Daspletosaurus torosus life restoration,

• Based proportionally on a Gregory Paul skeletal reconstruction in Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Tyrant King by Peter Larson and Kenneth Carpenter (2008).^[1]

• It's not clear whether derived tyrannosaurs would have been covered in scales or feathers or a combanation of both. A few small skin impressions have been known for tyrannosaurids which show lightly Pebbled skin; these are small, averaging 2.4mm.^[2] Skin impressions from the closley related Gorgosaurus are reported to show both smooth, naked skin and scales.^{[3] [4]} A 2017 study looked at a variety of tyranosaurid skin impressions and came to the conclusion that derived tyrannosaurs were probably scaly over most their body. ^[5] Another study in 2017 suggests that there may have been large, flat Crocodile-like skin cracks/scales on the front of the snout of Tyrannosaurs. ^[6]

What complicates the issue is that most coelurosaur fossils show feathers covering thier bodies and inference would suggest the same for tyrannosaurs. The smaller basal tyrannosauriod Dilong and the larger tyrannosauroid Yutyrannus also preserve feather impressions. This raises the probability that, derived tyrannosaurs had a mix of feathers and scales on different parts of the body or that feathers were lost as individuals reach maturity ^{[7] [8]}

• The muscles are based on a diagram by Scott Hartman [1] with some details from ^[9].

• The colours and patterns, as with nearly all reconstructions of prehistoric creatures, are speculative.

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References