| T-Rex (“Tyrant Lizard”) | Spinosaurus (“Spine lizard”) | |
| Scientific classification | Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Dinosauria Clade: Saurischia Clade: Theropoda Family: Tyrannosauridae Subfamily: Tyrannosaurinae Genus: Tyrannosaurus Species: Tyrannosaurus rex | Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Dinosauria Clade: Saurischia Clade: Theropoda Family: Spinosauridae Tribe: Spinosaurini Genus: Spinosaurus Species: Spinosaurus aegyptiacus |
| Size | Height: 3 to 4 meters (12 – 13 feet) Length: 12 to 15 meters (40 – 50 feet) Weight: 5 to 8 metric tons (11,000 – 17,600 pounds) | Height: 4.3 meters (14 feet) at the hip Length: 12–18 meters (39–59 feet) Weight: 7 to 20.9 metric tons (15,400 to 46,000 lbs) |
| Appearance and Physical Features | -strongest and most agile -robust skeletal structure -bipedal -three-toed feet with giant claws -massive skull -powerful jaws and muscles | -massive body structure -long, narrow skull and tail -1.65-meter (5.4-foot) tall neural spine -long, muscular, s-shaped neck -robust forelimbs -enlarged claw -short hip bones and legs to body ratio |
| Distribution | North America (Western Region), United States (Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming) | North Africa, Egypt and Morocco |
| Speed, Movement and Agility | Walking Speed – 4.5 to 8.0 kilometers per hour (2.8 to 5.0 miles per hour) Burst Speed – 32 kilometers per hour (20 miles per hour) -best in a forest environment | -best in a swampy environment |
| Weapons | -bite Force (35,000 to 57,000 Newtons) -formidable set of teeth ( about 12 inches (30 centimeters) long) | -11,936 bite force -croc-like jaws equipped for gripping -long forearms equipped with sharp claws |
| Sensory Capabilities | -excellent vision, with a binocular range -stealthy with excellent depth perception -well-developed olfactory lobes and cochlea | -eyes positioned high -smaller brain -less sensory capabalities |
| Combat Skills and Fighting Techniques | -chasing large prey makes it fearsome -skilled at finding weak points of its target | -giant sail on the back gives its disadvantage -jaws aren’t sufficient to crush T-rex |
In 2001, the producers of Jurassic Park 3 set up one of the most epic battles in the world of the dinosaurs.
The iconic Tyrannosaurus rex faced off against the Spinosaurus, the undisputable biggest carnivorous dinosaur to have ever walked the planet.
The fight ended with the Spinosaurus emerging as the winner over the notorious T-rex.
The fight scene left fans wondering if the outcome of the matchup between these two dinosaurs would have panned out the same way if they ever got into a fight in reality.
A battle between a T-rex and a Spinosaurus is definitely a heavyweight contest.
Both were apex predators in their own right and ranked top on the list of largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever discovered.
In addition to their immense size, they both had deadly weapons in their arsenal and could inflict severe damage on each other.
But what would really happen in a fight to the death between these two?
First, we should clarify that the Tyrannosaurus and the Spinosaurus never crossed paths in real life.
So this fight is one of those things that never happened but would have been interesting if it did.
While the T-rex ruled in North America, the Spinosaurus was the king in North Africa.
They also weren’t alive at the same time, with the Tyrannosaurus evolving about 30 million years after the Spinosaurus went extinct.
However, in this article, we will ignore the plausibility of this epic showdown and focus more on what would happen if they did get locked in the ring together.
Based on their unique strengths and weaknesses, what would really happen? Read on to find out.
Comparing Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus
| T-Rex (“Tyrant Lizard”) | Spinosaurus (“Spine lizard”) | |
| Scientific classification | Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Dinosauria Clade: Saurischia Clade: Theropoda Family: Tyrannosauridae Subfamily: Tyrannosaurinae Genus: Tyrannosaurus Species: Tyrannosaurus rex | Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Dinosauria Clade: Saurischia Clade: Theropoda Family: Spinosauridae Tribe: Spinosaurini Genus: Spinosaurus Species: Spinosaurus aegyptiacus |
| Distribution | North America (Western Region), United States (Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming) | North Africa, Egypt and Morocco |
The Tyrannosaurus rex is one of the most iconic dinosaurs.
It lived in Western North America during the Late Cretaceous period, about 68 to 66 million years ago.
The Tyrannosaurus was the apex predator in North America for the last few million years before the dinosaurs went extinct.
Its name translates as the “tyrant lizard king,” referring to its status as the apex predator of North America’s terrestrial environment.
This bipedal carnivore was larger than any other meat-eating animal to have ever lived on the North American continent.
Although the T-rex is often regarded as a top predator, some scientists still think it might have been a scavenger that specialized in stealing prey from other carnivores.
If this is true, then it likely faced off against other large carnivores in its ecosystem occasionally.
More than 30 specimens of the T-rex have been discovered so far, making it one of the best-known carnivorous dinosaurs ever discovered.
The spinosaurus was a large carnivorous dinosaur, too.
It lived on the northern edge of Africa during the Cretaceous Period, about 99 to 93 million years ago.
Fossils of this dinosaur have been discovered in places like Egypt and Morocco.
The Spinosaurus is known for the elongated neural spine on its back, which may have formed a giant sail or hump.
The dinosaur’s name, which translates as “spined-lizard,” refers to this massive neural spine.
Spinosaurus is considered the largest carnivorous dinosaur to have ever lived.
It lived in coastal areas and other semi-aquatic environments.
This dinosaur likely favored fish and other aquatic prey over land animals.
Spinosaurus fossils are hard to come by, and only a handful have turned up in the past century.
Physical Features of Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus
| T-Rex (“Tyrant Lizard”) | Spinosaurus (“Spine lizard”) | |
| Appearance and Physical Features | -strongest and most agile -robust skeletal structure -bipedal -three-toed feet with giant claws -massive skull -powerful jaws and muscles | -massive body structure -long, narrow skull and tail -1.65-meter (5.4-foot) tall neural spine -long, muscular, s-shaped neck -robust forelimbs -enlarged claw -short hip bones and legs-to-body ratio |
The Tyrannosaurus rex was a towering dinosaur.
It was bipedal, with long muscular hindlimbs paired with short, phony forearms.
The forearms were surprisingly strong despite their limited dexterity.
The T-rex had a massive five-foot-long skull, while its body was robust and heavily muscled.
The hind limbs were particularly strong as they supported the dinosaur’s massive weight and were also adapted for walking on land and chasing prey.
The Tyrannosaurus also had a long and muscular tail that further aided in balance and stability.
The Spinosaurus was an equally massive theropod dinosaur.
It had a long, narrow skull that looked more like the skull of a crocodilian than that of other theropod dinosaurs.
One of the most distinctive physical features of this dinosaur was its 1.65-meter (5.4-foot) tall neural spine formed by the elongation of its backbones.
The elongated backbones were either connected by a layer of skin to form a giant sail or supported a fat-filled hump.
The exact purpose of the neural spine isn’t known, but it was probably useful for display or thermoregulation.
Spinosaurus had a long, muscular, s-shaped neck.
Although it was biped like the T-rex, the forelimbs of this dinosaur were longer, so they supported an occasional quadrupedal stance.
The forelimbs were robust, with three-fingered hands and an enlarged claw that was probably useful for slashing at prey.
The hip bones and legs of the Spinosaurus were short compared to the rest of its body.
Spinosaurus had a long and narrow tail slightly modified to form a paddle-like structure.
Comparing their physical features, the T-rex was more muscular and heavily built than the Spinosaurus.
The difference in their build sort of reflects their respective habitats.
While the T-rex was your typical terrestrial predator with robust limbs built for life on land, the Spinosaurus had a nimble appearance.
It looked like it was built for an aquatic or semi-aquatic habitat instead of active terrestrial life.
A Size Comparison
| T-Rex (“Tyrant Lizard”) | Spinosaurus (“Spine lizard”) | |
| Size | Height: 3 to 4 meters (12 – 13 feet) Length: 12 to 15 meters (40 – 50 feet) Weight: 5 to 8 metric tons (11,000 – 17,600 pounds) | Height: 4.3 meters (14 feet) at the hip Length: 12–18 meters (39–59 feet) Weight: 7 to 20.9 metric tons (15,400 to 46,000 lbs) |
The T-rex was the biggest land carnivore in North America when it was alive.
It was about 12 to 13 meters (39 to 42 feet) long and stood at about 3.66 to 3.96 meters (12–13 feet) tall at the hips,
The average estimated weight for this dinosaur is about 11 tons (24,000 pounds).
The Tyrannosaurus had one of the largest skulls of a terrestrial carnivore, with an estimated length of up to five feet.
Spinosaurus currently holds the title of the longest meat-eating dinosaur.
It was about 14 to 15 meters (46 to 49 feet) long on average.
Despite being longer than the T-rex, Spinosaurus had a lightweight build.
The estimated weight of this dinosaur is about seven to nine tons (15,000 to 19,000 pounds).
The lightweight build is expected for a dinosaur that has to spend part of its time in water.
Based on their size, a battle between these two is clearly a clash of the titans.
You can expect a lot of trashing and stomping.
While it might seem like the Spinosaurus has an advantage given its bigger frame, the T-rex has a robust build as well.
The difference in their size isn’t remarkable enough to significantly impact the battle’s outcome.
Speed, Movement, and Agility
| T-Rex (“Tyrant Lizard”) | Spinosaurus (“Spine lizard”) | |
| Speed, Movement and Agility | Walking Speed – 4.5 to 8.0 kilometers per hour (2.8 to 5.0 miles per hour) Burst Speed – 32 kilometers per hour (20 miles per hour) -best in a forest environment | -best in a swampy environment |
The T-rex had powerful hind limbs well-suited for walking and potentially short bursts of speed.
While it isn’t a speed demon, this dinosaur could probably hit top speeds of up to 20 miles per hour (32 kilometers per hour).
It isn’t clear how fast the Spinosaurus could move.
Based on its general body structure, experts think this dinosaur was more suited for life in the water, which may not translate to impressive speed and agility on land.
The winner in this category would depend on where the fight takes place since each dinosaur has a significant advantage over the other on their respective home turf.
If the T-rex was unfortunate enough to cross paths with the North African heavy-weight in a swampy environment near a river or lake or even in a large body of water, then all bets should be on the Spinosaurus emerging as the winner.
The locomotive abilities of the T-rex would be next to useless in such a terrain, giving the Spinosaurus a clear edge.
However, if the two dinosaurs were to slug it out in a tropical forest (like it happened in the Jurassic Park movie) or an open field, the skillful terrestrial predator is more likely to emerge as the winner.
The powerful hind limbs of the Tyrannosaurus would provide significant stability and thrust, allowing it to lunge and bite its opponent with tremendous force.
Battle of the Weapons
| T-Rex (“Tyrant Lizard”) | Spinosaurus (“Spine lizard”) | |
| Weapons | -bite Force (35,000 to 57,000 Newtons) -formidable set of teeth ( about 12 inches (30 centimeters) long) | -11,936 bite force -croc-like jaws equipped for gripping -long forearms equipped with sharp claws |
The Tyrannosaurus rex is one of the most formidable dinosaurs ever discovered, thanks to an array of dinosaur-slaying weapons.
The most notable of these is its massive skull and powerful jaws.
The T-rex’s jaws were lined with up to 60 serrated teeth, and each one was about eight inches long.
In fact, some T-rex individuals may have had teeth up to 12 inches long.
The teeth were thick, with a D-shaped outline.
The dinosaur’s jaws were supported by strong but flexible muscles and had a lightweight build that allowed the T-rex to bite down hard on prey without damaging its jaws.
Thanks to a combination of these unique features, the T-rex’s jaw power has been estimated to be up to 35,000 to 57,000 Newtons, the highest of any land-based predator.
Compare that to the 11,936 Newtons bite force of the Spinosaurus, and it’s easy to see the superior dinosaur between the pair for this category.
The croc-like jaws of the North African dinosaur were practically useless in a fight against the T-rex.
The jaws were lined with up to 64 conical teeth equipped for gripping slippery prey such as fish.
The Spinosaurus’ teeth were also quite small (a little more than three inches).
This type of teeth cannot cause major damage to the flesh of a tough-skinned dinosaur like the T-rex.
The Spinosaurus skull was also not built for lateral bending and could not bite down hard enough to crush bone or damage any vital organ like a T-rex’s jaw could.
Spinosaurus did have long forearms equipped with sharp claws.
These would be more useful in a battle compared to the phony arms of the T-rex.
Sensory Capabilities
| T-Rex (“Tyrant Lizard”) | Spinosaurus (“Spine lizard”) | |
| Sensory Capabilities | -excellent vision, with a binocular range -stealthy with excellent depth perception -well-developed olfactory lobes and cochlea | -eyes positioned high -smaller brain -less sensory capabalities |
The T-rex had large, forward-facing eyes that provided excellent binocular vision and great depth perception.
In addition to great vision, the T-rex had a keen sense of hearing.
The dinosaur also had one of the highest brain-to-body ratios of all the large carnivorous dinosaurs.
Basically, it was an intelligent predator that could see its opponents clearly and knew just where and how to attack.
Although the sensory capabilities of the Spinosaurus were not well-documented, it was probably not as developed as that of the T-rex.
Spinosaurus had eyes positioned high on its head like that of the crocodilians.
This would have allowed it to see above the water while submerging the rest of its body.
It was probably great at sneaking up on prey as well, and a surprise attack on a T-rex at the edge of the water could give it some advantage.
In a one-on-one battle, both dinosaurs would rely on their sensory perceptions to assess each other’s presence and predict possible intentions.
The T-rex’s bigger brain and developed senses would probably give it a slight edge over the Spinosaurus for this category.
In a battle against a predator of the T-rex’s caliber, the Spinosaurus would need a lot of brain power and coordination to win, and the dinosaur is simply not known for this.
The T-rex was the smarter dinosaur in this battle, with superior sensory capabilities.
Combat Skills and Fighting Techniques
| T-Rex (“Tyrant Lizard”) | Spinosaurus (“Spine lizard”) | |
| Combat Skills and Fighting Techniques | -Chasing large prey makes it fearsome -skilled at finding weak points of its target | -giant sail on the back gives its disadvantage -jaws aren’t sufficient to crush T-rex |
In Jurassic Park 3, Spinosaurus emerged victorious by clenching the T-rex’s neck tightly with its jaws.
This scenario is unlikely in real life.
Although the Spinosaurus might have been able to do this with smaller terrestrial prey, it wouldn’t be able to do that with a dinosaur as robust as the T-rex in real life.
Even if it could somehow wrap its jaws around the T-rex’s muscular neck, its jaws could not have generated sufficient power to crush its opponent’s jaws as it did in the movie.
In fact, if anyone’s neck could get clenched or snapped this way, it was probably going to be the other way around.
Millions of years of evolution and adaptation to hunting some of the toughest terrestrial prey give the T-rex a clear advantage when it comes to combat experience.
The dinosaurs lived alongside and hunted armored dinosaurs like the ceratopsians and intelligent ones like the hadrosaurids.
One would expect a predator that lived like this to be better at combat compared to one that spends its days preying on fish and other aquatic animals.
In epic battles like this, the winner is often the animal that can effectively exploit its opponent’s weakness.
The T-rex had a robust build, and it would be difficult for the Spinosaurus to find a weak spot on the giant dinosaur’s muscular body.
On the other hand, the Spinosaurus had a design flaw that the Tyrannosaurus could easily explore.
The giant sail on its back was completely exposed.
While it may have served the purpose of intimidating smaller predators by making the dinosaur appear bigger than it really is, it would have been a disadvantage in a fight.
One bone-crushing bite from the Tyrannosaurus and the Spinosaurus will be completely paralyzed.
The Tyrannosaurus specializes in finding the weaknesses of some of the most heavily armored dinosaurs, and taking down the Spinosaurus would be just another day in the office.
Who Would Reign Supreme?
This matchup is another reason why you shouldn’t believe everything you see in the movies.
While the Spinosaurus is definitely a formidable dinosaur, it’ll have a hard time winning a battle against a T-rex in real life.
It’s hard to say for sure who would win in a fight between two titans, but the stats seem to be in favor of the North American predator.
If the Spinosaurus would have any chance at all, the battle has to take place in the water, where the T-rex would be at a significant disadvantage.
But on land, a comprehensive victory for the Spinosaurus, as it happened in the movie, is basically impossible.
The only advantage that the Spinosaurus has is its larger size.
This wouldn’t have mattered significantly since the T-rex was a giant dinosaur, too.
In terms of muscle power, bite force, and combat skills, the T-rex is simply superior.
The massive jaws and powerful bite of this dinosaur make up for the lack of speed and agility.
It’s going to be a difficult battle regardless, but the T-rex is more likely to defeat the Spinosaurus if a matchup were to ever happen between these two.
Of course, with a huge gulf of time and geographical distance separating these two dinosaurs, this is one of those fights that never happened.
Sources:
- https://www.diffen.com/difference/Spinosaurus_vs_Tyrannosaurus
- https://screenrant.com/jurassic-park-3-spinosaurus-dinosaur-trex-comparison-explained/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrannosaurus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinosaurus
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