T. rex was a big dinosaur that ate meat. It could be about 40 feet long and stood about 13 feet tall at the hips. A grown T. rex could weigh about six tons, like an elephant. T. rex lived more than 60 million years ago, and its fossils have been found in western North America. A giant asteroid hit Earth about 66 million years ago, and T. rex and the other big dinosaurs died out.
T. rex had about 60 teeth, and some T. rex teeth were six inches long. A T. rex skull could be five feet long. T. rex had a bite strong enough to crunch bones. It ate big plant-eating dinosaurs such as Triceratops and Edmontosaurus.
T. rex had very small arms for its big body. T. rex had big, strong back legs with three toes. T. rex had a very good sense of smell.
Dinosaur bones have growth rings, like trees. T. rex grew fastest between about age 14 and age 18. Sue was 28 years old when she died. Sue's bones show that she was sick and hurt during her life.
Sue is a famous T. rex skeleton that you can visit at the Field Museum in Chicago. Sue was found in South Dakota in 1990, and Sue is named after Sue Hendrickson, who found the skeleton. Sue is about 13 feet tall at the hip and more than 40 feet long. As of November 2026, Sue is one of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found, about 90 percent complete.
When its teeth fell out, new teeth replaced them. T. rex lived fast and died young. Scientists do not know if Sue was a girl or a boy. Think about that: a meat eater as heavy as an elephant, with teeth that could be replaced.
Words to know
- complete: with nothing missing
- asteroid: a space rock
The short version
T. rex was a big dinosaur that ate meat. T. rex could be about 40 feet long, and a grown T. rex could weigh about six tons, like an elephant. T. rex had about 60 teeth and a bite strong enough to crunch bones.
Quick facts
- T. rex was a big dinosaur that ate meat.
- T. rex could be about 40 feet long.
- A grown T. rex could weigh about six tons, like an elephant.
- T. rex had about 60 teeth.
- T. rex grew fastest between about age 14 and age 18.
How big was T. rex?
T. rex could be about 40 feet long. It stood about 13 feet tall at the hips. A grown T. rex could weigh about six tons, like an elephant.
What did T. rex eat?
T. rex was a big dinosaur that ate meat. T. rex ate big plant-eating dinosaurs such as Triceratops and Edmontosaurus.
