Today, scientists are divided on whether Tarbosaurus is a genus of its own or whether it should be classified as Tyrannosaurus. A close examination of the fossils shows that it was very closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex, so closely that it could actually be a subspecies of T. rex. The name Tyrannosaurus bataar has been suggested, and indeed some textbooks have begun to use this name and drop Tarbosaurus.
| Profile | Tarbosaurus |
|---|---|
| Prehistoric Era | Late Cretaceous ~70 Ma |
| Order | Saurischia |
| Suborder | Theropoda |
| Family | Tyrannosauroidea |
| Tribe | Tyrannosauridae |
| Genus | Tarbosaurus |
| Species | Tarbosaurus bataar |
| Height | 3 meters |
| Length | 10 - 12 meters |
| Weight | 4-5 tons |
| Territory | Mongolei |
The total brain volume of a 12-metre tall Tarbosaurus is estimated at only 184 cubic centimetres. Humans, by comparison, have a brain volume of 1446 cubic centimetres.
Image Source: "Tarbosaurus_and_Saurolophus_by_durbed": Lizensiert unter " the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license". Autor: Durbed
Image Source: "Tarbosaurus_and_Saurolophus_by_durbed": Lizensiert unter " the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license". Autor: Durbed
Skull: Jordi Payà from Barcelona, Catalonia, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Skeleton: Jordi Payà from Barcelona, Catalonia, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
