# Could any modern-day animal give a t-rex a run for its money? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952 "2006-03-19T01:15:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/21 "2006-03-19T15:40:45Z")
> [@DarrenS](#): > > I remember reading in Sci Am that it’s now thought that t-rex actually “allowed” bacteria to grow in its teeth ( :barf smiley: ) in order to infect its prey to inflict even more carnage. Well, to be fair, we people have some pretty nasty stuff in our mouths too (supposedly one of the worst kinds if bites you can get is a Human bite. Then again, depending on what you’re into, and what kind of bite it was from what kind of human, it could theoretically be one of the better bites you can get 😃 ) Anyhow, Hippos have some fearsome jaws. Snap crocs in half like Pocky sticks. Not sure what a few of them could do to a T-Rex’s ankles if they could get close enough. Anyhow, my money is on Ferrets. They’re sneaky. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/22 "2006-03-19T15:45:55Z")
If a large enough python or anaconda managed to wrap itself around the tyrannosaur’s neck, that’d be lights out for the dinosaur. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/23 "2006-03-19T15:46:11Z")
> [@Operation Ripper](#): > > Like to see an Orca and T Rex go at it in shallow water Pervert. I’d prefer to see them going at it in Jell-o. I reckon a gaggle of monkeys crawling all over him biting him would be difficult for a t-rex to resist. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/24 "2006-03-19T15:55:41Z")
> [@DarrenS](#): > > I remember reading in Sci Am that it’s now thought that t-rex actually “allowed” bacteria to grow in its teeth ( :barf smiley: ) in order to infect its prey to inflict even more carnage. Actually, its arms were just too short to brush properly. And the obvious answer to the OP is Twilight Zone standard, it’s MAN. At least a man with a plentiful supply of rocket-propelled grenades and a safe place to launch them from. A polar bear in its natural habitat might stand a chance if T-Rex was cold-blooded. Then again, so would a penguin. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/25 "2006-03-19T16:03:31Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > And the obvious answer to the OP is Twilight Zone standard, it’s MAN. At least a man with a plentiful supply of rocket-propelled grenades and a safe place to launch them from. Is this a different kind of man with a rocket launcher that was excluded from the OP? > [@DarrenS](#): > > Apart from a human with a rocket launcher, of course ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/26 "2006-03-19T16:18:20Z")
How 'bout a gorilla with a rocket launcher? ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/27 "2006-03-19T17:26:33Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Somebody probably got this idea because this is exactly what the Komodo dragon does. I don’t see how there could be any direct evidence, unless T. rex teeth have some unusually bacteria-friendly shape. You’re right that it’s partly by analogy with the komodo dragon, but there was a little more science involved than that. From [here:](http://www.trexmuseum.org/moretrex.html) > [@](#): > > By creating a series of standardized knife edges, including a serrated edge, the scientists were able to study cuts or tears on actual pieces of meat and simulate biting experiences similar to those that might have been demonstrated by the dinosaur. > > The blades were “mounted on a butcher’s saw operated by cords and pulleys” that created a sawing action on several same-sized pieces of meat. While the straight edge split the meat, a serrated knife edge “gripped and ripped” it. > > […] > > Putting the teeth of Albertosaurus to the meat test, the scientists discovered food particles and grease trapped in the cella. According to Abler, when such particles remain in the mouth they become the sites for septic bacteria which can result in fatal bites to victims. > This indicated that tyrannosaurs might have been able to merely bite their victims and sit back and wait for them to succumb to the fatal infection. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/28 "2006-03-19T17:30:40Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > How 'bout a gorilla with a rocket launcher? Well, if we’re going to ludicrous extremes my money’s on Dr Oppenheimer, with a nuclear weapon and suitable remote detonation device. I was more thinking of a one-on-one, _mano a mano_ fight. Honorable mention for rule abuse to the bacteria/virus/pirana suggestions, though. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/29 "2006-03-19T17:39:12Z")
Do Komodo dragons actually just bite a prey and wait until it dies from infection??? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/30 "2006-03-19T17:45:23Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Is this a different kind of man with a rocket launcher that was excluded from the OP? Well, no, but a man with a shovel, an axe, some rope, and maybe a Leatherman, plenty of time on his hands and a bit of luck could probably take down a T-Rex with just snares and pitfalls. Pretty much your standard brain vs. brawn grudge match. Actually, it may not take more than standing on the opposite side of a handy tar pit and giving the T Rex the finger. Although it’s really hard to say because we don’t have any exact idea about the T-Rex’s intelligence, agility or speed. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/31 "2006-03-19T17:48:24Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > How 'bout a gorilla with a rocket launcher? Like those in the Phillipines in WWII who fought the Japanese? ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/32 "2006-03-19T17:58:46Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Like those in the Phillipines in WWII who fought the Japanese? WTF? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/33 "2006-03-19T18:08:55Z")
guerilla gorilla Visions of _Planet of the Apes_ come to my eyes… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/34 "2006-03-19T18:09:27Z")
Guerillas, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/35 "2006-03-19T18:15:05Z")
> [@Operation Ripper](#): > > WTF? Guerilla’s, not Gorilla’s. A attempt at humor. Har. The Komodo Dragon does it’s toxic bite as it is one of the few lizards that attacks and eats things that aren’t big enough to more or less swallow whole. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/36 "2006-03-19T18:22:11Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > How about some intestinal parasitic worms? I wouldn’t count on a lot of pay-per-view revenue from this bout. -rainy ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/37 "2006-03-19T18:34:10Z")
I would say that a [wolverine](http://blindkat.tripod.com/zoo/wolverine.html) that was motivated enough could give him a run for his money. They are small enough to make a bad target. He could just scamper up the T-Rex’s back out of his reach, dig in his claws and go for a ride. A small and vicious enough animal can take down a much bigger one, it just takes a little longer. > [@](#): > > Fot its size, the Wolverine is probably one of the smallest and most powerful top-of-the-food-chain predator And no X-Men jokes 😛 Well maybe a few ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/38 "2006-03-19T19:10:46Z")
If he can’t use a rocket launcher, can the man use a quad-50 anti-aircraft mount? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/39 "2006-03-19T19:59:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Do Komodo dragons actually just bite a prey and wait until it dies from infection??? That is precisely what they do. They’ll give it a good bite, and then track it using their sense of smell until it succumbs to sepsis a few days later. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952/40 "2006-03-19T20:01:38Z")
What about an elephant with a shark strapped to its back, trampling and eating everything in its path? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-modern-day-animal-give-a-t-rex-a-run-for-its-money/348952.md?page=3)