Tyrannosaurus Rex, apex predator of the Cretaceous. With up to six inch long teeth and weighing
between 7 and 10 tons, T-rex was the most fearsome of the tyrannosaurids. The modern lion meanwhile boasts 3 inch long
teeth and claws, weighing in between 200 and 400 lbs. What might happen if these two apex predators
from different epochs were to meet for an ultimate showdown? That’s what we’ll find out today, in this
episode of The Infographics Show- how many lions would it take to kill a T-Rex? One on one there's simply no challenge- but
lions regularly take down prey much larger than themselves utilizing pack tactics. So could a pack of lions potentially take
down a single T-Rex? First let's take a look at each individual
animal. As a pack hunter lions regularly stalk prey
much larger than themselves, though typically stay away from fully grown adult rhinoceros,
elephants and giraffes. However, given an opportunity- such as if
an animal is sickly or wounded- lions can and will take on even these dangerous prey. With their three inch long teeth, a lion's
preferred method of killing is to go for the throat and crush the windpipe, suffocating
their prey. Against much larger prey than themselves,
lions harass the animal, slowly wearing it down and rotating pack members in and out
as individuals become tired. Eventually the individual prey animal is simply
too exhausted to continue resisting. The lion's incessant attacks may also have
wounded the animal, further adding to its weakening state. It's difficult to gauge behavior from a long-extinct
animal when all you have are bones, but T-rex's bones can actually tell us a lot about how
the animal was physically built, and thus what its hunting behaviors may have been like. With a lot of room for the attachment of muscle
fibers, T-rex skeletons show that the animal was extremely well muscled, and the size of
its jaws and accompanying attachment points for jaw muscles have led scientists to confidently
conclude that T-rex had the most powerful bite of any known animal to have ever existed. Evidence of T-rex bite marks on other dinosaur
bones show that it was capable of tearing through a carcass and cracking open even the
thickest of bones to get at the vital minerals inside. This has led to some debate amongst paleontologists,
with a minority group believing that T-rex was a pure scavenger who rarely if ever actively
hunted prey. Most paleontologists however don't believe
this theory holds much water, and point to its forward-facing eye sockets which gave
it a greater binocular vision than even modern day hawks. There is also a great deal of evidence of
T-rex bites on other dinosaur bones, with new growth over the old wound, indicating
active hunting behavior (which the particular animals happened to survive). Generally the scientific community agrees
that T-rex was an active predator, using its short but extremely powerful forelimbs to
seize onto prey while its massive head delivered bone-crushing bites. Further evidence of T-rex bites on an adult
Triceratops around the horns and the edges of its crest may indicate that much like a
modern day lion, T-rex preferred to go for the throat. Given its biting strength of up to 431,000
pounds per square inch, a single bite from a T-rex was likely enough to end most of its
prey's life. And if that's not enough, some paleontologists
point at T-rex's brain case, showing that it had a brain up to six times larger than
any other dinosaur, which likely meant it was a very intelligent and social animal,
allowing it to hunt in packs. So just how big would a pack of lions have
to be to take out a single genius and very carnivorous dinosaur? The average lion pride consists of about 13
members, but some prides can be made up of up to 40 members. Even with these numbers though lions rarely
ever attack prey larger than a water buffalo, and if they do it's either out of sheer desperation
or because they are targeting an already weakened and vulnerable animal. Attacks against full grown and healthy bull
elephants are rare, but in 1996 researchers recorded almost nightly attempts by lions
over the course of a few months to kill adult bull elephants and only succeeding once. The reason why should be obvious- elephants
are big- really big- with bulls approaching 7 tons in size. This puts an adult bull elephant close to
the average weight for a T-rex. Against such a large animal, a lion's teeth
typically can't penetrate enough flesh to cause serious wounds, let alone their preferred
method of killing: suffocation. The pack must instead rely on continuous harassment,
wearing down a big bull to the point of absolute exhaustion. The elephant meanwhile can rely on its huge
tusks to drive lions away, possibly even killing them as has been observed in some circumstances. Giraffes- another rare but potential prey
for lions- have also been seen stomping attacking animals to death, and pose a similar challenge
for lions to down. Yet formidable as they are, giraffes and elephants
are still by instinct, herbivores. A T-rex is not. A born predator, T-rex wouldn't hesitate to
engage a pack of lions, and given the evidence of T-rex on T-rex attacks its clear that it's
not afraid of a fight. Attacking lions would have to wear a defending
T-rex down through harassment, much as they do elephants and giraffes. Unlike elephants and giraffes though, the
T-rex would likely not just try to defend itself, but actively attack the lions themselves. With its massive jaws, a single bite from
a T-rex would be a guaranteed kill, while its powerful tail could easily break the bones
of any unwary lion trying to pounce from behind. Lions trying to attack a T-rex would face
another obstacle: its tough, scaly skin. While the exact composition of T-rex skin
has been debated, most recent evidence shows that T-rex was likely covered in scales, with
some possible feathering along the dorsum. These scales would be difficult for a lion's
teeth to penetrate, and even if they did, with so much bulk a lion's tiny (by comparison)
three-inch teeth would do little more than surface damage. In a fight to the death and with retreat not
an option for both sides, a single T-rex would likely kill dozens of attacking lions, but
numbers would inevitably win the day. Utilizing their pack hunting strategies, lions
could harass and eventually wear down the single T-rex to the point of absolute exhaustion. Then and only then could lions have a chance
of potentially getting to the softer underbelly of a T-rex, or potentially smothering it to
death as they have been known to do with cape buffalo by biting and latching on to the buffalo's
nostrils. So how many lions would it ultimately take
to kill a single T-rex? It's impossible to guess. There's simply no modern analogue to compare
to- a pack of lions may very rarely take down a bull elephant or rhinoceros, but neither
animal is an active predator with six-inch long teeth. So, how many do you think it would take? And what other historical matchup would you
like to see? Let us know in the comments! Also, be sure to check out our other video
Gorilla vs Bear - Who Would Win. Thanks for watching, and as always, don’t
forget to like, share and subscribe. See you next time!
