Rapid City in Pennington County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Tyrannosaurus Rex
(Tyrannosaurus Rex)
| — | Then and Now | — |
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
1. Tyrannosaurus Rex Marker
SIZE: 40 feet long & 12 feet tall
WEIGHT: 4-5 tons
DIET: Carnivore
NAME MEANING: King of the Tyrant Lizards
DINOSAUR CLASSIFICATION: Theropoda
TIME PERIOD: Late Cretaceous (68-66 million years ago)
MOVEMENT: Bipedal
QUICK FACTS:
① The T. rex was an apex predator and a scavenger, preying upon hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, ankylosaurs, and sauropods.
② The T. rex had a very keen sense of smell as evidenced by their relatively large olfactory bulbs and nerves.
③ The T. rex had upwards of 60 serrated teeth 8 - 12 inches long and they were constantly growing and being replaced.
④ Since its teeth were so closely packed together, pieces of flesh would get stuck in its teeth and begin to rot and grow bacteria. If prey survived a bite from a T. rex, the bite could become septic due to that overgrowth of bacteria in the mouth.
⑤ Their small front arms were not as small as previously thought and were extremely strong—each able to independently bench press 400 lbs.
⑥ T. rex was quick and could move at up to 20 mph
⑦ They are among the largest land predators to have ever lived on earth and are estimated to have the strongest bite force among all terrestrial animals.
⑧ Their estimated life expectancy was about 28 years.
THEN [Early photo of the sculpture]
NOW [Modern artist rendition of the dinosaur]
Erected by City of Rapid City.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Paleontology • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 44° 4.698′ N, 103° 14.749′ W. Marker is in Rapid City, South Dakota, in Pennington County. Marker and sculpture are in Dinosaur Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 940 Skyline Drive, Rapid
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in West River and in the Badlands. It is also in the American Black Hills, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Triceratops (here, next to this marker); The Great Race/Black Hills Geology (a few steps from this marker); Hangman's Hill (a few steps from this marker); Local Lakota: Osh Kosh Camp (a few steps from this marker); The Inconvenient Truth (a few steps from this marker); Apatosaurus (within shouting distance of this marker); Stegosaurus (within shouting distance of this marker); Trachodon (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rapid City.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
2. Tyrannosaurus Rex and Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
3. Tyrannosaurus Rex Sculpture
Credits. This page was last revised on October 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 9, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
