A fight between two giants, a t-rex vs elephant. A showdown between one of the largest land carnivores to ever exist against today’s largest land-living herbivore. This article will show how the t-rex compares to an elephant in size and offensive capabilities. To see which creature wins in an elephant vs dinosaur fight.
T-rex vs Elephant: Size
Elephants are today’s biggest land animal, with the African bush elephant being the largest. Adult bulls can weigh up to 6,000 kg (13,000 lbs) and have a shoulder height of 3.4 m (11 ft). Their body length can be 5.8 – 7.3 m (19 – 24 ft).
The t-rex, compared to an elephant, weighed 5,000 – 7,000 kg (11,000 – 15,500 lbs) with a length of 12 m (40 ft) and a height at the hips of 3.7 m (12 ft). These sizes are only estimates based on fossil findings.
As you can see on a size comparison, the t-rex is bigger than an elephant.
T-rex vs Elephant: Speed
Scientists have long debated the speed of a t-rex as they can only make estimates based on fossils. Over the years, it has been classed as a fast and slow-moving dinosaur. With the highest speed reached to be 45 mph, and 10 mph being the lowest.
The most likely answer is probably on the lower end of that scale. Researchers have studied the biomechanics of today’s largest living animals and seen their large bodies’ impacts on their running speed.
African elephants have never had their speed measured under test conditions, but its thought they could reach a speed of 15 mph. They can only keep this pace up for a short time though only for around one mile, before slowing down due to their huge size.
We will give the elephant the speed win as the speed of the t-rex is still undecided.
T-rex vs Elephant: Attack Power
T-rex’s primary weapon was its massive jaws which had an average length of 1.2 m (4 ft). This gave them one of the most powerful bite forces of any animal, able to bite with a force of 35,000 newtons.
Also, they had 50 to 60 teeth with the longest being 30 cm (12 in) long and everyone serrated. Like today’s alligators and crocodiles, they were able to regrow lost teeth. Along with a thick masculine neck, their prayed didn’t stand much chance of survival once bitten.
When an elephant attacks, it rushes towards its opponent, thrashing its tusks that can be 3.5 m (7.7 ft) long. The tusks are not sharp but can easily penetrate an animal with enough brute force. Along with the elephant’s size and strength, they can flip over cars.
The tasks grow at an average rate of 17 cm (6.7 in) annually. They are made of keratin, the same material our hair and nails are made of.
Both animals have powerful offensive capabilities, so it’s a tie.
T-rex vs Elephant: Defence
T-rex would have used its size to intimidate smaller predators. If any dinosaur got too close, it would crush them with its mouth. If it fought in close quarters, it could use its 10 cm (4 in) close to defend itself.
Because of their vast size, adult elephants have little to fear from being attacked by predators. Only a pride of lions has the strength to prey on a young or sick elephant. If an animal is foolish enough to try and prey on an adult elephant, it will defend itself with its tusks and trunks.
It’s another tie.
T-rex vs Elephant: Animal Senses
The t-rex had excellent vision and hearing to aiding catching its prey. The t-rex had the most prominent eyes of any land animal. They were the size of oranges.
The eyes faced forward and were wide apart, giving a great sense of depth perception. Also, the eyes are set high on the head, allowing the t-rex to see further distances, giving them binocular vision. The T-Rex also had unusually large olfactory regions in the brain. Making scientists believe they had a keen sense of smell.
Elephants have poor eyesight and are only able to see objects up to 20m (65 ft). To combat this, they had a great sense of smell. Strong enough to smell food and water from 12 miles (19 km) away. Elephants are also one of the cleverest animals able to express many human emotions like joy, grief, anger and compassion.
T-rex vs Elephant What Are The Differences?
The biggest difference between the t-rex and the elephant is size. T-rex was heavier, taller and longer than an elephant. They also had different forms of attack, with t-rex biting chunks out of its prey while the elephant looked to bulldozer over any animal it considered a threat.
T-rex was a meat-eating carnivore, while the elephant was a plant-eating herbivore. They also moved differently, with the t-rex walking on two legs and the elephants walking on four legs. Of course, the most apparent difference is the t-rex lived millions of years ago but is now extinct.
T-rex vs Elephant Who Would Win In a Fight?
The Tyrannosaurus rex would defeat an elephant in a battle. While elephants have size on their side, T. rex had a massive bite force of over 12,000 psi, allowing it to crush bone and easily snap an elephant’s tusks.
T. rex was an agile predator capable of quick turns and lunges, making it difficult for an elephant’s tusks to land a decisive blow. The elephant’s hide provides little protection against the slicing teeth of T. rex.
With its bone-crushing jaws, agility, and predatory instinct, Tyrannosaurus Rex has the advantages needed to take down even giant elephants. If the two massive beasts ever clashed, the mighty T. rex would stand victorious.
The only chance for an elephant to stand a chance of defeating a t-rex is by working together in a herd. If they formed the offensive line of tusks, they might be able to scare off the T-Rex.