Imagining what dinosaurs looked like 66 million years ago is a difficult task. Creating a realistic model of these prehistoric reptiles requires detailed fossil analysis, intelligent guesswork, and creative imagination.
Traditional Images of T. rex
For centuries, dinosaurs have captured the imagination of scientists and the public alike. The most accurate method of imagining what extinct organisms looked like is through paleoart, where artists incorporate the most up-to-date knowledge about animals to depict realistic scenarios. Masculine clichés such as aggressive postures and fighting behaviors have been a common paleoart since the 19th century.
When T. rex was scientifically described in 1905, it was initially represented as a masculine figure. In fact, its name translates to "tyrant king of the lizards" in Latin. When the first T. rex skeleton was unearthed at the American Museum of Natural History, experts chose an erect, tail-dragging stance which suggests a boxing champion.
In the late 20th century, research suggests that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and highly active. T. rex changed from a tail-dragging creature to a sleek predator with athletic poses and rippling muscles. From this representation came the image shown in "Jurassic Park," where the filmmakers intentionally made the T. rex reconstruction to be terrifying.
Scientifically Accurate T. rex to Date
Conventional ideas of what T. rex looked like, like the one in the "Jurassic Park" movie, are usually scientifically outdated and based only on hypermasculine marketing, which intends to sell toys to boys. The more experts learn about this ultimate predator, the more the image softens and resembles an actual reptile that could have thrived on Earth.
In 2018, the Field Museum unveiled the most accurate reconstruction of a T. rex. The exhibit includes a new mount of their famous T. rex skeleton named "Sue," in 2020, the museum unveiled its life-size model as well.
This skeleton mount is one of the first to show gastralia, the bones that support the abdomen on the underside of the T. rex between the sternum and the pelvis. In the past, gastralia have not always been mounted for two reasons: Mounting them is challenging, and they expand the silhouette and make the animal look chunkier. Since most people want to see an aggressive killing machine, the barrel-like torso of a T. rex with gastralia does not match this image.
Aside from this, the life-size model also possesses lips resembling the expression of a Labrador retriever. This model is much softer than the usual image of a T. rex, but the effect is more realistic than hyper-masculine.
As paleontologists gain more insight into the life and evolution of T. rex, they are aware that their recent reconstructions may also become outdated. Even if the public demands the image of a toothy monster, paleoartists are letting go of nostalgic T. rex imagery, allowing the T. rex to evolve in the public's imagination long after its extinction.
In celebration of its 150th anniversary, the American Museum of Natural History offered the "T. rex: The Ultimate Predator," which opened on March 11. The exhibit features the iconic tyrannosaur family using life-sized models, fossils, casts, interactive experiences, and the first multiplayer virtual reality experience.
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