Why is T.rex Overrepresented in Media?

[@thegnarledpirate9198]

What do you call a British Tyrannosaurus? a Tea Rex.

[@DinoDiego16]

This comment is so great, it will be the only one hearted in this comment section.

[@ricardodavis4730]

Call it a dad joke, but I call it a Tim Murphy joke.

[@waddleds665]

*lags out of existence*

[@RogueT-Rex8468]

Thought it was just Rex, or Yrannosaurus.

[@waynemcauliffe2362]

Marc Bolan

[@Poliostasis]

It's quite interesting since Trex has some of the largest number of fossil remains of its species, we know so much about it compared to other dinosaurs of earlier ages. What does annoy me is that most fiction just copies the JP Trex design and call it a day.

[@Ahalaya]

I've seen arguments about JP being both the best and the worst thing to happen to dinosaurs since they went extinct. It was great for paleontology (a lot of paleontologists attribute that movie with being a large part of what led them to that career choice). However, it left a lot of people resolutely determined to ignore and reject any new science that challenges that perspective. It would be useful in that sense if the JW movies or any other sequels would have/have had more scientifically accurate depictions as the science changed, but that first movie and book gave an established cannon, which paleonerds often reject in turn.

[@rodrigopinto6676]

It is true of this animal many specimens of different ages were found, most likely because its species had such an incredible evolutionary success that on earth at that time, there were many specimens and some of them were preserved until they were found.

[@YuriNoel7]

@@Ahalaya Honestly the way I see it, I’m both a major fan of Jurassic Park and have a major interest in paleontology as one of my main hobbies. I don’t think JP should have this obligation to be scientifically accurate as the series is a science fiction series first paleontology accuracy second. It’s more used as a basis on how the dinosaurs should look and behave (which even then is always subject to analysis for how accurate/inaccurate it is). The people who get riled up at accurate depictions of dinosaurs most likely have little or zero serious interest in paleontology in the first place and just see the dinosaurs as cool bloodthirsty movie monsters, which we all know dinosaurs definitely aren’t. Being able to differentiate that I believe is key, because while JP’s dinosaurs are definitely fearsome, amazingly designed, and fun to see in action they definitely should NOT be seen as the equivalent to how the dinosaurs looked and behaved in reality.

[@cgyoboi]

if we being real though, the JP rex is pretty accurate for what we think it looked like. it only needs lips and less shrink wrapping.

[@Poliostasis]

@@cgyoboi The skull is contorted quite a bit from a standard Trex, and the entire body is emaciated. If we applied such differences in the skull to a human, it would be absolutely horrifying! Especially after doing some edits to a JP Rex model myself, the top part of the skull is widened and the Rex barely has binocular vision (which would make it even scarier). I cannot say in good faith that the JP Rex is pretty accurate.

[@Goozero1]

One contributing factor is probably the cool shorthand name. T-rex is way easier for people to remember than Acrocanthosaurus or Pachycephalosaurus. It also sounds cooler than names like Allosaurus. Cooler or as cool names like Carnotaurus probably didn't get more popular cuz T-Rex got there first.

[@DinoDiego16]

Also true. The name is very simple, easy to say, and very memorable. Definitely helps with its popularity

[@ChristianJiang]

The shorthand name is more of a consequence of its popularity I think: because the “Tyrannosaurus Rex” (also a mouthful) was so popular, they came up with a shortened form.

[@Derezzedd]

Acrocanthosaurus is badass tho

[@Trowarr]

Also a reason why the movies gave the name Velociraptor to the wrong specie. Easier to remember. The real Velociraptor was a tiny dinosaur.

[@disrespecc9678]

Carcharodontosaurus by far has a way cooler name. It’s literally the Dinosaur version of Kyrgyzstan

[@revol2933]

When the sentence "bigger than t-rex" is literally a basic term to describe any massive dinosaur, you know that something's going on

[@dracodracarys2339]

ah yes, the "ruler" of the dinosaurs not in the "tyrant king" way but the "yardstick" way

[@Braint-lr6uf]

Despite it's used wrong, Neither Giganotosaurus or Spinosaurus, the most used dinosaurs in that sentence, are bigger, just larger or taller,

[@triplocore]

They never find a single giganotosaurus taller than the biggest T-rex. The idea of giganotosaurus being bigger than the T-rex is a rough guess based in a jaw bone fragment, theres no real evidence that it was or could be. And even if giganotosaurus was taller, it wasnt bigger. T-rex was 100% sure heavier and bulkier, even considering the rough guess. Spino is the same, slim fisher. He was tall, yes, but still slim. Also, tall only if we consider he was bipedal, what is unlikely.

[@The_PokeSaurus]

I find Tyrannosaurus's extreme popularity as a necessary evil, even paleontology needs a mascot to interest people to become its next generation. Edit: Will you people look up the phase Necessary Evil before replying!

[@justarandomuser8434]

don't really think evil fits here, just say necessary

[@The_PokeSaurus]

@@justarandomuser8434 The phrase Necessary Evil doesn't mean evil. It just means something undesirable that must be excepted.

[@joethegreat1008]

@@The_PokeSaurus what makes it undesirable

[@The_PokeSaurus]

@@joethegreat1008 Other dinosaurs don't get as much attention I guess. The reason I brought that up is just because it's part of the definition of a Necessary Evil.

[@wendigohuldra231]

Triceratops : hold my beer

[@dracodracarys2339]

Allosaurus: *lives in the Jurassic* T. rex: *didn't live in the Jurassic* Also T. rex: *is the star of the Jurassic Park franchise* _"Allosaurus had never seen such bullshit before."_

[@G55544]

Allosaurus gets bullied by T rex in a franchise that is named after the time period HE LIVED IN

[@beanoptodon]

T-Rex is basically oversaturated to the point of annoyance in games too. What really gets me is that it's always the apex predator, but it always gets nerfed all to hell and unfun to run as because of balance instead of accuracy, because every single popular 'play as a dino' game is usually strictly a pvp game. Not a simulator, singleplayer story, not a study/passion piece, etc because normies find that boring. People want to see monsters fight, and at this point it makes a lot of T-Rex media so boring to me and it's so sad that it's such an amazing creature that most likely did not live only kill things at all times, and fight things, but that's what is tradition of anything paleontology related in mass media, and it's just so sad to me.

[@mr.h3936]

I would disagree to a degree, I play most play as a dino simulators out there and while yes they are PVP oriented that’s because the developers are trying to make you feel like you are a dinosaur living in a world and having to kill other players is your way to survive. In games like the Isle that’s the case, realism servers provide the exact experience you’d definitely see in a documentary because players are heavily encouraged to act like an animal would, so you’d see herds peacefully moving by or carnivores ambushing and just get to see things from a different perspective. T. rex is the strongest carnivore in the game but it takes so much time to grow that their are plenty other options in dino sim games like adding deinosuchus, in evrima specifically they stay around the water and are VERY difficult to see because they are stealthy ambush predators. ‘Normies’ are the ones playing these games with the mindset that they are dinosaurs and while yes they are pvp oriented it’s so that you get used to the flow that if you are a carnivore you HAVE to hunt herbivores and that herbivores must always be vigilant

[@raff2392]

For the love of archaeopteryx, you sound like a pretentious coprolite when you call people normies. People that use the word are insecure 4chan bros that suffer from main character syndrome.

[@aitkrapee9042]

Path of titans has some good realism servers

[@justme-jn2ur]

Don't u talk about t rex like that b****

[@justme-jn2ur]

And t rex is a cool ass killer dinosaur there is no proof he didn't kill for fun like dolphens and killer whales a lot of animal kill for fun then not eat it

[@robwalsh9843]

I'm personally impressed that Carnotaurus has gotten a bit of limelight over the years.

[@DinoDiego16]

Well deserved too! Carnotaurus is such a strange animal when you really think of it, so its cool to see some representation of it in media.

[@strawberryfields9762]

Carnotaurus is my favorite theropod dinosaur, it just looks so badass with those horns

[@stinkyfartguyofficial]

Carnotaurus is one of my favorites, mostly because it looks simultaneously like a demon monster... but also a walking sausage

[@Jason_H_Martitinez]

I love the carnotaurus I literally have a carno tattoo on my chest

[@haroldalan7080]

@@DinoDiego16Yeah Carnotaurus is a very Carnivore with Bull like horns and spikey skin and even called Meat eating bull%!

[@sexualtyrannosaurus230]

T. rex is my favorite dinosaur, but I've noticed its growing over representation with dismay over the years. My two cents is it's 100% the result of how media works. For whatever reason, media sources have gotten it into their head that no one will click on an article about dinosaurs unless T. rex is somehow shoehorned into the headline. It's appalling. Nearly every major bit of dinosaur-related news, no matter what species it's discussing, always has to be defined in relation to T. rex, no matter how remote that relation is. I love tyrannosaurs, but there are so many awesome dinosaurs and prehistoric animals that deserve just as much of our attention. Dinosaurs will never not be cool, even the ones that aren't T. rex.

[@Rexred09]

Just pure fax

[@rodrigopinto6676]

The Tyrannosaurus rex will always be the first option, it attracts the biggest and the scariest, and just looking at those 30-35 cm teeth you realize why it is so well known.

[@sexualtyrannosaurus230]

@@rodrigopinto6676 This is also true. The video does a good job of showing how T. rex was primed for fame from its discovery. Even its name was meant to evoke a sense of fear. But the question isn't about why T. rex is popular. Everyone already knows why that's the case. The question is why it's so overrepresented to the point of apparently crowding out space and time for other dinosaurs that are just as interesting. People love T. rex for the same reason they love lions, tigers, great white sharks, anacondas, or any other top predator. Top predators attract that kind of attention, always have and always will. But you shouldn't need to invoke a top predator to make any other animal interesting to talk about. It's all about balance.

[@thesleepytyrannosaurusrex297]

This is why Dilophosaurus shares first place with Tyrannosaurs as my favourite dinosaur

[@michiganscythian2445]

I remember my brother and I wrote a story shortly after the original JP came out in the 90s that was basically just JP but with allosauruses instead. Because they were smaller and with longer arms, in our story they were more dangerous than T. rexes. We both thought that allosaurus was overlooked as a dangerous predator. But we were Dino nerds and liked a lot of the lesser known ones

[@PlanetZoidstar]

I definitely think Jurassic Park more than most has done the greatest push to make/keep T.Rex relevant in popular culture. Every single Park/World movie has made T.Rex the star of the show, hell it's on the franchise logo. The one time they tried to push another Theropod Dinosaur, Spinosaurus, the backlash was immense.

[@troppie7823]

It still shows how the franchise can make a dinosaur popular. After jurassic park 3 spino ended up being on a bunch of books, movies, shows, games etc which is weird but ye.

[@Stofferex]

I think it also backfired cause not only did this new megatheropod take the center sage after 2 movies that already had its star, but they had it kill the ONLY T. Rex in the movie. Not only that, but the Rex put up a better fight… but then the Spino gets one chomp in and one shots it. It feels a bit disrespectful towards the animal that practically made this franchise so popular to begin with. And then you find out the behind the scene reasons that it was basically out of spite cause of one guy believing Rex to be an overrated scavenger…

[@PlanetZoidstar]

@@Stofferex I could believe it, and ever since the Jurassic franchise has worked super hard to push the T.Rex. Even if they have to give her help to beat the "Big Bad" of the movie (like a Raptor and a Mosasaur, or a Deinocheirus), T. Rex has basically become the hero of the franchise.

[@Stofferex]

@@PlanetZoidstar yeah which... a hit and miss. Like, its cool seeing Rex being the star once again... but at the same time, impplementing characteristics on an animal... I also don't like how Rex gets used to show how much bigger, badder and scarier other carnivores were. Like Indominus was one thing, she was a genetic hybrid literally meant to be superior and scary after all... but then you have like the Giga in Dominion and Spino AGAIN in CC. Like, I like the idea of Rex and Giga having this ancient rivalry ever since prehistoric days (which doesn't make sense considering they lived millions of years apart and on two different contients but whatever, I can suspend my disbelief for that) but all they really do is just let the Giga bitch on Rexy and then treat him like a villain cause of it. Like, the Giga was basically just a normal territorial animal yet they used Rex to justify it being a "villain" cause it... I dunno, overall I like both JP and JW, but even I question certain decisions

[@PlanetZoidstar]

@@Stofferex Yeah, I never like it when they try to turn Predatory Dinosaurs into slasher villains who just mercilessly stalk the protagonists, like they are evil merely for following their instincts. I. Rex definitely got it the worst as they hyped up how intelligent it was, able to outwit its captors and then escape once they failed to contain it. Even implying it hunts for sport. We got a bit of this in the 1st movie with the Raptors, how they were supposedly smarter than Primates and they would use pack tactics to blindside their prey. They then become slasher villains the protagonists have to avoid until T. Rex comes (like a ninja) and saves the day. Even getting an epic roar scene as the movie is wrapping up. I feel the movies try to ascribe too many human traits into the Dinosaurs, like when Blue and Rexy have a "yeah, we're cool now." moment after the I. Rex is killed. These are not characters you should try to connect to, they are genetic mutants that act purely on instinct. They're not heroes, or villains, they're just trying to survive. Giga perhaps got the worst since it was never really being villainous and just kind of fumbled around until it gets double-teamed by Rexy and Deino. That felt like a cruel death for an animal that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I feel spectacle has kind of diltuted the original message of the 1st movie - that Man should not try to play God and these creatures should not be toyed with.

[@RickRaptor105]

Also gotta respect Primeval for waiting 5 seasons before they caved in to T. rex demand

[@Rexred09]

Rick!!!!!!!!!! How are you?

[@paleoph6168]

Yeah, the first season of Primeval didn't have a single dinosaur, yet it was well-received!

[@t.rexking441]

Tyrannosaurus is Awesome, and the most popular Dinosaur in the world. I don't mind seeing it represented in media but I do feel other Theropods should also be given the spotlight from time to time.

[@kefayatullahmohmand925]

Charcharadontsarus:Crying

[@CatsAreKindaCool]

@@kefayatullahmohmand925 Giga: Screaming into pillow

[@angryboi595]

@@CatsAreKindaCool Acrocanthosaurus: yelling of depression

[@Rexred09]

Tyrannotitan: Why we still here.

[@theangrysuchomimus5163]

@@CatsAreKindaCool Giga has at least been represented in a Jurassic movie, albeit in a very inaccurate form.

[@stinkyfartguyofficial]

I love how much representation it gets because it's a constant and consistent door to paleontology, and is also a great visual guide to how the understanding of dinosaurs has evolved over the years. They're also just plain cool.

[@galaxydeathskrill5607]

I agree it being represented a lot, but I think it has a right to as being as one of probably strongest and biggest animals. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't give Acrocanthosaurus and Giganotosaurus (and many others) a shoutout

[@rodrigopinto6676]

T. rex is the biggest or largest theropod.

[@goji5052]

It's not Tyrannosaurus rex that's being overrepresented. It's "T. rex", the knockoff hyperaggressive movie monster rather than the actual animal.

[@martangelocloma6965]

Therizinosaurus too should get more attention other than fighting a spiky giganotosaurus

[@Dinofaniguess]

Shouldn’t megalosaurus get a shout out too? It is quite literally the first named dinosaur.

[@DinoDiego16]

Definitely agree. Again, T.rex doesnt necessarily have to get dethroned as the king of dinosaur pop culture to have other dinosaurs that are lesser known to the general public showcased in media

[@juanyusee8197]

I think a major factor for its continuing popularity is that it's basically the only giant carnivorous theropod we have very complete remains of *and* have a good sample size of, allowing further research into this taxon that you can't do the same extent with others like _Giganotosaurus_ or _Carcharodontosaurus_.

[@DinoDiego16]

Excellent point! Its because of that we have a greater perspective of the dinosaur compared to other large theropods.

[@chadgorosaurus4898]

T Rex is so wildly known from fossils that it's now the icon of dinosaurs apparently.

[@kade-qt1zu]

That's weird. If we associate popularity with how much we know about a dinosaur, would edmontosaurus be more famous?

[@Sara3346]

@@kade-qt1zu Or maybe Psitacosaurus? We have all growth stages of that one as well as preservation detailed enough to give us it's skin colors last I checked?

[@kade-qt1zu]

@@Sara3346 Exactly. But I guess those aren't as famous because they're herbivores.

[@shaunjimbangan1166]

@@kade-qt1zu I believe that our extremely high understanding of those dinosaurs is part of the reason why they aren't used as much. We know so much about them that there is almost no room for speculation. On the other end of the spectrum we have animals like Veterupristisaurus, who's remains are extremely fragmented that we only know that is was a small carcharodontosaur. The Rex strikes a nice middle ground, where we know enough about what made it different from other dinosaurs that artists are interested in it, but not so much that artists can still add their own interpretation.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

Well, Tyrannosaurus Rex sounds a lot cooler than Manospondylus Gigas, you can also just say T. Rex and everyone knows what you're talking about. Also it is the only dinosaur that is commonly known to the general public by its full scientific name (binomial name) and the scientific abbreviation T. Rex has also come into wide usage. Robert T. Bakker notes this in The Dinosaur Heresies and explains that, "a name like 'T. Rex' is just irresistible to the tongue".

[@Blokewood3]

It almost got named "Dynamosaurus Imperiosus." Tyrannosaurus was narrowly considered to have precedent because its name was published just one page earlier than Dynamosaurus!

[@chieckenman4432]

Let alone "dinosaur", it's like the only ANIMAL that the general public knows the full scientific name of, Tyrannosaurus rex!

[@Blokewood3]

@@chieckenman4432 Well, the general public knows the scientific name of the boa constrictor, because its scientific name actually is Boa Constrictor!

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

@@Blokewood3 The g.p. also largely knows another binomial name Homo Sapien. ( humans )

[@Aethuviel]

Tyrannotitan (a different dinosaur) is pretty badass t hough. I think it even beats Tyrannosaurus rex.

[@tf2godz]

A small correction, the theropod depicted in King Kong is not a T. Rex. In the script it's called a Man-eater, however I believe claymation model was originally designed to be a T. Rex in an unreleased production. So it was definitely designed to at least look like a T. Rex but it's not a T. Rex in the movie.

[@kade-qt1zu]

Its like how lolis work. Its looks like a 10 year old girl but it actually isn't. Edit: Guys I get it. Don't make that comparision. I'm embarrassed after saying this too. Just to clear things up, this isn't how I personally think. This is how loli enjoying people think.

[@ilikestuff5429]

@@kade-qt1zu don’t make that comparison please.

[@RHR199X]

@@kade-qt1zu don’t make that comparison please

[@ilikestuff5429]

@@RHR199X don’t make that comparison please.

[@BeanOfBean]

@@kade-qt1zu Please don’t stay around children

[@georgethompson1460]

What gets me is how overlooked megalosaurus is this day and age despite once being as popular as t-rex/

[@cliff9101]

Also, T-Rex has a very marketable name. It's easy-ish to pronounce and it's very name inspires awe. The JP producers were onto the same way of thinking when they chose the name Velociraptor because it sounds cooler than the more accurate options like Utah Raptor, etc. Great vid!

[@BurnRoddy]

Its mainly because the T-Rex is American and when the dinosaur fever crossed the atlantic it quickly replaced Megalosaurus as the main carnivore in media, although I think Allosaurus was also popular for a while. Many people don't realize but Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World actually choses T-Rex and Bronthosaurus because the later was the most popular herbivore at both sides of the Atlantic and the T-Rex was the most popular dino in the USA. It was a carefully plannes move to sell books.

[@maui_lou]

I agree the fact that it's an 'american' dinosaure has a lot to do with its fame. Which is quite ironic when some studies point toward the idea of an immigrated species from Asia.

[@bennettfender9927]

T.rex is not actually in The Lost World novel.

[@BurnRoddy]

@@bennettfender9927 Indeed that's why I named Meglosaurus specifically. As far as I'm aware the T-Rex replaced Megalosaurus in the Willis O'Brien film precisely because of this reason: Populsarity. It was the US vs Europe, although I was under the impression that it was Doyle himself that has made the change in a later rerelease of the book in order to boost sales in North America but I was wrong.

[@bennettfender9927]

@@BurnRoddy Allosaurus is admittedly present in the 1925 film and actually has more screen time than the T.Rex oddly enough.

[@BurnRoddy]

@@bennettfender9927 Yup, I have my own theory about that. Allosaurus was bigger so it wasn't much of a devaluation to have it play a role in the movie bur Megalosaurus looked dwarfed by the T-Rex.

[@joshuaW5621]

Being the king of the dinosaurs, it shouldn’t be a surprise that T. rex has overshadowed the other dinosaurs to this extent, but I honestly can’t blame this, with it being the most iconic and beloved dinosaur, the tyrant dinosaur king has also shaped the dinos popularity for the better.

[@RafuStudio]

At least several Paleo-works tried to not use T. rex as mascot. Walking With Dinosaurs' icon was an Allosaurus, Disney's Dinosaur's was a Carnotaurus (despite their Carnos were still based on T. rex), recent Land Before Time films didn't include T. rex as the villain, the classic Carnosaur novel (which predate Jurassic Park) used a Tarbosaurus as the big bad while the T. rex (hatchlings) only appeared briefly at the end.

[@senabecool7232]

Cause he's the closest thing the Dino community has to a mascot

[@villager736]

I mean you probably right

[@NoU-pf8fc]

That honor belongs to the Triceratops

[@insectilluminatigetshrekt5574]

"Dino community"

[@KrystianZieba-kc8tx]

@@NoU-pf8fc not really

[@doland.8068]

bro community 😂😂

[@ZachariahJ]

I'm old enough to remember when the 'Brontosaurus' was one of, if not 'the' definitive dinosaur. The first cartoon dino - Gertie - was a sauropod, which we call called 'Brontosaurus' when I was a kid. I don't mean I'm old enough to remember Gertie - she was a star around the time of WW1 - just that Brontosauruses were *huge* back in the day. Now they seem to be mere NCPs - and they aren't even called Brontosaurus any more - at least not generically, as they used to be.

[@KyleRDent]

I will say one thing in praise of the Land Before Time franchise - they didn't just keep bringing back the T-Rex as the Big Bad for every film.

[@aerodactylenjoyer7276]

I like to think of T. Rex as the “Charizard” of Dinosaur media.

[@stinkyfartguyofficial]

Isn't it more of a Pikachu? Most merchandise, the one all the kids or non fans can name, often used as a kid appeal character.

[@aerodactylenjoyer7276]

@@stinkyfartguyofficial Fair point.

[@luisvelez1952]

@@stinkyfartguyofficial pikachu is more like the Velociraptor in the movies.

[@TheJotaroKujo]

@@disrespecc9678 they were actually going to to go with Deinonychus, they were perfectly aware that dinosaur was more similar to the monsters they created for the story. But in the end they went with Velociraptor because it simply sounded cooler. It's also the reason the T Rex is so massively popular and remains so even as larger therapods are discovered. Those names are just REALLY good and resonate with the public.

[@TheJotaroKujo]

I would actually argue that Charizard is the T Rex of Pokemon, the other way around lol. Charizard was my favorite Pokemon as a kid precisely because I was obsessed with dinosaurs, as I'm sure is the case for many other kids. And that was most likely the reason they even designed Charizard that way. Like other comments point out Pokemon also has Pikachu and others to appeal to other demographics. Dinosaurs have never really appealed for being "cute".

[@danielmalinen6337]

A few months ago I asked almost the same question on Reddit and the answer was that T. Rex is actually underrepresented in media and documentaries. We only have a distorted image that Rex is overrepresented and in reality T. Rex appears in the media much less often than we imagine. And instead of Rex, Megalosaurus and Allosaurus have been shown much more often.

[@Yatukih_001]

The mainstream media is a lot like a megachurch. It is unconcerned with reality. What the mainstream media wants to do is stick to false flag psyops and that´s it. Meaningless narratives, blabbermouthing, conspriatorial thinking and overrepresentation coupled with overhyping. That is what the mainstream media does.

[@theangrysuchomimus5163]

Megalo was because it was discovered before tyrannosaurus and so had already been featured a couple of times but I saw less representation for allo than the tyrant lizard.

[@manzac112]

Asking that kind of question on Reddit is a red flag.

[@tomcross3000]

The word overrepresented implies T. rex should not be in the media as much, but I think it is more the fact that other dinosaurs are underrepresented.

[@clobertina8176]

But wouldn't that just mean T-Rex is overrepresented tho? I don't really get your point

[@robdotgif]

If i may add, T-rex is also one of the more simple dino names to remember. And while nowadays it is the most popular itbwasnt always like this, way back when spinosaurus was the public's sweetheart but then world war 2 happened and since the only spino was housed in Munich and i guess we all know what happened next (boom) so i guess that also bolstered Rex's rise to fame, you know the number 1 spot being open and all that

[@Supiragon1998]

One thing I'd say is that it's more correct to say that T. rex is overrepresented than overrated; I say that because it legitimately earned it's "status" because it's the most advanced dinosaur in almost every category, which was proved in an almost continuous list of studies that proved that T. rex was more powerful than we thought before each time. It being overrepresented on the other hand is something that can be argued, though I'd say it's rather that most other dinosaurs are underrepresented. One thing that's still annoying to me though despite what I've just wrote here that in the last 5-10 years at least half, if not almost every dinosaur discovery has been compared to T. rex in some way, no matter how much of a reach it was to compare the new discovery to T. rex due to how little the new discovery and T. rex had in common. Using T. rex as a rough idea of scale also got to the same ridiculous degree, to not just comparing the size of giant sauropods to it, but also much smaller dinosaurs.

[@dracodracarys2339]

ah yes, the "ruler" of the dinosaurs not in the "tyrant king" way but in the "yardstick" way

[@bkjeong4302]

I'd actually argue it's overrated as well. People assume it was this be-all killing machine, when it was really a specialized predator that was better at some things than other giant theropods, but worse than other theropods at doing other things.

[@Supiragon1998]

@@bkjeong4302 I somewhat disagree, because even though it was more adapted to taking on hadrosaurs and Triceratops than sauropods (Alamosaurus), it was still somewhat adapted to it, as it did have serrated teeth, it's just that it's teeth weren't as flat and as serrated as the teeth of carcharodontosaurs. Also, there are a few videos on youtube with a list of dinosaurs that can supposedly kill a T. rex that are wildly off the mark with some of their choices.

[@bkjeong4302]

@@Supiragon1998 What do poorly researched KZbin videos have to do with this? It’s not just the teeth, it’s that the entire biting style of Tyrannosaurus is specialized for pulling down armoured prey to the point it’s actually counterproductive against sauropods. Tyrannosaurus not only has a more limited absolute gape (though still pretty high at 60 degrees or so), its maximum EFFECTIVE gape (beyond which, virtually all of its bite force is not properly transmitted-this is a thing that applies to all jaws to some extent) is a mere 45 degrees. Allosauroids bypassed this issue of effective gape being considerably smaller than the actual gape by also using their neck muscles to push their teeth into prey.

[@Supiragon1998]

@@bkjeong4302 It's that even if they're poorly researched, it shows that at least some people believe T. rex to be weaker than it actually was, and at least some people will believe those videos, which leads to them underestimating/underrating T. rex as well.

[@MysteryDryo]

Rex is a very cool dino, to the point that literally everyone compares it to other big theropods and say that nothing couldn't stop it, which is really annoying

[@tamas9554]

Putting dinos against each other in a 1v1 doesn't make much sense, but if someone decides to do it anyway, they should understand that the T.Rex would really win against any other Megatheropod.

[@NoU-pf8fc]

It's fun comparing them in hypothetical battle scenarios tho

[@rodrigopinto6676]

The Tyrannosaurus rex is the biggest and probably the strongest terrestrial predator to ever walk on earth.

[@Gloomdrake]

@@rodrigopinto6676 I'm pretty sure that's untrue

[@rodrigopinto6676]

@@Gloomdrake it’s True the Tyrannosaurus rex is the biggest and probably the strongest terrestrial predator to ever walk on earth.

[@MrKaiju-sr8wu]

Tyrannosaurus Rex is my alltime favorite dinosaur, but I wouldn’t mind it taking a step back to allow other theropods some time in the spotlight now and again

[@mistypikku]

If T. Rex wasn't as oversaturated as it is now, it might have been my favourite dinosaur. My current favourites are E. Xerinsularis, S. Aegyptiacus, and A. Magniventris

[@Rosarian_baron]

Despite all the depictions there are I wouldn't mind trex as much if people would shut up for one moment and compare any theropod in the world to trex over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again

[@Rexred09]

Because it’s basically the mascot of palaeontology.

[@Archive1983]

because tyrannosaurus is dope as fuck, and it isnt even my favorite, it deserves respect

[@Bagelgeuse]

I'm fine with T.rex's representation in media tbh. My only gripe with it (and a lot of other dinosaurs in media) is that almost every time it appears in media, it's a Jurassic Park rip off. Take the upcoming Exoprimal game for example.

[@TheMemeRepository]

Something that Primeval did that I really liked was saving the better known dinosaurs for later seasons; baiting the audience's hook with the idea that they might get to see their favourites later on, all the while introducing them to a bevvy of obscure creatures that might have never gotten the spotlight later on. Actually, T-Rex can serve as a great way of introducing other animals to audiences in that, as you can put in the forefront of the marketing before stuffing the actual movie\documentary with a bunch of relatively unknown dinos. So long as you eventually deliver on the T-Rex payoff, audiences will happily accept the "newcomers" & might even feel compelled to learn more about them on their own.

[@Trey67777]

That’s why I liked primeval so much

[@apenasmaisumdiogo.7115]

Primeval might be the only other piece of media aside from Walking with Monsters to portray a gorgonopsian, my props to them.

[@shaunjimbangan1166]

I disagree with pit the part about putting the more popular animal in marketing since that would just be false advertising.

[@midwestmonster9886]

Good video. It is funny seeing the "modern" T.rex looks and how they differ from one another. Twenty years ago, the controversy was whether tyrannosaurus was a predator or a scavenger. Today, it's whether tyrannosaurus was a cassowary (9:40) or a hippo (10:11).

[@DrZet1966]

It’s probably since it’s literally called “Tyrant King” and was probably one of if not the first large theropod discovered in America that contributed to its popularity, though interestingly it seems that the Allosaurus was as popular before.

[@Mike554555550]

Great video, only thing I'd disagree with is the idea that Godzilla is divided/different from T.rex. The Tyrannosaur imagery with Godzilla has been constant and there from day one, since the base design is a T.rex with Iguanodon arms & Stegosaurus spines.

[@vaggos2003]

There are a few more things that in my opinion helped boost T. Rex's popularity beyond what was said in the video and in the comments. Some of them may be weirdly specific or out-of-the-box. -The timing of its naming: "Tyrannosaurus", unless I'm mistaken, waa conceptualised as a name for our favourite tyrant lizard king in an era where most dinosaur names were merely basic descriptions, like "Big lizard" or "Giant iguana", so a name that not only had more of a character and presense to it, but also in general stood out from the crowd when up against a less impressively-sounding competition, definitely helped its popularity. -Its body structure: In a way, the T. Rex has all the basic characteristics of a big theropod present: big skull, muscular body, small arms, long horizontal tail, walks on its hind legs in a horizontal stance. These are the basic characteristics anyone would need to take into account if they wanted to use a big theropod design in a project. But if they wanted to include a specific species, they needed to add that species' unique features on the design in order to represent the species properly and make it stand out. But how unique truly were each species' characteristics? Gills above the eyes. Allosaurus or Carnotaurus? Longer snaut and thinner neck. Carcharodontosaurus or Baryonyx? Three fingers on each hand. Do you realise just how little that narrows it down? Rounder skull and two fingets on each hand. Bloody T. Rex. The T. Rex is ultimately an animal with a bidy structure that is easy to remember, due to having all the usual basics of its family's body structure combined with its very own unique recognisable special features. -Grander stats: This is more recent than my other two points, but I feel that it definitely boosted its popularity. The stats I'm referring to are his body mass being greater than any theropod and his bite force being stronger than any carnivore in the history of Earth. Those features, for better or for most likely worse, turned Turannosaurus into a point of comparison for future dinosaur discoveries and media. What do you think of those factors?

[@arkurianstormblade4109]

The name is so easy too. T. Rex, 4 letters, anyone can basically say it! (okay not to be inconsiderate, I'm not sure if it's shortened in other languages!) Sorry majungasaurus fans.

[@kade-qt1zu]

1. Why are you saying sorry to majungasaurus fans? 2. Secondly, did you know there is a dinosaur called B-Rex?

[@arkurianstormblade4109]

@@kade-qt1zu it was just one of the dinosaurs I thought up of when it comes to "long names people outside of paleo interests probably wont bother to remember!"

[@swaggasaurus_rex]

Piatnitzkysaurus fans punching the air rn

[@FossilBox]

I feel like it comes down to this: It's useful in cinematic action, and it's easy to pronounce. So, it's easy to market it without much thought. (Though I find it tedious that this is the case and reading dinosaur names ISN'T THAT HARD. 🙃)

[@darci1456]

Ikr? It feels like some people were never taught how to sound things out .

[@spitfire4209]

I actually feel Velociraptor has sort of taken T-Rexes place or at least side by side as the pop culture dinosaur. Which is wholly attributed to Jurassic Park rocketing it into the forefront of public conscious, as before that it was slightly lesser known than Deinonychus and mostly only to people interested in Paleontology on some level.

[@NovaSaber]

It's also the most consistently present dinosaur whenever they appear in media that's not really "dinosaur media". And tyrannosaurs have a tendency to be the leaders of any dinosaur themed groups (multiple incarnations of Power Rangers, the Dinobots in Transformers).

[@EliteKnight97]

It might be considered basic but it is my favourite, looks cool, is big and has the strongest bite of the dinosaurs and it’s skull looks dope

[@DinoDiego16]

Nothing wrong with that! Its a great dinosaur, even if it is considered overused.

[@aryshandono3249]

For so long it has been known as the largest theropod ever. Also, given there's been numerous fossils discovered, making it one of the most well-studied and recognized dinosaurs, it's easy to use Tyrannosaurus in media because we know so much about it, doesn't need too much creative liberties or changing it because it is already cool to begin with

[@paleoph6168]

3:32 Yes, thank you for featuring PBS The Dinosaurs!

[@S0ulGh0st]

The name alone has a punch to it. That was a very well thought name from the marketing point of view.

[@thenerdbeast7375]

You have to admit there are many admirable traits about T.Rex that make it more interesting especially since it is the subject of so much scientific discussion. It had a larger brain than the other large predatory dinosaurs, binocular vision, the possibility of more complex social behavior and feathers, it has a lot more going for it than a lot of it's "rivals."

[@bowiedoctor9156]

It's also a fascinating dinosaur because it lived at the very end of the Cretaceous Period when non-avian dinosaurs all died off in the mass extinction. As such it was the last of the dinosaurs and in a way a pinnacle of theropod evolution. It also has a cool and easy to pronounce name.

[@bestuan]

for more general media, dinosaurs like brachiosaurus, triceratops, stegosaurus, and T-rex are simply the first things that come to mind, they're very familiar because they were featured before in media, it's a snowball effect, if you make a memorable piece of media with a rather obscure animal chances are that the dinosaur will become popular, just like what happened with velociraptor and brachiosaurus but for more dinosaur centered media T-rex has become sort of an obligation, no dinosaur centered media feels full without T-rex honestly, you cant give up the largest terrestrial predator living at the finale of the mesozoic with other fascinating animals like triceratops and edmontosaurus with one of the coolest names ever, it has become the perfect candidate in my opinion

[@Yatukih_001]

Not before the media. During the early 20th century. Before the media there is no recorded finding of a dinosaur fossil.

[@bestuan]

@@Yatukih_001 I said before in media not before the media

[@kuitaranheatmorus9932]

I like the Tyrannosaurus but do wish it wasn't so plentiful but I so love it when it seen in a more classic but good light ngl Also this video was really good and I wish y'all are having a great day

[@ilyadratutin6385]

I like how u used my model for the thumbnail. Thanks man

[@DinoDiego16]

If you have a link to an original post/source for the design, I can give ya a nice little shout out via top comment and description!

[@broccolinyu911]

I think the other thing to add is that 1. the unfortunate stereotype that Carnivores are easy to demonize as antagonists or just monsters 2. T-Rex has some of the most complete skeletons out of any dinosaur and thus much more to study. A good amount of dinosaurs still don't have complete skeletons. Hell, just last year, Spinosaurus's tail changed the way we look at the animal forever.

[@DinoDiego16]

Great points, especially the first one!

[@theangrysuchomimus5163]

*Edmontosaurus has entered the chat*

[@kade-qt1zu]

Look, I love T-Rex. It's my favorite large theropod, and one of my favorite dinosaurs. But even I am getting sick of how over represented T-Rex is in media. For me, I think the point I realized this was when I saw a documentary called "Bigger then T-Rex". For those who don't know, this was a documentary created by NOVA and national geographic made about Spinosaurus. It centers around the Spinosaurus remains found around 2014, and discusses how this changes our perception of the creature. The documentary itself isn't bad, it's a nice documentary, but what annoys me is the title. For some reason, even though they are discussing a completely different dinosaur that lived in a completely different place in a completely different time, they still feel the need to put T-Rex in the title. It's like they're afraid that people won't watch the documentary unless T-Rex in the title, even though it's barely even part of the documentary. And I think this perfectly demonstrates why T-Rex is so oversaturated in popculture. As another comment pointed out, all kinds of dinosaur media, from dinosaur horror movies to educational documentaries, have this belief that unless you mention or show T-Rex, people won't care about your media. This is blatantly not true. I mean, look at prehistoric animals like Hatzegopteryx or Yi Qi. These dinosaurs are not associated with T-Rex in any way, and yet they are becoming more and more popular. Heck, look at this comment section, and how many people, including myself, are sick of seeing T-Rex. I think this is clear proof that people need to stop using T-Rex all the time and begin using more obscure dinosaurs like Bistahieversor or Guanlong.

[@seanmckelvey6618]

T.rex has always been my favourite dinosaur since I was a little kid. It's not an original choice for sure, but it's always fascinated me and sparked my imagination. Everything we've learned about it and all the different ideas and depictions we've seen over the years only adds to that for me. So, from the perspective of someone who loves Tyrannosaurus so much, I can't say I have a real issue with how over-represented it has been and continues to be. That said, I love and am fascinated by ALL dinosaurs so to see other species get a chance to shine is also never an issue for me and I hope that we see more of that in the future.

[@34r343]

Same, fellow tyrannosaurus enjoyer. I adore the the tyrant. But I do want other prehistoric creatures represented more.

[@Allosaurus1456]

T Rex also has a very easy to remember name which helped it get more popular, A lot of dinosaur names are difficult for most people to pronounce.

[@King_SpinoX]

That’s why in now days there’s a lot of game, movie, toys, and other is more focused to unpopular dinosaurs like Concavenator,Skorpiovenator,Moros intrepidus, etc than tyrannosaurus rex I don’t too like they overrepresent T.rex that make some people that amateur about dinosaur when they saw any theropod carnivore they will say “hey look its a T.Rex” as a dinosaur fans that make me a bit uncomfortable Even they said “the battle is about T rex vs T rex” in JWD Giga vs T rex final battle

[@januszpolak254]

T-rex is megalodon of Dinosaur world. Its cool animal that got ruined by people simping for it too much.

[@kade-qt1zu]

Megalodon used to be known as known as one of the most fearsome predators to have ever roamed our oceans, a beast so large that it needed to satiate it's hunger with whales. Now it's known as the one creature you keep having to tell people is extinct because they watched terrible KZbin videos that use descriptions of basking sharks and photos of a mythbusters setpiece to prove that the megalodon still exists in the Mariana trench so they can trick kids into watching their content and gain more views and subscriptions.

[@ekosubandie2094]

Megalodon getting bullied out of existence by early Orcas is both tragic and hillarious tbh

[@srstriker6420]

It’s easy because it’s stands out and it’s name is much easier to remember.

[@paulkuchnicki6404]

Better words could not have been said than this. For me, my favorite dinosaur of all time is Allosaurus, but I will admit that Tyrannosaurus rex (despite its fame and frequent mentions) is truly a majestic, fascinating animal That still blows my mind that we have so much knowledge and information about this dinosaur. It all depends on what your aim is for including the dinosaur in your project. I loved how you mention that you can have a TRex in your dinosaur project without it stealing the spotlight. And all likelihood, it was just a 40 foot long, 8 to 10 ton, voracious animal That we humans are so inspired by things that are big and scary so we can to popularize it so much. It’s the same implication that we called the African lion the king of the jungle or king of the beasts. But another part of me still wants other dinosaurs to be portrayed and getting the fame they deserve in media, for me I would love to see more ornithopods having more excitement and thought put into them than them just been TRex lunch. Another aspect of dinosaurs that really irritates me is when ever dinosaurs are mentioned or have a role in a non-Jurassic Park project, people would still have the unnecessary intention to reference Jurassic Park as if audiences didn’t care otherwise, as Red Raptor Writes so aptly puts it. Excellent Stuff!

[@rodrigopinto6676]

Wrong, Tyrannosaurus rex lenght 40-43 feet long, this animal is the biggest and probably the strongest terrestrial predator to ever walk on earth.

[@paulkuchnicki6404]

@@rodrigopinto6676 I never said that it was NOT the biggest predator, but I agree with you on your statement. But that’s not really the point that I’m trying to make with my comment. Let’s both agree that on average, tyrannosaurus would grow to a length of 40 feet, or 12 m.

[@rodrigopinto6676]

@@paulkuchnicki6404 again wrong the Tyrannosaurus rex is the biggest or largest terrestrial predator to ever walk on earth

[@rodrigopinto6676]

@@paulkuchnicki6404 12-13 meters long.

[@rodrigopinto6676]

@@paulkuchnicki6404 Spinosaurus, giganotosaurus, carcharadontosaurus, mapusaurus, tyrannotitan, acrocanthosaurus ARE smaller than Tyrannosaurus rex.

[@kevinobill4818]

This is a very interesting topic and it does make sense to me, every medias always show the T Rex as the most favorite dinosaur to be introduced. Movies, books and even toys are always appealing to me.

[@ryaquaza3offical]

I’m really unsure why T. rex is as popular as it is today, especially with its title as “da king” that you dare not challenge. We have other giant tyrannosaurs like Zhuchengtyrannus and Tarbosaurus which is basically just trex but with the ability to lock its jaws and more extreme body proportions (even smaller arms and bigger heads) making T. rex not even that unique among its relatives and now with other giant theropod groups with more unique dinosaurs I really don’t see why it has to be T. rex 100% of the time Literally every dinosaur movie, game and documentary since the Dawn of time has a T. rex but it’s chokehold seriously stops a lot of more unique dinosaurs getting more popular. Remember how Disney Dinosaur swapped a T. rex as the obligatory main theropod threat for Carnotaurus? Well that movie alone greatly increased popularity for the at the time underrated theropod and now years later Carnotaurus is now a household name, JP3’s choice of having Spinosaurus as its main threat also did the same. I get why people like T. rex, especially the public or children which ether don’t know any other more obscure dinosaurs or simply obsess over its “coolness” and won’t take anyone saying otherwise but honestly, we need to give other dinosaurs some love too.

[@lrn5152]

I noticed something even more annoying... It's insane to think that even movies/shows/etc. that do **not** feature a Tyrannosaurus just so happen to feature another dinosaur that acts, resembles, or is closely related to the T. rex in some form or another. I literally think that Jurassic Park (for all it's glory and nostalgia) has somewhat ruined the concepts of dinosaurs in media. The Jurassic World trilogy is laughable but that's only because modern cinema is still as hit or miss as it has always been except with greater budgeting. Suffice to say, I feel dino media is underrepresented and that when it *is* represented the *same* dinosaurs are shown. Ideally you can say that the T. rex is so popular because of nostalgia but you also have to understand that it is has a very particular composition. An Allosaur honestly could be chocked down to being any other carnivore without a good design, but the T. rex has a very distinct look. Same for Spinosaurus, Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, etc. I love the T. rex and think it's awesome still. But at this rate, I'd rather see a movie about anything but a Tyrannosaur (and anything but another Jurassic Park/World), though I'm willing to bet the Tyrannosaur would just be replaced by a stand-in.

[@34r343]

I kinda agree with you but jurassic park didn't ruin the public's perception of dinosaurs quite the opposite. but JURASSIC WORLD on the other hand did. Why couldn't they have just use mostly accurate dinosaurs with the exception of a few old ingen clones such as the original t rex.

[@friend_trilobot]

I feel like even the most average person really knows a few dinosaurs really well, or at least the popular portrayal of them, and they know almost nothing about many others or are missing a lot of new discoveries. But doing dinosaur media without including the few really famous ones (with t. rex being the most famous) and doing them in a way that is already familiar is like a band that has a few super famous songs but then don't play them at a concert. Of course, dinosaurs are not an IP, but people treat then like a non-copyrighted but popular pop culture media entity, not unlike sherlock Holmes. If you do sherlock homes media it seems clear that you need to include the famous things (pipe, hat, "elementary my dear Watson, " violin, Moriarty, irene Adler) even though the hat isn't in the book, and Moriarty and Adler are only in 1 story each and theres a wealth of info throughout the books nor regularly included. Only it's also like the wizard of oz. Frank Baum wrote a series of quirky books with random violence and sometimes intense political allusion, with 2 good witches and a scarecrow and a tin man who literally can't fall asleep, and a cowardly lion who is an actual lion and is actually a really deadly predator despite being cowardly, and the slippers are silver not ruby... e.t.c.... but studios seem unable to adapt an oz film, spin off or sequel that isn't a direct response to the famous film, despite this wealth of original material to draw from.. with perhaps the exception of return to oz, which wasn't well recieved at the time. Dinosaurs are the same - you gotta include the famous dinos, the tropes and scenes (oviraptor steals egg, t rex fights any spiky dino, t rex roars), especially the ones from famous media like Jurassic park. Even if you don't do this, you're going to be responding to it - you're going to be making an IP that deliberately doesn't include those things, that it's a different theropod to attack a different ceratopsian, or making a more realistic t rex and deliberately not show it killing live prey, and painstakingly explaininging why "raptors" actually did have feathers (which isn't controversialcontroversialor debated in science), but not explaining other decisions in the property that are way more speculative. Or you'll be making a niche property for super fans, like an indie sherlock Holmes game based on actual plots from the book, e.t.c., which wont likely be as famous

[@apenasmaisumdiogo.7115]

That's a good point - another text I read once gave a similar argument, saying the reason why the public might seem so averse to the idea of feathered raptors is because they don't see them as animals, but as pop culture characters, not unlike Freddy Krueger, Darth Vader etc.. Birds can be really scary, but because most urban people are more familiar with small birds, pigeons, ducks and portrayals of chickens and turkeys, many parodies of the concept show feathered dinos as cowardly and inoffensive chicken instead of, let's say, frightening cassowaries. _However_ , I think that such aversion of the public is overblown, and new products like Prehistoric Planet and even the _Pyroraptor_ and _Therizinosaurus_ from Dominion getting acclaim show that the public can perfectly accept more accurate dinosaurs just as well. The majority of people seem to have liked a lot the portrayals of dinos in Prehistoric Planet.

[@friend_trilobot]

@@apenasmaisumdiogo.7115 yeah, I'd bet for most people it's not unwillingness but perception (like them seeing them as an IP and not animals) and ignorance, particularly of the data backing up these new ideas. like, most people know "dinos are supposed to have feathers" but only dino fans know which ones and why. i def get the impression many average people assume feathers are a theory that scientists are just wildly betting on bc it fits with broader patterns of evolution or something and many of those might be surprised to find there are numerous fossil impressions, evidence on bones, and even feather remains in amber in a transitional phase. Even a basic ignorance of how fossils work can contribute to this bc many assume fossils are literally bone and only bone, and so how could we ever know what their skin was like? Etc. I'd bet it's only a vocal minority who are aware of these factors and still say they don't care and only want classic dinos in everything, though those people do exist. I imagine most people (myself included) can both appreciate the outdated ideas of ip's like Primal and distinguish it from the realistic, scientifically backed portrayal of prehistoric planet. Also, prehistoric planet is among the first big IPs with super accurate feathered dinosaurs and other recent discoveries/interesting theories, and it only scratched the surface and had to spend a lot of time explaining why the weird stuff is actually pretty definitive. So yeah, I def think the issue is lack of exposure due to big IPs not taking risks, not the public being averse to the idea.

[@transnewt]

I’m surprised you didn’t talk about it’s first name, manospondylus gigas

[@elipse371]

It’s pretty simple when you get to the bottom of it. 1. It’s a big giant predatory dinosaur 2. It has a catchy name(Tyrannosaurus Rex is one of the coolest names tbh) 3. It was featured in Jurassic Park as *THE* big bad dinosaur(sure there were other dinosaurs that antagonized our protagonists, but T. Rex was the biggest and baddest of them all)

[@haljordan777]

T. Rex was already the most popular dinosaur years before Jurassic Park.

[@GTSE2005]

There's an upcoming game called the lost wild, and from what I know t.rex isn't in that game, instead the main dinosaur is allosaurus

[@matthewenriquez8711]

The fact that Tyrannnosaurs have the best eye sight, strongest bite force, very tiny arms, swimming, silent at hunting, chunkier, has lips, and big brain when they finally found out why T-rexes are popular and what makes them a king were Apple TV's Prehistoric Planet explaining how strong they are

[@brandonivy8523]

4:45 If I'm not mistaken, Tyrannosaurus is the one with a different scale pattern that fights the Agathaumus.

[@blkgardner]

T-rex is basically the popular shorthand for "large theropod." Obviously, the "monster" in a dinosaur movie is going to be a carnivore. The large herbivores can be dangerous, but an elephant or rhinoceros is not going to go out of its way to pick a fight with a human, while a predator might. Using an Allosaurus, for example, would feel like a second-rate threat, unless the movie established that the Allosaurus could do something a T-rex couldn't.

[@swaggasaurus_rex]

8:47 it is all those things, but also just Tyrannosaurus being the coolest thing ever. It has such a ferocious look, a robust yet sleek design, and I could list and elaborate on all its outstanding attributes (senses, biteforce, endurance, agility, intelligence), but you've heard it all before. It was called the "prize-fighter of antiquity" and "the greatest fighting animal of which there is any record" in the news back in 1905, when it was discovered. Grandiose marketing back then, but it's pretty close to fact right now, with all we've learned about it. Shoehorning Tyrannosaurus into the title of every palaeontological article released by pop-sci magazines is no doubt contrived, and it suggests other dinosaurs can't stand on their own merits. And no doubt, it does sideline other dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures that are just as interesting. But I'd say rex has earned it. A problem I have is that people may have the wrong idea of Tyrannosaurus, since the most popular establishments spin tales of it being slow, a scavenger, and whatever else, not to mention the Jurassic movies nerfing it to hell. And of course, people only know the pop-culture "T-rex", which is way less interesting than the real thing.

[@andrewkim212]

Tyrannosaurus rex is an incredibly charismatic animal, one has got to admit. Not only the physical characteristics, but the fact that the animal lived right at the tail end before the KT extinction allows for an enticing narrative. People always love stories of great empires collapsing and dynasties falling, and T. rex fits this perfectly. Of course, it's important to recognize that all dinosaurs are animals equally interesting and unique in their own rights. But coincidentially T. rex is also one of the most well-preserved dinosaurs, and I personally don't think it's really all that unfair that some dinosaurs are destined to get overshadowed soley due to the sheer lack of material. Take Giganotosaurus carolinii for example, it's an animal equally as charismatic yet the lack of properly described material doesn't allow for discourse nearly as in-depth as the T.rex. We simply are unable to know much about it and there's not nearly as much to discuss. And while that's unfortunate, it's the way things are. All we can hope for is that the fame and popularity of T.rex leads to more widespread interest of paleontology in general and that one day, other animals will be able to come out of obscurity.

[@DEATHBRINGER795]

T. Rex is not overrepresented or overrated. What everyone forgets or simply fails to realise is T. Rex is a dinosaur who deserves the name “Tyrant Lizard King” and ultimately it’s fame. T. Rex is a dinosaur that would literally destroy any ecosystem it was placed in, if you took 6 T. Rexs and dropped them into literally any natural environment the effects on the ecosystem would be the equivalent to a goddamn nuke! Fossil evidence of T. Rex being discovered in Canada supports this theory and confirms the fact that wherever T. Rex went it would dominate the environment. Since there is fossil evidence of T. Rex in Canada this confirms that when the Hell Creek Formation connected with Canada, T. Rex invaded Canada and out competed the Apex predator for the title of Apex predator (Albertosaurus I think). Hell if you dropped T. Rex into South America with Giganotosaurus, Giganotosaurus would have been outcompeted so easily! And it’s not even the adults which were the problem, it was the Juveniles to Sub-Adults who were, they were so fast and strong with their crushing bite force it would have devastated and destroyed any Ecosystem it could get into and Giganotosaurus would have become extinct thanks to food sources being non existent and ultimately the presence of T. Rex which would kill them on sight thanks to their crushing bite force. T. Rex has proven its worth and it’s proven it deserves its fame and it’s glory, unlike things like Spinosaurus and others. So yeah inconclusion: T. Rex deserves its crown because it earned it! It proved it was an Apex superpredator and it proved it deserves its fame and ultimately the title of “Tyrant Lizard King. So I have no problem with T. Rex being the main icon when it comes to dinosaurs because ultimately it deserves it!

[@adinosaur2708]

Dinosaurs are animals, not monsters from a saturday morning cartoon! Its wrong to say 't Rex deserves attention and the others don't' that's like saying 'lions deserve attention and the others don't,' the other animals still deserve it just as much as T Rex. especially with how overfunded T Rex research is. Spinosaurus hardly has any research funding and its much harder to prospect in africa, its extremely unfair to compare the two at all... to have the gall to say 'things like spinosaurus AND OTHERS.' seriously? EDIT: Also T. Rex is absolutely over represented. T Rex brings in money and toys, hence why its in literally every single dinosaur game ever. Even in games like path of titans where at first they included interesting underrepresented dinosaurs like daspletosaurus? Fuck you, were putting in a T Rex anyways even though we already have a tyrannosaurid that looks exactly like it, just smaller.

[@DEATHBRINGER795]

@@adinosaur2708 Spinosaurus is not underrated it’s actually extremely overrated. Also Jesus bro calm down

[@simbiotesnus1013]

​​​@@DEATHBRINGER795Your policy: "T.Rex IS THE COOLEST KING OF KINGS and the COOLEST GiGachad on this fucking planet, so everyone else isn't even not deserves attention" is degenerate, giwing a dinosaur's name as an argument is even dumber. It's like you're a stupid bratty kid who was hear from someone: "Hey your T.Rex is just a stupid chicken and Spino are cooler than it" and you just pised lol. Say that Spinosaurus and Giganotosaurus are overrated is wrong, at least because they don't have such many appearances in various media as T.Rex. The T.Rex appears in every dinosaur game, almost every dinosaur movie and TV show, and also offen appears in non-dinosaur movies and TV shows, literature, toys, and even commercials. And if Spinosaurus can be called relatively popular because it is used relatively often (although this is nothing compared to the popularity of T.Rex), then Giga cannot be called famous. A little unfair you know. Bro, calm down, its jast animals.

[@Chadzilla_the_Keyblade_welder]

All Dinosaurs deserve the same love as the T Rex. Dinosaurs were real animals, not ficional movie monsters. Making the T Rex the main dino of every movie is like making a lion the main animal of every movie. People need to open them self's up to new things and stop being so blind by nostalgia. I also hate it whenever they do introduces a new Dinosaur they ALWAYS have to make it a bad guy for the T Rex to kill. Like the Carnotaurus (my favorite Dino) in Jurassic world fallen kingdom or the Giganatasaurus in Dominion. Because God forbid other Dinosaurs can be as awesome.

[@Codesta-vh9jf]

The best jurassic park was when the spino killed the t rex

[@Fede_99]

9:34 bro wtf was that?!?! Ebola Rex LMAOOOO 💀

[@DinoDiego16]

Only the best dinosaur movie ever created

[@cac_deadlyrang]

i want to see more synapsids (in general) in media

[@brycevo]

I very much think it's marketing and the perpetuity of pop culture. Brown tried his best to market the rex as a king of beasts, even with the name Tyrant Lizard King. And pop culture is a wheel. We tend to want to perpetuate what we love, especially with pop culture.

[@SutoRaikuTheRealOne]

Now don't get me wrong I love the T. Rex it's my all time favorite Dino since I was a kid but yeah it has been over represented in media. I want other dinos so have their shine as well

[@KoneSkirata]

It's the rule of cool coupled with the advantage of being the first of its kind (in terms of fossil discoveries) that launched T. Rex into this endless cycle of representation. Be the first house-sized fossil with big scary teeth, give it a memorable, badass name and you are guaranteed to at least a headstart of popularity. Actually deliver on your supposed promises (apex predator, wildly evolutionarily successful) and that popularity will never fade. Any new discovery will be measured against you. You become a unit of measurement equivalent to how people compare sizes to football fields, school busses etc. I can say "half the size of a T. Rex" and people will understand.

[@haljordan777]

The T.rex in the background at 4:12 resembles Roy from Disney's "Dinosaurs" sitcom.

[@CeratsTheCrunch]

Its Just VERY VERY VEEEERYY popular.

[@angelobrewster6293]

The Tyrant Lizard King will always be my all time favourite dinosaur.

[@fedan2012]

Funny that almost any dinosaur media just dies when theres no T. Rex.

[@manzac112]

And, it's a damn shame because there are plenty of animal lineages and time periods that never get talked about which honestly deserve the spotlight as well. Remember when documentaries were meant to educate people and not entertainment or being a popularity contest?

[@pterosaur5245]

What a much more mature and balanced title than a certain other Paleoguy's recent video on T. rex.

[@ekosubandie2094]

That Henry guy?

[@pterosaur5245]

@@ekosubandie2094 I was referring to EDGE. Put out a vid about the T rex being a symbol of "toxic masculinity".

[@Grand_History]

At least you’re not calling Trex a symbol of “toxic masculinity” like a certain KZbinr. That was one of the cringiest videos I’ve seen a paleo KZbinr make

[@KingBuilder525]

I've just started the video, and my guess is it's a combination of being discovered early, and having a recognizable shape.

[@andrewshear2927]

Good video, but the animal I think deserves the attention it gets. As it stands right now it is the biggest predatory dinosaur we have in the fossil record. Also it is known from almost complete skeletons, so yes we can focus on other dinosaurs no other dinosaur is going to to what Tyrannosaurus Text has done.

[@bearrowe7902]

Tyrannosaurus is not the biggest predator in the fossil record. Mapusaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus and Spinosaurus are a few examples of predators estimated to be larger than any Tyrannosaur

[@andrewshear2927]

@@bearrowe7902 When paleontologist started used specific gravity to estimate dinosaur weight's T-Rex came out ahead weighing about 18,211lb or 9.2 tons.

[@bearrowe7902]

@@andrewshear2927 the estimated weight of a Tyrannosaurus is between 5 and 7 tonnes. God knows where you got 9.2 from. Which yes, is heavy for the estimated weight of a therapod, akin to thr Tyrannosaurs particularly dense skull. But by length and height, it is still out matched by many other therapods.

[@andrewshear2927]

@@bearrowe7902 The 9.2 tons is a new estimate based on using specific gravity to look at density. Also if you look up dinosaur lectures on recent KZbin videos Tyrannosaurus is bigger. As it stands today.

[@bearrowe7902]

@@andrewshear2927 my guy KZbin is not the be all and end all of scientific fact. All due respect, I study Palaeontology at university. I do not need youtube videos to tell me what they think is science when i study Dinosaurs as a degree. My lecturers have never once mentioned this "new study"

[@theraymunator]

I love Tyrannosaurus, it has always been my favorite dinosaur and I'd even go as far to say it's my favorite animal, but I always feel shame saying that because I do think that it is a very overrated creature in pop culture and to a lesser extent in science as well. But honestly I think the problem is not that T. Rex is popular but that for whatever reason very little people actually seem to care about the real thing and most people just think of T. Rex as the way it appeared in Jurassic Park, which is cool but nowadays it's anachronistic and it gets super boring to see Tyrannosaurus as just another generic movie monster that roars all the time and fights everything that moves for no reason instead of an actual living being. Just look at how everyone celebrated when it was discovered that the Rex was indeed not very feathery because that meant that people could still make the JP Rex without having some nerd yell at them for not being scientifically accurate. And that's another thing, I think hardcore Rex fans are some of the most insufferable and elitist folks in the amateur paleontology community because they're basically fighting all the time over the most minute of shit, it's kinda like what happens when you casually mention you liked The Last Jedi, only difference is that at least with dinosaurs politics don't usually get involved. Usually. In any case, I like that there seems to be a shift towards more scientifically accurate of dinosaurs and more varied representation of species, and not just of dinosaurs but other forms of paleofauna as well, just having feathered raptors in Jurassic World Dominion is already a huge step forward. Asia and South America have an amazing fossil record and I like that since the 90s there has been a growing amount of both fiction and non-fiction works made about those areas' dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. On a side note, I think that if the T. Rex existed today, we would probably end up treating them like sharks in the way that humanity would be scared shitless of them despite the fact that it probably wouldn't pose that much of a threat to us. I mean, sure, both a Tyrannosaurs and a shark could kill you extremely easily, but an animal of that size would not hunt us, and Tyrannosaurus is so fucking massive and heavy that we also would not be able to hurt it in any significant way unless we used semi-heavy guns or Legolas level archery so it also would probably just not give a shit about people. And yet we would still hunt them to extinction because movies tell us it's a big scary monster.

[@jackdeviluke3969]

Meh so what if people don't like feathers plus the feather obsessed crowd can be just as toxic as the feather haters look at any time a game or movie has dinosaurs like ark and they get angry that's it doesn't fit their vision even though ark is not supposed to be realistic it has wyverns and xenonorphs on two of the maps Cano to the story

[@simbiotesnus1013]

We can endlessly pretend that this is a rhetorical question, but in reality the answer to this question is very simple and we all know it. T.Rex is very famous because people love large carnivores and because paleontology needed a big and cool mascot, while movies, books and other media needed a big scary monster. For the same reason, animals such as Megalodon, Mammoth, Smilodon, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus are very popular, although maybe not as much as Tyrannosaurus. And also the reason why these animals are so popular is that most media just show them inaccurately by exaggerating their size, giving them a more aggressive and scary appearance, they would hardly be loved if they were shown as they really were.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

This is just a small thing, but as it's the only dinosaur with two words in it's name that you learn about as a kid, that makes it seem more impressive. Like how Optimus Prime is more famous than Jazz or Sideswipe.

[@spinoraptor2561]

I just wish we had more variety with dinosaurs in media

[@charlesunderwood6334]

It is interesting that it is one of only 2 extinct animals where the species name is used commonly (the other being Otodus megalodon; in that case people don't even bother with the O.) rather than just the genus.

[@TheDarkCeratosaurus]

i honestly feel like jurassic park was what popularised tyrannosaurus more. in general jurassic park changed the view of dinosaurs a lot.

[@TheEternalDeathRex]

fantastic video sir. I agree,I absolutely the love the trex both as a movie monster and as an animal of science but i do think we need to give other dinosaurs more attention and spotlight.Also I can’t help but wonder if the name it self makes it iconic.Robert T bakker said it best that tyrannosaurus rex just rolls off the tongue.

[@kade-qt1zu]

We need to give some attention to my boy Bistahieversor.

[@TheEternalDeathRex]

@@kade-qt1zu Heck yeah he needs it. I almost forgot he was a thing until I looked up Beasts of the Mesozoic again.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

Especially a simple... T.Rex.

[@TheEternalDeathRex]

@@ExtremeMadnessX true but i don’t remember a lot of older media using just t.rex before jurassic park as much. I mostly remember hearing tyrannosaur or tyrannosaurus but i might be misremembering.

[@shinaniganz4453]

I love how in jp3 the main villain was Spinosaurus, it was a strange but memorable dinosaur. Yet i'm surprised by how much the movie was hated just bcs they dont like it when there's a dinosaur stronger than t-rex. Like, come on...

[@pillarmenn1936]

1st You don't kill off a mascot in media, that's just asking for flames and 2nd the Spino would've lost so it was a spit in the eye of biology anyways

[@velociraptor4you3291]

I’ll *always* love T-Rex (🦖), and I believe it’s paleontological and pop culture status is more than well-earned (👍). Overused? _perhaps._ But I for one don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.