The world’s largest T. rex, held in Regina, may have relatives 70 per cent bigger

Paleontologists from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa attempting to answer the question 'How big could a Tyrannosaurus rex actually get?' could put Scotty's status at risk.

For many years now, Saskatchewan has been the proud home of the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus rex.

Nicknamed Scotty, this once huge animal used to roam the earth some 66 million years ago. Weighing an estimated 19,555 pounds, the equivalent of four pickup trucks, and measuring nearly 42 feet long.

Scotty took more than two decades to fully excavate and analyze and was named the largest member of its species ever found, as well as the longest-lived T. rex, according to the fossil record.

A new study, however, suggests Scotty might not hold those titles for much longer.

Paleontologists from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa have estimated the largest T. rex may have actually weighed roughly 33,000 pounds, making it heavier than an average school bus, which weighs about 24,000 pounds.

Researchers were attempting to answer the question: How big could a Tyrannosaurus rex actually get?

Scientists first examined the fossil record, which shows that approximately 2.5 billion T. rexes once roamed the earth. However, only 32 adult fossils have ever been found, giving scientists a limited amount of data to research.

Co-authors David Hone and Jordan Mallon created two models of what varying body types of T. rexes could look like based off sexual dimorphism.