In the movie Jurassic World Dominion, we get to see an unlikely “partnership” between two amazing and ancient predators. Near the end of the film, we see what happens when a Therizinosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus rex team up in order to beat the Giganotosaurus in a final battle. Although the Therizinosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus rex team up, it makes you wonder what would happen if both of them decided to fight! Well, today, that’s exactly what we are going to find out. So, let’s discover who would win in a fight between a Therizinosaurus vs. T-Rex!
Comparing a Therizinosaurus and a T-Rex
| Therizinosaurus | T-Rex | |
|---|---|---|
| Time Period | Late Cretaceous, approx 72.1-66 million years ago | Late Cretaceous, approx 83.6-66 million years ago |
| Location | The area that is now Asia | Area that is now North America |
| Size | Length: 30 to 33 feet Height: 13 to 16 feet Weight: Around 5 tons | Length: 40 to 41 feet Height: 12 to 13 feet Weight: 8 to 14 tons |
| Speed | Max 17mph | Max 25mph |
| Diet | Herbivore – ate foliage from plants, shrubs, and trees | Carnivore – likely ate medium to large-sized dinosaurs |
| Predators | Large theropods such as the T-Rex | As apex predators adults would have very few predators, juveniles may have been preyed on by other large carnivorous dinosaurs |
The Key Differences Between a Therizinosaurus and a T-Rex
Therizinosaurus is a huge herbivorous dinosaur.
©Herschel Hoffmeyer/Shutterstock.com
The Therizinosaurus and the T-Rex are both large dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. The Therizinosaurus walked the Earth between 72.1 and 66 million years ago, while the T-Rex lived between 83.6 and 66 million years ago. However, despite living in a similar era, these two dinosaurs wouldn’t have come into contact with each other, as Therizinosaurus lived in the area that is now Asia and the T-Rex lived in what is now North America. However, if they had come into contact with each other, then there are a few vitally important factors that would have contributed to the outcome of the fight. We’ll analyze these factors below, so let’s get started.
Therizinosaurus vs. T-Rex: Size
The T-rex was one of the largest carnivores to have ever walked the Earth.
©Herschel Hoffmeyer/Shutterstock.com
The first factor to consider is the difference in the size of these two dinosaurs. Therizinosaurus was a very large member of the therizinosaurid group of dinosaurs. Using the fossil remains found in the Mongolian Desert in 1948, scientists estimated that Therizinosaurus could grow to around 30 to 33 feet long, was 13 to 16 feet tall, and weighed around five tons.
T-Rex was one of the largest carnivores to ever live, by length, height, and mass. Many fossil examples exist today, giving scientists great insight into the size of these huge dinosaurs. The T-Rex was likely between 40 and 41 feet long, 12 and 13 feet tall, and weighed 8 to 14 tons. So, although Therizinosaurus was a little taller than the T-Rex, the T-Rex was both longer and heavier, giving it a sizeable advantage.
Winner: Tyrannosaurus rex
Therizinosaurus vs. T-Rex: Diet
Tyrannosaurus rex had extremely strong jaws and teeth designed for killing prey and eating meat.
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Another key difference between these two dinosaurs is their diet. Therizinosaurus was a herbivore, meaning it ate plant material and spent its days munching on plants, shrubs, and trees. As a result, Therizinosaurus had a strong beak, not teeth. The horny beak is known as a rhamphotheca and was primarily used for processing food, not self-defense. Although its beak was rather large, it didn’t quite have the killing or gripping capabilities that a toothed mouth would have. Also, given its diet, the Therizinosaurus would have been much more interested in browsing for tasty plants than engaging in a fight with another dinosaur.
In comparison, the T-rex was a carnivore and would have preyed on a wide variety of medium and large-sized dinosaurs. As a result, the T-rex had a mouthful of sharp teeth, which were perfect for ripping and shredding flesh. It also had an impressive bite force, with scientists estimating it to be between 35,000 and 57,000 Newtons, which would be bad news for the Therizinosaurus.
Winner: Tyrannosaurus rex
Therizinosaurus vs. T-Rex: Defense
Although the Therizinosaurus was a herbivore, it wasn’t entirely without means of defending itself. The Therizinosaurus actually had long claws on its front feet, which could be up to 20 inches long. Theoretically, these could be used as a means of defense against predators, where the Therizinosaurus could swipe at the attacker. However, it’s believed that they actually used them to gather food or scrape at vegetation.
We’ve already mentioned that the T-Rex had long, sharp teeth, and an impressive bite force, which gave it an advantage. However, it also had claws which were around eight inches long. Although these aren’t as long as the claws of the Therizinosaurus, combined with the teeth and the bite force, it’s safe to say that the T-Rex had the better means of defense.
Winner: Tyrannosaurus rex
Therizinosaurus vs. T-Rex: Speed
The T-Rex was faster than the Therizinosaurus.
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If you’re going to have a chance in a fight with a T-Rex then it would be a great help if you could outrun it. Although scientists originally predicted that the T-Rex could run at speeds of up to 33 mph, revised studies suggest that it actually had a maximum speed of 25 mph. Although this isn’t as fast as predators such as lions and cheetahs can reach today, it’s still enough to put the Therizinosaurus at a disadvantage. Scientists predict that the Therizinosaurus had a maximum speed of around 17 mph.
Winner: Tyrannosaurus rex
Therizinosaurus vs. T-Rex: The Winner
The T-Rex would beat the Therizinosaurus in a fight.
©David Roland/Shutterstock.com
A Tyrannosaurus rex would easily beat a Therizinosaurus in a fight.
In a complete blowout, the Tyrannosaurus rex wins every single category and surely wins the fight. The T-Rex has a huge advantage of size, speed, and bite force over the Therizinosaurus. Although films such as Jurassic World Dominion depict the Therizinosaurus as a quick, stealthy, sharp-clawed attacker, it was actually just a slow-moving herbivore that would have no chance against a fierce predator such as the T-Rex.
