it is still among the largest known land predators and is estimated to have exerted the strongest bite force among all terrestrial animals. By far the largest carnivore in its environment,
Tyrannosaurus rex was most likely an
apex predator, preying upon
hadrosaurs, juvenile armored herbivores like
ceratopsians and
ankylosaurs, and possibly
sauropods. Some experts have suggested the dinosaur was primarily a
scavenger. The question of whether
Tyrannosaurus was an apex predator or a pure scavenger was among the longest debates in
paleontology. Most paleontologists today accept that
Tyrannosaurus was both an active predator and a
scavenger.