What Dinosaurs Were Like T-Rex?

The T-Rex was a carnivorous dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous period. It was one of the last remaining dinosaurs both of its family, and of all dinosaurs, , and one of the largest predators on land, weighing up to 7.7 tons when fully grown. Although the most famous of all dinosaurs, there were plenty “also rans” in the threopod group and we will take a look at some dinosaurs like T-Rex, that while just as ferocious, and sometimes almost as large, are not quite as famous as the T-Rex.

Some dinosaurs that were similar to T-rex include the Spinosaurus, the Meraxes, the Gryposaurus, the Tarbosaurus, the Daspletosaurus, and the Triceratops. These dinosaurs not only looked really similar, but they also weighed about the same as T-rex.

Dinosaurs are generally known to be strong, large, and frightening creatures, but what dinosaurs were most similar to T-rex?

Keep reading for more information about T-rex and other dinosaurs that looked, weighed, and behaved the same.

Characteristics of a T-Rex

What made a T-Rex a T-Rex? To judge if one dinosaur is similar to another it is important to take a look at the characteristics they share. So just to show the criteria we used to choose our dinosaurs like a T-Rex we have some the more obvious characteristics of a T-Rex below. Where we have articles covering these T-Rex characteristics in more detail we have linked them in the list item.

Characteristics of a T. rex:

1. Large size: T. rex was one of the largest predatory dinosaurs that ever lived, with an average length of around 36-40 plus (12-14 meters) and a weight of up to and over 5-7 tons.
2. Strong legs: T. rex had powerful legs although it could only run at speeds of up to 12-15 mph. ( we have an article on this) due to pressure on the bones at higher speeds.
3. Sharp teeth: T. rex had 50-60 serrated teeth, that could measure up to 12 inches (30 cm) long.
4. Strong jaws: T. rex had a powerful bite, with a bite force of up to 12,800 pounds per square inch (88,000 newtons per square cm).
5. Small arms: T. rex had small, stubby but strong arms that were only about 3 feet (1 meter) long. These arms may have been used for grasping prey or for balance while running.
6. Long tail: T. rex had a long, heavy tail that helped balance its body and maintain its speed while running.
7. Thick skin: T. rex had thick, skin that protected it from the bites and claws of other predators and in fights with other T-Rex.
8. Sensitive nose: T. rex had a highly developed sense of smell, which it used to locate prey.
9. Excellent vision: T. rex had excellent vision, with binocular vision that allowed it to judge distances accurately.
10. Solitary behavior: T. rex was (probably) a solitary or small group predator and likely did not hunt in packs like some other dinosaurs. It was a top predator in its environment and had few natural enemies.

What are Some Dinosaurs like T Rex?

Tyrannosaurus rex, or T. rex, was a large, carnivorous dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, around 68 to 66 million years ago. Some other dinosaurs that were similar to T. rex include:

• Albertosaurus: This dinosaur was a member of the same family as T. rex and had a similar body shape, although it was slightly smaller in size.
• Tarbosaurus: This dinosaur was also a member of the same family as T. rex and lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. It had a similar body shape to T. rex and was likely a top predator in its environment.
• Gorgosaurus: This dinosaur was another member of the same family as T. rex and lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period. It had a similar body shape and was likely a top predator in its environment.
• Daspletosaurus: This dinosaur was another member of the same family as T. rex and lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period. It was slightly smaller than T. rex and had a similar body shape.
• Spinosaurus: Although a different species in terms of size it is one of the closer dinosaurs to T Rex, and in terms of length was likely much longer (if not quite as heavy)
• Meraxes: a newly discovered possible example of convergent evolution as it was a carcharodontosaurid but shared traits with the T-Rex.

All of these dinosaurs were members of the family Tyrannosauridae, which was known for its large size, powerful jaws, and sharp teeth. They were all top predators in their respective environments and played important roles in their ecosystems.

We take a further look at these in the table below.

Table 1: Dinosaurs Like T-Rex

Dinosaur	Length and Height	Weight
Spinosaurus	50 feet in length 17.7 feet in height	24-41,000 lbs
Meraxes	40 feet in length 12 feet in height	9-10,000 Lbs
Albertosaurus	30 feet in length 11 feet in height	5-6,000 lbs
Tarbosaurus	33 feet in length9.8 feet in height	8-10,000 lbs
Daspletosaurus	30 feet in length 8.9 feet in height	5-6,000 lbs
Gorgosaurus	30 feet in length, 10 plus feet in height	6-7,000 lbs

As you can see, all of these mighty dinosaurs were sizable creatures that almost had the same height as T-rex. But what other things did these dinosaurs have in common with T-rex?

Dinosaurs Like T-Rex: Spinosaurus

The Spinosaurus was one of the largest dinosaurs that ever lived. It measures an astonishing 50 feet long and up to 17 feet tall. This massive creature weighed around 24-41800 lbs (quite a range) and had a large, sail-like spine on its back. We have further information on Spinosaurus in a few posts on the site you can check out on the links here and the image below.

Both the Spinosaurus and the T-rex are iconic dinosaurs that have captured the public’s imagination for years. They both had long, sharp teeth that were perfect for tearing through flesh. They both also belonged to the same family of carnivorous dinosaurs (theropods), although appearance wise, as you can see, they looked very different.

T-Rex vs. Spinosaurus

Dinosaurs Like T-Rex: Meraxes

Meraxes is a newly described (2022), although discovered in 2012, bipedal dinosaur estimated to have weighed around 4.7 tons. It had a long neck and tail, razor-sharp teeth, and powerful claws.

Not only did Meraxes look similar to T-rex,although Meraxes was a carcharodontosaurus rather than a tyrannosaur, they both also shared many other qualities, including reduced length arms, strong legs and large size.

Another similarity is that both Meraxes and T-Rex had incredibly powerful legs. These allowed them to move quickly and chase down or pursue prey easily.

It is known from very complete fossils, in fact the most complete of its family (carcharodontosaurus) in the Southern hemisphere.

Dinosaurs Like T-Rex: Tarbosaurus

Tarbosaurus was a large carnivorous theropod dinosaur that lived in Asia during the end of the Late Cretaceous Period. It was also a member of the Tyrannosauridae family and a close cousin of the T-Rex. In fact apart from size (slightly smaller) is was very much like T-Rex.

Like T-rex, Tarbosaurus ate other smaller dinosaurs such as Saurolophus, Tarchia, and Nemegtosaurus. Both of these dinosaurs also had strong legs, large heads, sharp teeth, and powerful jaws to help them hunt for prey.

The only significant difference is that Tarbosaurus had a more slender skull that was hollow, with spaces filled with air pockets and more teeth.

Dinosaurs Like T-Rex: Daspletosaurus

Daspletosaurus was a tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period about 10 million years earlier that T-Rex. It is closely related to a T-Rex and lived in a similar area, although its fossils have been found more North Than Most T-Rex fossils.

It was one of the largest carnivores of its time and shared a similar diet as T-rex, feeding primarily on other dinosaurs, such as centrosaurus and Hadrosaurs.

Its name is Greek for “frightful lizard”  and its body shape, although smaller and less bulky, was very similar to its larger cousin the T-Rex it also had the two fingers at the end of its arms just like T-Rex.

Dinosaurs Like T-Rex: Albertosaurus

Albertosaurus is another tyrannosaur family member that live at a similar time, and in a relatively similar location as T-Rex, in North America around 71-68 million years ago.

As with other dinosaurs like T-Rex it was a biped predator with small arms and two fingers, plenty of teeth and strong legs. It was smaller, as with most carnivore dinosaurs, than its family member T-Rex, at around 30 feet and 5000 plus lbs.

Over 30 fossils of Albertosaurus have been found, 26 of these were found together which suggest, much more conclusively than T-Rex, that Albertosaurus may have lived and hunted in packs.

Dinosaurs Like T-Rex: Gorgosaurus

Another dinosaur like T-Rex with a deliberately scary name. Gorgosaurus means ‘dreadful lizard’ it lived in a similar area to Albertosaurus, and even T-Rex (just) but was alive around 10 million years before T-Rex around 76 million years ago.

Although large and similar looking to a T-Rex it was smaller and less heavy. it grew to about 30 feet and could weight 6-7000 lbs. it is actually more closely related to Albertosaurus, although in the same family as T-Rex.

Dinosaurs That Lived With T-Rex

Many different types of dinosaurs lived at the same time as T-rex. Studies have shown that there was considerable overlap in the lifespans of some dinosaurs. This means that they would have all been around during the same period and that they would have encountered each other. For the list of dinosaurs below, probably not a happy encounter.

Here are some dinosaurs that lived at the same time as T-rex:

• Triceratops – The competitor for most famous and popular dinosaur.
• Edmontosaurus – A large herding dinosaur and one of T-rex’s favorite meals.
• Pachycephalosaurus – Dome-headed dinosaur. Thought to have fought for female dinosaurs the way giraffes do, rather than butt heads with other dinosaurs.
• Ankylosaurus – Iconic armored dinosaur with a bone-shattering tail.
• Denversaurus – Similar to Ankylosaurus, but smaller with a weaker tail.
• Alamosaurus – Gigantic, powerful sauropod.
• Dakotaraptor – Mid-sized raptor covered in protofeathers. Very fast for its size.
• Acheroraptor – Fluffy raptor most resembling a bird.

Conclusion

There’s something particularly fascinating about dinosaurs like T-rex because of their size and power. We have so much to learn about these creatures, which is why they continue to be a popular topic of discussion.

References:

• https://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/dinosaur-discovery/spinosaurus
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meraxes
• https://www.newscientist.com/article/2327658-meraxes-gigas-was-a-huge-dinosaur-with-tiny-arms-like-t-rex/