The T-Rex, more popularly known as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, may be counted as the most iconic dinosaur of all time. Its intimidating stare into the eyes spoke much about its tremendous size and its tough jaws. A peculiar feature about this T-Rex dinosaur is definitely its head. In this article, we will dive in for more on the anatomy and functions of this great predator's skull.
A Head Built for Destructiveness
The T-Rex head was greatly designed to maximize hunting and feeding undertakings. Its head, as it was proportional to its body size was rather big, a case of an enlarged head to accommodate a carnivorous diet. The skull was hugely built and hence thick bones could withhold massive pressures.
Jaws and Teeth
Those in the T-Rex were certainly the most powerful of land animals. In them, teeth are serrated and curved backward so that it becomes pretty hard for the prey to get away once they have been caught. The nature of having teeth replaced continuously means that the T-Rex does not miss out on the hunting possibilities by having dull teeth.
Nasal Bones
The nasal bones of T-Rex were large and robust to provide support for the skull and protection covering the olfactory organs. In T-Rex, a sense of smell would have been highly developed and must have been used to detect prey at a long distance.
Eye sockets
Its eye sockets were rather small considering the size of its T Rex head. This can indicate that it had a minimal field of view, but they could have compensated for this by having great binocular vision.
Enormous Size
Measuring some 40 feet in length and weighing around 7 tons, T-Rex was one of the largest bipedal carnivores, hence one of the largest land predators ever to have trodden the Earth's surface.
Small Arms
T-Rex had very short arms which only featured two fingers. The function of such tiny limbs is yet to be known and argued about but the small arms must have performed in the grasping and wringing of small prey or perhaps also served in balance.
Sharp Senses
T-Rex had keen vision and an excellent sense of smell to locate the prey at a distance. The predator had good audibility to be able to detect the potential sounds of the prey.
Brain: A Predator's Command Center
Even though the T-Rex's brain was very small in comparison to its body, it could somehow coordinate its survival through complex behaviors. The brain was differentiated into different parts, with each part performing a specific role. In T-Rex's enormous skull were:
Cerebrum - The most major portion of T-Rex's brain, the cerebrum, was also supposed to regulate high-order functions such as learning, memory, and problem-solving.
Cerebellum - It had a cerebellum which helped it coordinate the movements and balance of the animal. For a predator, the critical ability of agile form movement with good and accurate attacks was of the essence.
Brainstem - This part regulates all of its basic life functions, including breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Conclusion
Tyrannosaurus Rex: A King of Its Kind
Powerful jaws, sharp teeth, and acute senses are all packaged in its head alone to speak volumes about what kind of a dominant predator the T-Rex was, killing prey being an efficient activity. The T-Rex is long gone from Earth, but its fame still prevails as one of the most magnificent and feared animals in the evolutionary history book of life.