What are the similarities and differences between the Chicken and the Tyrannosaurus Rex?
At first, scientists thought that dinosaurs were related to reptiles, but with research from bone and fossil material, they have formed a different view. In 2003, when scientists Jack Horner and Mary Schweitzer discovered unfossilised material inside the femur bone of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in Montana, America, they, and other zoologists and palaeontologists all over the world, documented that the Chicken and the Ostrich are living animals distantly related to the extinct theropod dinosaur Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex). They said the next closest match is the Alligator.
Scientists studied embryonic Chicken eggs and Tyrannosaurus Rex DNA to show the genetic link between them. They also studied their bones and skeletons to show the anatomical link between them. They say that the Tyrannosaurus Rex got smaller and less fiercesome over millions of years.
So, what are the similarities and differences between the Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) and the Tyrannosaurus Rex (Tyrannosaurus rex)?
The Chicken is a living domesticated species and the Tyrannosaurus Rex is an extinct species – it died out 65 million years ago.
The Chicken and the Tyrannosaurus Rex are both in the phylum Chordata because they both have a spinal column (backbone).
The Chicken’s backbone has 14 cervical vertebrae, 7 thoracic vertebrae, and 14 fused lumbar and sacrum vertebrae (excluding the tail), whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex had a backbone of 10 neck vertebrae, 13 back vertebrae, and 5 sacral vertebrae (excluding the tail).
The Chicken is in the class Aves because it is a bird, whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex is in the clade Dinosauria because it is a dinosaur.
The Chicken and the Tyrannosaurus Rex are both bipedal (they walk on two legs in an upright position).
The Chicken is small at around 50-63 centimetres (20-25 inches) tall, whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex grew to about 4 metres (13 feet) tall and 12 metres (40 feet) long.
The Chicken is light at around 2.5 kilograms (5.7 pounds), whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex was heavy at 8.9 metric tons (9.8 short tons).
The Chicken has a small head and the Tyrannosaurus Rex has a big head.
The Chicken has no teeth, whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex had large, curved, and notched teeth about 30.5 centimetres (12 inches) long.
The Chicken has wings (but doesn’t fly well), whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex has no wings (it has two small, arm-like front appendages).
The Chicken and the Tyrannosaurus Rex both have a tail.
The Chicken’s tail is short with 4-9 caudal (tail) vertebrae, whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex had a heavy, 4 metre (13 foot) long tail with at least 35 caudal vertebrae.
The Chicken has four clawed toes on each foot – with two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward (it is a zygodactyl), whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex had three clawed toes on each foot facing forward in a wide V-shape.
The Chicken is omnivorous (it eats a range of food), whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex was carnivorous (it ate mainly meat).
The Chicken can run at an average speed of 14.5 kilometres per hour (9 miles per hour), whereas the Tyrannosaurus Rex was said to be able to run at an average speed of 4.5-8 kilometres per hour (3-5 miles per hour).
The Chicken and the Tyrannosaurus Rex both lay eggs.
The Chicken egg is about 5-6 centimetres (2 inches) long and takes about 21 days to hatch, whereas scientists think that the Tyrannosaurus rex egg was 43 centimetres (17 inches) long.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM