The Albertosaurus was the three toed cousin of T. Rex. Although smaller than T.Rex, this relative lived a few millions of years earlier and was a carnivore. Albertosaurus lived towards the end of the Mesozoic period of the reptiles, nearly 75 million years ago. The Albertosaurus lived in the Alberta region in Canada (its name originated thanks to this region), and the number of species is unknown, but it is rumored that there were only two. He belonged to the family recognized as Tyrannosaurids, and walked on two legs, with large teeth and hands. It was quite similar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It is estimated that Albertosaurus could be the most dangerous reptile in the environment in which he lived.
Physical characteristics
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It was a little smaller than the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Within his family branch, he was considered one of the smallest, but no less dangerous. In an adult state, Albertosaurus could measure up to nearly 30 feet from head to toe and about 11 feet tall at the hips! This roughly 2500 kg dinosaur walked on two legs, which had three toes each and short arms with two fingers on each. Its large head held sharp teeth. The Albertosaurus had a long tail that provided the required balance and it even aided the dinosaur while turning.
Unique Features
One of the features that made him special with respect to the other Tyrannosaurids were his teeth, which were over 70 and were large. Making comparisons with the rest of the branches of this type of animals, it is quite “strange,” because all the others had a lower number and their size too. The bite pressure of the Albertosaurus was intense. It had a power of up to 3413 Newtons. Albertosaurus’ lower jaw had between 14 and 16 teeth, while the upper one had between 17 and 19. This dinosaur had replacement teeth that developed beneath each tooth!
Albertosaurus’ muscular legs enabled it to run very fast. It has been observed that the 6 tons in weight T. rex, which was 20 feet tall could only cover 20 mph, and if it did have a fall, it would have been fatal. The smaller Albertosaurus’ smaller body mass would make a similar impact much less powerful. This dinosaur may have been able to recover a fall and being smaller, it must have been a fast runner.
Feeding
Like the rest of the Tyrannosaurids, the Albertosaurus was carnivorous. One of the details that should be highlighted is that it is rumored that they hunted in groups and not in solitaries, as was the case in most copies of their species. It was estimated that they used to be groups of 10 to 26 members, with a lethal outcome for the dam.