A new series by Taylor McCoy.
Welcome to “Tyrannosaurus Specimen Profiles.” The focus of this occasional series is not just Tyrannosaurus, but specific specimens. Some 50 specimens of this animal are known and these are some of the most notable. They range in size from juveniles only five meters long to adults more than double that. Some you may have heard of them, like Sue. Others are probably news to you, like King Kong. Hopefully, this will expand your knowledge on, not just T. rex, but individual specimens of the most famous species in the paleo-world.
We kick it off with a specimen called MOR 980, also called Peck’s Rex.
Tyrannosaurus Specimen Profile I
Specimen: MOR 980
Nickname(s): Peck’s Rex, Rigby’s Rex, etc.
Location: Montana
Discovered: July 4th, 1997
Size: ~12 meters, 6000 kg
Details: MOR 980 was discovered in 1997 near Fort Peck in Montana. The skeleton is relatively complete and includes: a fairly complete skull with jaws, multiple vertebrae of the back and tail, a well preserved gastralium, and hipbone with complete ischium and pubis, along with other parts of the skeleton. Peck’s Rex has also been the subject of research regarding parasitic infections in dinosaurs. Research regarding the arms has also been conducted as they show signs of use.
Casts of Peck’s Rex are fairly common with mounts in The Maryland Science Center, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and others. The original fossils are displayed at Montana’s Museum of the Rockies.
Citations:
- Scott Hartman (personal email correspondence)
- ”dml.cmnh.org””. Dml.cmnh.org. 13 June 2005. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s homepage. Archived 30 July 2010 at theWayback Machine.
About the Author
Taylor McCoy is a paleontology enthusiast and volunteer at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. He does fossil preperation at the Paleolab in the museum and field experience working in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, where he worked alongside his wife. Taylor has written a few articles for I Know Dino and appeared in episode 316. You can follow him on Twitter @TM9380.
