great-grandpa of Tyrannosaurus Rex

The T. Rex evolved from the Tarbosaurus. 

Think of the Tarbosaurus as the great-grandpa of the famous North American Tyrannosaurus Rex. Paleontologists believe the Tarbosaurus crossed the great land bridge connecting Asia to North America. Then, the North American Tarbosaurus’ evolved into the T-Rex to adapt to its new habitat.

Who Was Bigger, the Tarbosaurus or T. Rex?

The T-Rex and the Tarbosaurus were Tyrannosaurids, but the T-Rex was slightly bigger than the Tarbosaurus.

Regardless of the size of the Tarbosaurus, this dino had shockingly small arms, especially when compared to the arms of the T-Rex.

Palentologhts are still searching their remains to understand the function of such tiny little forelimbs.

Still, the Tarbosaurs are smaller than the T-Rex but strikingly larger than other Tyrannosauridae, like the Albertosaurus and the Daspletosaurus.

Did the Tarbosaurus Live with Velociraptors?

While these two scary dinosaurs lived in similar areas, they didn’t exist simultaneously. 

Velociraptors lived 75 to 71 million years ago, while the Tarbosaurus lived 70 million years ago. They missed each other by a short 1 million years.

Could the Tarbosaurus beat the Tyrannosaurus?

Given the size and speed of the Tyranesaours Rex, it would likely be the reigning champion in a fight to the death.

However, don’t count out the Tarbosaurus just yet. Its impressive speeds and agility could give it an edge to escape the wrath of the T-Rex. Tarbo couldn’t win in a fight, but it could escape.

Tara Summerville

Tara is an artistic writer who loves shaping language around her message. For her, dinosaurs are one of the most remarkable creatures to set foot on Earth. She loves hanging out with goats, overanalyzing TV shows, and eating feijoada with farofa.

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