The T-rex was bigger and stronger than the Yutyrannus. This gave it an advantage over the Yuty. But size and strength aren’t everything. The Yuty was faster, smarter, and had more developed forearms, so it could easily run away and call itself a winner.
Table of Contents
Battle Facts about Yutyrannus vs. T-rex
| Name | Yutyrannus (Yutyrannus huali) | T-rex (Tyrannosaurus rex) |
| Size | 29-30 feet long, around 9 feet tall | 40 feet long, 12-13 feet tall |
| Speed | Unknown, but probably around 25-28 mph | 17-20 mph; some estimates say 30 mph |
| Offense | Claws and longer forelimbs than later Tyrannosaurs | Strong bite force, speed, and stamina |
| Defense | Speed and intelligence | Size and strength |
| Endurance and Behavior | Cooperative hunter that moved in small packs | Great sense of smell, vision, and hearing |
The Yutyrannus and the T-rex were carnivorous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period. Both of these large Theropods had amazing adaptations. The T-rex was bigger, but the Yutyrannus was smarter! The battle between the Yuty and the T-rex would be evenly matched.
Were Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Yutyrannus Related?
The Yutyrannus was a Tyrannosauroid, which means it’s related to T-rex. The Yuty was the T-rex’s earlier cousin. This is why paleontologists gave them similar names.
Yutyrannus huali means “Beautiful feathered tyrant.” The word “huali” means beautiful in Mandarin and was chosen by paleontologist Xu Xing to honor Yuty’s birthplace, China.
Tyrannosaurus rex means “Tyrant lizard king,” which earned the T-rex’s nickname, the King of dinos.
Both Yuty and T-rex were Theropods. This group of dinos lived in the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.
Theropods include:
- The Allosaurus
- The Giganotosaurus
- The Spinosaurus
The Allosaurus, the Giga, and the Spino were not related to the T-rex and the Yuty but share many physical similarities. All are carnivorous dinosaurs with hollow bones and walked on two legs.
What was the difference between T-rex and Yutyrannus?
The size was one of the biggest differences between the T-rex and the Yutyrannus. The T-rex was taller, longer, and heavier. The T-rex also had a very strong bite force that was over 12,800 pounds!
Both T-rex and Yuty had completely different adaptations. The Yuty was from the Early Cretaceous (131-120 million years ago), and the T-rex was from the Late Cretaceous (90-66 million years ago). Even though they were both Tyrannosaurs, a lot changed in those 30 million years.
The T-rex had smaller forearms that were almost useless. Its arms were so puny that the Triceratops would knock the T-rex over in battle. This would leave T-rex on the ground struggling to get upright!
On the other hand, the Yuty evolved feathers, which helped it keep warm in the Cretaceous weather of China’s Liaoning Province.
How did the Yutyrannus compare to the Tyrannosaurus rex?
The T-rex was 10 feet long and at least 11,000 pounds. The Yutyrannus only weighed about 3,100 pounds. The Yutyrannus also had a pretty strong bite force, but not when compared to the T-rex.
The Yuty’s hind legs were short, which paleontologists believe made it slower than other similar-sized dinos. There is no current information on how fast the Yuty could run, but being lighter does have advantages. There’s a possibility that the Yuty could run as fast as the similarly built Eotyrannus, which was around 30 mph.
Subadults or baby Yutys were a lot faster than adults. This helped them escape predators, including larger Yutys. Yutyrannus also hunted in packs, which made it one of the few that could take down the massive Sauropods in the Liaoning Province during the Cretaceous.
Could the Yutyrannus scare the T. Rex?
The Yutyrannus was a strange dino covered in lots of fluffy feathers. On the other hand, the T-rex’s brain wasn’t well-developed, so Yuty could scare T-rex, especially when they hunted in packs.
We don’t really know much about T-rex’s personality. If they were easily spooked like some large animals, maybe a pack of Yutys would’ve sent T-rex running. But T-rex was known to take down many dinos of all shapes and sizes, so being scared doesn’t seem like T-rex.
Who would win in a battle between the Yutyrannus vs. T-rex?
Based on size and strength, the T-rex would probably win. A pack of Yutyrannus adults was probably strong enough to take down a large Theropod like T-rex, but Yutyrannus wasn’t known to hunt large prey.
The T-rex is the most likely winner of a battle with the Yutyrannus. Under certain circumstances, Yuty might win some battles just like prey sometimes escapes a predator. Good thing for the feathered Yuty that the T-rex lived a continent away and millions of years later!