T. rex didn't need proper arms

[Still Waters]

Tyrannosaurus rex was the most terrifying animal that ever lived, apart from its silly little arms, which were no use for anything. Now it seems this giant predator did not need proper arms, because its head and neck were so powerful.

http://www.newscient...ml#.U1A_UKKg4dU

[spud the mackem]

If they accidently fell over how would they get back on their feet. Very difficult. Try lying on the floor and then getting up without using your arms or hands.(no cheating).and I would imagine even more difficult with "reverse" knees like they had.

[DancingCorpse]

Why would it, after all It had a swell and succinct headbutt to get by with, as testified by the jeep's window in Jurassic Park.

[Kenemet]

If they accidently fell over how would they get back on their feet. Very difficult. Try lying on the floor and then getting up without using your arms or hands.(no cheating).and I would imagine even more difficult with "reverse" knees like they had.

So... how do penguins get back on their feet when they fall over? What about ostriches? Niether of those can use "arms" to help them get up if they fall down.

[Bendy Demon]

Penguins and ostriches are not top heavy like the T-Rex however I would think a T-Rex would employ a bit of many body mechanics maneuvers.

Maybe the dino would try to get its legs under itself then use its head almost like a prop to help lift itself.

Ever seen the animated movie "The Land Before Time" where the T-Rex gets knocked over? Maybe it did something like what it did in the movie, using its head as it pushed against boulders to try and get up...

An ostrich is constructed a bit differently too as they are birds..penguins are similar so maybe it is all about using body mechanics.

I think at around 1:18 or so you'll see what I mean.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Ryu

[Likely Guy]

1. Stand on your neck.

2. Bite your head off.

Look Mom, no hands!

[taniwha]

If they accidently fell over how would they get back on their feet. Very difficult. Try lying on the floor and then getting up without using your arms or hands.(no cheating).and I would imagine even more difficult with "reverse" knees like they had.

Not so diifficult if you had an enormous muscle of a tail like a Rex.

[Crabby Kitten]

Those tiny arms must've had some purpose.

[PersonFromPorlock]

Those tiny arms must've had some purpose.

Any feature that is otherwise inexplicable can always be explained as having some obscure sexual function.

[SHaYap]

It still boggles my mind that no dino were found to be specialised Insect munchers ~

[ineffectiveArtist]

I recall reading in a dino book that T-rex used their arms to catch large dragonflies and eat those when food was scarce. I don't know if the could reach their mouths, but it seems at least sorta reasonable...

[Konga]

What if the little arms on T-rex had some kind of extensions? Perhaps as crab claws or something similar to shields on an insect. Something that disintegrates over time and therefore can not be seen on the bone fragments we find today. A bit like the shark is made out of cartilage. Therefore, we do not often find remnants of sharks. The weathering.

Strange thought. I know.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Konga

[SameerPrehistorica]

hmm...that's a known thing that it's head and neck were powerful.What is new ? Nothing. People asking then how it will get up if it falls down.May be it's powerful tail might have helped in that or may be surprisingly that tiny arms did helped it getting up in some way.Whew...

[spud the mackem]

It used its little arms to pick up its babies when daddy came along and fancied a snack.... O.K. don't believe me.

[Keoshin]

Those tiny arms must've had some purpose.

They were probably vestigial limbs. Like how some canines have a dewclaw that serves no purpose. Frogs also have a vestigial digit. A more common example of an organ becoming vestigial is that of the human appendix. Once upon a time it was helpful in digestion, but now it serves no function other than to kill us randomly. The arms are the T-Rex appendix.

[DigitalDreamer]

If they accidently fell over how would they get back on their feet. Very difficult. Try lying on the floor and then getting up without using your arms or hands.(no cheating).and I would imagine even more difficult with "reverse" knees like they had.

They have such as drastically different anatomy than humans so this self diagnosed test...how well one can stand up without using arms is quite irrelevant.

[Duchess Gummybuns]

Must..not..make...tiny arm joke...

[Kenemet]

It still boggles my mind that no dino were found to be specialised Insect munchers ~

There were undoubtedly insectovores... but remember that dinosaurs preserve poorly, and tiny ones are usually a meal for another animal.

[SHaYap]

There were undoubtedly insectovores... but remember that dinosaurs preserve poorly, and tiny ones are usually a meal for another animal.

But a lot of the insects of those days that we know of now were not 'tiny' ~ in fact ... far from small even ~

[Crabby Kitten]

Alvarezsaurus ate ants.

[ancient astronaut]

They used crossbows.

[DigitalDreamer]

They used crossbows.

Aside from the eye sore of an avatar,your comment made me chuckle

[ancient astronaut]

Aside from the eye sore of an avatar,your comment made me chuckle

Dude, What's with the avatar fetish???????

[Twin]

I think they used them for toothpicks.

[SecretAgentMathew]

They look like walking crocodiles