This is how many humans a T. Rex would need to eat each day to stay alive

As an apex predator, the T. rex would have needed a hefty supply of flesh to meet its dietary requirements.

Photo credit: Getty

Published: November 4, 2023 at 4:00 pm

An adult Tyrannosaurus rex weighed about seven tonnes. A crocodile eats about five per cent of its body weight per week, whereas a warm-blooded predator, like a lion, needs to eat 25 per cent of its body weight each week. 

T. rex probably had a metabolism somewhere in between. So if we say 15 per cent, this would translate to more than a tonne of meat per week, or about two people a day.

In reality, apex predators normally have much less regular meals, so T. rex might starve for a month and then eat a busload of time-travelling tourists all at once. 

Read more:

Asked by: Mariyah Silva, Lisbon

To submit your questions email us at questions@sciencefocus.com (don't forget to include your name and location)