Mark Witton at the ALSO FestivalKing Tyrant

Talking of fortunes - we might be the Apex predator now but we want to take a tour of a few million years in the past to see what happened to a fellow Apex predator, as we get taken deep into the world of the Tyrannosaurus rex with Mark P Whitton. This is the dinousaur adored by the public and the subject of intense study and furious debate by paleontologists. Mark will unveil the latest discoveries to offer a modern understanding of Tyrannosaurus, pulling back the curtain of media hype that often obscures these extraordinary extinct animals while cementing their reputation as the most formidable carnivores of the Mesozoic. From colossal strength to unexpected quirks, you鈥檒l see why the king of the dinosaurs ruled its world and how its extraordinary existence was shaped. 


Mark P. Witton is a paleontologist, author, and artist based at the University of Portsmouth. He designs and advises on extinct creatures for films and documentaries, including the hit Apple TV+ series Prehistoric Planet and the IMAX film T.REX, and his artwork is widely featured in books and museums around the world. His books include Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy (快色直播).


Tyrannosaurus rex is the world鈥檚 favorite dinosaur, adored by the public and the subject of intense study and debate by paleontologists. This stunningly illustrated book brings together everything we have learned about T. rex鈥攖he 鈥淜ing of the Tyrant Lizards鈥濃攕ince it was first given its famous name in 1905. It presents these creatures as science knows them rather than the version portrayed in movies, revealing them to be dramatically different, and far more amazing, than ever imagined. With numerous original paintings and diagrams by the author, King Tyrant draws on the latest discoveries to offer a modern understanding of Tyrannosaurus, pulling back the curtain of media hype that often obscures these extraordinary extinct animals while cementing their reputation as the most formidable carnivores of the Mesozoic.
 

  • Features more than 150 breathtaking illustrations, photos, and diagrams
  • Covers everything from the research history of T. rex to their anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, behavior, and extinction
  • Reveals how the Tyrannosaurus known to science is characterized as much by radical changes in body form throughout its growth as its enormous size and powerful jaws
  • Discloses details about their lifestyles and behavior evidenced from fossils, from violent face-biting between rivals to their capacity to literally pull the heads off Triceratops carcasses
  • Gets to the bottom of the many controversies surrounding T. rex, such as: Was there really more than one species of Tyrannosaurus? Did they live and hunt in groups? How fast could they run and how hard could they bite? Can we truly distinguish males from females?
  • Discusses T. rex in popular culture, showing how our love for this dinosaur has both helped and hindered research