Tyrannosaurus Rex

By Ben Garrod and Gabriel Ugueto

TV scientist Ben Garrod presents the biggest extinction events ever, told from the point of view of evolution's superstars, the most incredible animals ever to swim, stalk, slither or walk our planet. Whether you're 9 or 90, his unique exploration of the most destructive, yet most creative, force in nature makes top level science fun.

Usually a species has 10 million years or so of evolving, eating, chasing, playing, maybe doing homework, or even going to the moon before it goes extinct.

Tyrannosaurus rex, the most famous and the most misunderstood superstar in the story of life! This mightiest of dinosaurs – massive, green and scaly – or, as we now know, massive and partially feathered, with a keen sense of hearing, smell and great vision dominated the Cretaceous landscape. Everyone knows about the giant asteroid which struck Earth 66 million years ago ending the Age of the Dinosaurs. Or did it?

Collect all eight books about animals we have lost in mass extinctions caused by asteroids or mega-volcanoes, clashing continents and climate change.

Also includes:
* Past brought to full-colour life by palaeoartist Gabriel Ugueto
* Ask an Expert contributions from leading scientists
* Glossary and pronunciation guide

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Oct 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781838935405

Ben Garrod

Ben Garrod is Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the University of East Anglia. He broadcasts regularly on TV and radio, most recently the BBC Mammoth Hunters documentary with Sir David Attenborough and BBC This Morning for a new dinosaur discovery, and is trustee and ambassador of a number of key conservation organisations. His previous books include The Chimpanzee and Me and his eight-book series Extinct, The Story of Life on Earth, published by Zephyr. Ben lives in Bristol and Norwich. Find Ben @Ben_garrod on Twitter and Instagram and bengarrod.co.uk

Book preview

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IN THIS SERIES BY BEN GARROD AND GABRIEL UGUETO

Hallucigenia

Dunkleosteus

Trilobite

Lisowicia

Tyrannosaurus rex

Megalodon (March 2022)

Thylacine (March 2022)

Hainan gibbon (May 2022)

ALSO BY BEN GARROD

The Chimpanzee and Me

So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs? series:

Diplodocus

Triceratops

Spinosaurus

Tyrannosaurus rex

Stegosaurus

Velociraptor

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Ben Garrod

Illustrated by Gabriel Ugueto

AN IMPRINT OF HEAD OF ZEUS

www.headofzeus.com

This is a Zephyr book, first published in the UK in 2021 by Head of Zeus Ltd

Text copyright © Ben Garrod, 2021

Artwork copyright © Gabriel Ugueto, 2021

The moral right of Ben Garrod to be identified as the author and of Gabriel Ugueto to be identified as the artist of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN (HB): 9781838935382

ISBN (E): 9781838935405

Head of Zeus Ltd

5–8 Hardwick Street

London EC1R 4RG

WWW.HEADOFZEUS.COM

‘There is no reason to suppose that our stay here will be any more permanent than that of the dinosaurs.’

David Attenborough

CONTENTS

Also by Ben Garrod

Title Page

Copyright

Epigraph

Introduction

img3.jpg What is Extinction?

img4.jpg Why Do Species Go Extinct?

img5.jpg Diseases, Predation and Competition

img6.jpg Coextinction

img7.jpg Genetic Mixing

img8.jpg Habitat Destruction

img9.jpg Climate Change

img10.jpg Timeline

img11.jpg Mass Extinctions

img12.jpg The End Cretaceous Mass Extinction

img13.jpg Causes

img14.jpg Effects

img15.jpg Ask the Expert

img16.jpg Tyrannosaurus rex

img17.jpg Tyrannosaurus rex: Discovery

img18.jpg Tyrannosaurus rex: Anatomy

img19.jpg Tyrannosaurus rex: Classification

img20.jpg Tyrannosaurus rex: Ecology

Glossary

Collect all eight titles in the EXTINCT series

About the Author

About the Illustrator

About Zephy

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INTRODUCTION

For as long as there has been life on Earth, there has been extinction, and given enough time, all species will one day go extinct. Every day, it seems, we hear more and more tragic stories about more and more species being closer to extinction. There are scientists, conservationists, charities, universities, communities and even a few good governments fighting against extinction and trying to save some of our most treasured species and habitats. But, and there is a but to this story, extinction has its place in our world and, at the right level and at the right time, it is a perfectly natural occurrence and can even help evolution in some ways.

I am a scientist. It’s the very best job in the world. In my work, I look at evolution and I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with some of the most endangered species on our planet, as well as a few which have already gone extinct. I’m fascinated by the effects extinction has on nature, in the broader sense. But how much do we really know about extinction?

If we are to ever stand a chance of saving species from extinction, then first we need to understand it. What is extinction? What causes it? What happens when many species go extinct at once? I want to explore extinction as a biological process and investigate why it can sometimes be a positive thing for evolution, as well as, at times, nature’s most destructive force. Let’s put it under the microscope and find out everything there is to know.

When a species goes extinct, we place a dagger symbol (†) next to its name when it’s listed or mentioned in a scientific manner. So, if you do see the name of a species with a little dagger after it, you’ll know why. It’s extinct. In this series, I have written about eight fantastic species. Starting with Hallucigenia (†), then Dunkleosteus (†) and trilobites (†), through to Lisowicia (†), Tyrannosaurus rex (†) and megalodon (†), before finishing with thylacine (†) and lastly, the Hainan gibbon. Of these, only the Hainan gibbon does not have a dagger next to its scientific name, meaning it is the only animal we still have a chance of saving from extinction.

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Professor Ben Garrod

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WHAT IS EXTINCTION?

OFTEN IN BIOLOGY, as is the case with