Re: Exact length of Sue

[Darius Nau <dariusnau@gmx.at>]

FMNH PR 2081 seems to be almost exactly 12.3m (40.35feet) long. That is 
the length given by Hutchinson et al. (2011), who laser-scanned the 
skeleton, and one gets almost the exact same figure when measuring the 
axial length in Scott Hartman’s (2013) skeletal reconstruction of the 
same specimen.
These are probably the most accurate representations of its total length 
that are available, and I’m willing to trust them over a museum website 
any day.
The measurements given by the field museum site are odd to say the 
least, considering they give a hip height figure that is clearly 
impossible: The combined lengths of the leg bones, plus the depth of the 
ilium above the acetabulum are markedly less than the 13 feet they claim 
it to be (Brochu 2003, Hutchinson et al. 2011 Larson 2008), even tough 
in a realistic posture the legs would not even be columnar, but crouched.

As regards intervertebral spacings, they must surely add to the total 
length, although how much is a good question. I’m a bit in the dark as 
to how much these estimates and reconstructions already account for them 
tough.

REFERENCES:
Brochu, Christopher A. (2003): Osteology of Tyrannosaurus rex: Insights 
from a Nearly Complete Skeleton and High-Resolution Computed Tomographic 
Analysis of the Skull. Memoir (Society of Vertebrate Paleontology), 
Vol. 7 pp. 1-138
Hartman, Scott (2013): A T. rex named Sue 3.0. 
http://scotthartman.deviantart.com/art/A-T-rex-named-Sue-3-0-124138016 
(accessed 12 April 2015)
Hutchinson, John R.; Bates, Karl T.; Molnar, Julia; Allen, Vivian; 
Makovicky, Peter J. (2011): A Computational Analysis of Limb and Body 
Dimensions in Tyrannosaurus rex with Implications for Locomotion, 
Ontogeny, and Growth. PLoS ONE, Vol. 6 (10) pp. 1-20
Larson, Peter (2008): Variation and Sexual Dimorphism in Tyrannosaurus 
rex. In: Larson, Peter; Carpenter, Kenneth: Tyrannosaurus rex the Tyrant 
King. Bloomington pp. 103-128

On 2015-04-21 07:29, Poekilopleuron wrote:
>Good day,



>thank you all for your reply to my previous question (I assume Jack 
>Horner's
>given date of 1903 must be a mistake). I have another question >regarding
>tyrannosaurs - what is the exact length of specimen FMNH 2081 (Sue)? 
>I've
>seen various values ranging from 12,2 to 12,9 metres (about 41 to 43 
>feet),
>which one is correct? Or is it unknown at such a precise manner given 
>that
>we don't currently understand how wide are intervertebral "gaps" 
>and/or how
>much would soft tissue add to the actual length of the skeleton? Thank 
>you
>very much, Tom


Yours sincerely,

Darius Nau
--
dariusnau@gmx.at
http://www.paleo.keepfree.de