Sep 17 2009Tyrannosaurus Rex Ancestor Was Smaller, More Manageable Size (Read: Swooooon)
Turns out the ferocious T-Rex (who, I would like to mention, is a brutal lover) actually started as a tinier, much more manageable size. OMG -- I'm going to grow them in my roommates closet! Also, weed.
About 125 million years ago a tiny version of Tyrannosaurus rex roamed what is now northeastern China. Tiny, that is, by T. rex standards -- you still wouldn't want to meet it face to face. Described by paleontologist Paul Sereno as "punk size," this early predator stood about nine feet tall.
It just seems small compared to the giant T. rex that evolved millions of years later and was as much as 100 times more massive."It really is the blueprint for the later (T. rex) dinosaurs," Sereno said, "it was a blueprint that was scalable."
The Geekologie Writer is currently seeking funding for a dinosaur farm. I will pay both interest and dividends on your investment. If interested, please send non-consecutive, unmarked bills in a Christmas card to:
541 The Anti-Robot Way
Dinotopia, Never Never Land (NOT THE RANCH) 8675309
Thanks, I look forward to taking your money and having sex with dinosaurs doing business with you.
Early, smaller version of T. rex discovered [googlenews]
Thanks to Amanda, Aaron, Kelly, Ryan, Henry, Brent, darkfall13, shawno, Jackie, Ian, Dianne, delinear, Priscilla, Nate, Lynz, CertifiedHobo, Dane, ech0z, Jose, Bethy and e., who I'm totally gonna solicit as babysitters once the operation is underway.
Reader Comments
1. David - September 18, 2009 10:13 AM
not first. man :(
2. naas - September 18, 2009 10:13 AM
http://www.sneeko.net/images/gifs1/b876199e9d3382a63b3c7c99d14a7208ccabe6d3.gif
3. David - September 18, 2009 10:13 AM
oh shit, i actually did make it.
4. naas - September 18, 2009 10:18 AM
@3 good for you, winner. here's what I hope happens to you sometime in your life(at least 7 times) for being the first to leave a retarded comment http://www.sneeko.net/images/gifs1/trucktire.gif
5. Kanye Westicles - September 18, 2009 10:24 AM
dude likes t-rex, gonna give himself a COMPLEX over the mess in his head because dino uses teeth just to give 'em... enuff said.
6. Johnny B - September 18, 2009 10:25 AM
GW, Do you accept balls of belly button lint as payment?
7. LSDiesel - September 18, 2009 10:29 AM
I remember the days of my youth, when I would venture to the library and check out maybe six or seven dinosaur books at a time, then come home and spend hours looking at the pictures.
Ahhh, those were the days.
8. Jiakasum - September 18, 2009 10:32 AM
I have sent you all of my Monopoly money!
9. Maestro - September 18, 2009 10:34 AM
Hey GW,
I went to the post office to send you some money to help fund your dino park and the people at the post office gave me a funny look, and said that your address wasn't real?!?!
WTF GW I want in on this as much as you do, I just claim first dibs on one of those sexy little beasts
10. trevor - September 18, 2009 10:54 AM
lol i like your zip code
JENNY!
11. Fade - September 18, 2009 10:57 AM
COOL! Wonder if these rocked the raptors?
http://fade-to-extra.mybrute.com
12. Johnny B - September 18, 2009 11:06 AM
@10
Damn you Tommy Tutone!!!!
13. Jaded Icon - September 18, 2009 11:11 AM
WHEEEEE!!! I read this in today's paper! So no lame calls of "OLD" by Firstard wanabees.
14. Pat - September 18, 2009 11:37 AM
Bah! I was gonna send this in, but it looks about a dozen people beat me to the punch.
15. Mr. cow - September 18, 2009 12:30 PM
Moo
16. Milkman - September 18, 2009 12:37 PM
This actually brings up some interesting questions... like right now a prevailing theory has t-rex as a scavenger. But this new one is rather small. Sure it could have been a pack scavenger but it just seems to me like this lil guy attacked things. So perhaps T-Rex was not so much a scavenger after all.
17. jose - September 18, 2009 2:01 PM
HOLY CRAP im in the credits thank you so much GW im going to cry(now that ive proved to you that im not a robot) you can make sweet love to my dino anyday. ok shes a kitten but still i think she is because she goes like RAWR
me and my gf share her well build a mecha for her
18. matty - September 18, 2009 3:11 PM
am I the only one that thinks this dino looks like a unipod?
19. dude - September 18, 2009 7:20 PM
omg seriously!? All this time I thought T-Rex evolved from a much larger dinosaur the size of five houses! Boy do I feel stupid now.
20. squeehunter - September 18, 2009 11:35 PM
@19 Basically people hate old theories. No real reason, they just hate them because they're old
I have heard about this idea and while I'm not paleontologist and neither is anyone here, it seems to be based off the idea that the T-Rex couldn't run that fast. I would say it's more likely that there is a misunderstanding about the speed of the T-Rex than to say that it was a scavenger. Why would it be so big if it was a scavenger? Are there any other examples of that in dionsaurs?
21. M - September 20, 2009 3:45 AM
so, because people/animals used to live longer, there's also a theory that dinosaurs are just really old lizards, because lizards never stop growing apparently. so maybe this "punk" t-rex is just 500 years old rather than 1000.... maybe.
22. Nike Air Jordan - September 20, 2009 9:26 AM
Nike Air Jordan
23. Shen - September 23, 2009 10:53 PM
yeah, its named the Guenlong.