Slash Gear
One of the most famous dinosaurs is the Tyrannosaurus Rex, more commonly known as the T. Rex. Movies featuring the dinosaur lead us to believe that the dinosaur was very fast, but it appears that isn’t true. A new study recently published by researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has found that the T. Rex was about as fast as a human when it comes to walking speed.
The researchers believe that the ferocious dinosaur walked at a speed of about three miles per hour. To reach their conclusion, scientists analyzed the hip height, mass, and stride length of the dinosaur and researched its tail and how it may have carried its tail while walking. Researchers found that as the dinosaur walked, its tail would’ve moved up and down while passively suspended in the air.
The researchers used an adult T. Rex specimen named “Trix” and reconstructed the bone and ligament structure of its tail. The walking speed was determined by combining that information with what is known about step frequency and step length. Researchers on the project are clear that their research doesn’t answer all the questions about the T. Rex.
The team points out that gate reconstruction of dinosaurs has multiple inherent uncertainties. The team says it’s important to compare results from different methods to find a converging point. Researchers also point out that while the tail of the T. Rex may have slowed it down when walking, it could’ve helped it go faster when it ran.
The team believes a complaint tail could have helped to reduce the stresses placed on limbs while running. The T. Rex went extinct about 66 million years ago, and researchers recently announced the dinosaur was on the Earth for approximately 127,000 generations before going extinct.
This Story First Appeared At The Slashgear
