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The Claim

The Tyrannosaurus Rex lived closer in time to modern humans than to the Stegosaurus.

The Short Version

This claim is true and well-established in paleontology. Stegosaurus lived ~150 million years ago, while T. rex lived ~68–66 million years ago — a gap of ~80–84 million years. T. rex went extinct ~66 million years ago, and modern humans appeared ~300,000 years ago — a gap of ~66 million years. Since 66 million years is less than 80–84 million years, T. rex indeed lived closer in time to us than to Stegosaurus. Multiple authoritative sources, including USGS and the Natural History Museum, confirm this.

Caveats

  • The claim's conclusion holds regardless of whether 'modern humans' refers to Homo sapiens (~300,000 years ago) or earlier hominids (~1–2 million years ago) — the math still works.
  • T. rex existed over a range (~80–66 million years ago), not at a single point in time, but even using the most conservative figures the claim remains true.

The Receipts

  1. Did all the dinosaurs live together, and at the same time? - USGS.gov

    USGS.gov

  2. When did dinosaurs become extinct? | U.S. Geological Survey - USGS.gov

    When did dinosaurs become extinct? | U.S. Geological Survey - USGS.gov

  3. Tyrannosaurus rex | Description, Dinosaur, & Facts - Britannica

    Britannica

  4. Stegosaurus | Dino Directory

    Natural History Museum

  5. Modern humans, Homo sapiens: When, where and how did we evolve?

    The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program

  6. Tyrannosaurus rex | National Museums Scotland

    Tyrannosaurus rex | National Museums Scotland

  7. Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) - The Last King of the Dinosaurs - FossilEra

    FossilEra

  8. Modern humans, Homo sapiens: When, where and how did we evolve?

    Natural History Museum

  9. Stegosaurus: Bony Plates & Tiny Brain | Live Science

    Stegosaurus: Bony Plates & Tiny Brain | Live Science

  10. Stegosaurus: Body Like a Bus, Tiny Little Brain - Animals | HowStuffWorks

    HowStuffWorks

+ 7 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Homo sapiensStegosaurusTyrannosaurus Rex

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