Was the T. Rex a Scavenger?
In Was the T. Rex a Scavenger?, a team from the University of Glasgow explains that T. rex dinosaurs may have been able to survive as scavengers. This video is excerpted from BBC's Horizon: T. Rex, Warrior or Wimp?, a documentary featuring interviews with T. rex experts from around the world and exploring the science behind the legend of the dinosaur we love to hate.
Lesson Express
Q: Why do you think it is hypothesized that T. rex needed a lot of food?
A: It is often hypothesized that T. rex needed a lot of food because of its massive size and powerful body. T. rex’s large muscles and strong bones suggest it required a high caloric intake to maintain its strength and activity levels.
Q: Could T. rex have survived just off of scavenging?
A: It's possible that T. rex could have survived off scavenging because it didn’t need a lot of food to survive. The challenge would have been finding food in its habitat, as it would have had to rely on the carcasses of other animals.
Q: How might T. rex’s hunting strategy have changed if it relied more on scavenging?
A: If T. rex relied more on scavenging, it would possibly have spent more time searching for carcasses instead of hunting. Instead of chasing prey, it could have waited for other predators or events that would leave animals behind. The powerful teeth and jaws would have assisted with getting large carcasses.
More Like This

In Dinosaur Killer: Floods, naturalist Steve Backshall shows how massive floods may have been responsible for killing large numbers of dinosaurs millions of years ago. Despite the size and power of dinosaurs, monsoon floods are believed to have killed many Centrosaurus dinosaurs, whose bodies did not allow for skilled swimming. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.

In Dinosaur Killer: Sandstorm, naturalist Steve Backshall describes how massive sandstorms may have been responsible for killing large numbers of dinosaurs by blinding and suffocating anything in its path. Gigantoraptor was particularly vulnerable since it was extremely protective of its eggs, which were often buried in the sand. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.

In The Survival of Majungasaurus, naturalist Steve Backshall details the lengths that this type of dinosaur had to go to in order to survive, including cannibalism.This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.

In All About Australian Animals, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals how the animals living on Australia as it broke away from Gondwanaland have evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. Red flying foxes are newer residents who flew along the chain of volcanic islands linking Asia and Australia. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.

In Dinosaur Killer: Floods, naturalist Steve Backshall shows how massive floods may have been responsible for killing large numbers of dinosaurs millions of years ago. Despite the size and power of dinosaurs, monsoon floods are believed to have killed many Centrosaurus dinosaurs, whose bodies did not allow for skilled swimming. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.

In Dinosaur Killer: Sandstorm, naturalist Steve Backshall describes how massive sandstorms may have been responsible for killing large numbers of dinosaurs by blinding and suffocating anything in its path. Gigantoraptor was particularly vulnerable since it was extremely protective of its eggs, which were often buried in the sand. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.

In The Survival of Majungasaurus, naturalist Steve Backshall details the lengths that this type of dinosaur had to go to in order to survive, including cannibalism.This video is excerpted from BBC’s Deadly Dinosaurs, a documentary series in which host Steve Backshall is on the hunt for the deadliest animals to have walked the Earth — dinosaurs — exploring features of several species and putting their abilities to the test to reveal the raw power of these creatures.

In All About Australian Animals, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals how the animals living on Australia as it broke away from Gondwanaland have evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. Red flying foxes are newer residents who flew along the chain of volcanic islands linking Asia and Australia. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.