Mind Blown

The Tyrannosaurus rex lived closer to our time than it did to the Stegosaurus.

The dinosaurs not only existed a long time ago, but they also existed for a very long period of the history of our planet. They ruled the Earth for almost 175 million years - that's a pretty good run in anybody's book. The reign of the dinosaurs is even more striking when you consider that modern have only been around for 200,000 years!

So far over 700 different species of dinosaur have been identified and named. However, paleontologists believe that there are many more new and different dinosaur species yet to be discovered.

Two of the best-known species are the Stegosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and it's easy to picture these dinosaurs battling furiously for supremacy. Although, thinking these famous dinosaurs were around in the same time period would be a mistake.

In truth, they never even had the pleasure of meeting. Which was probably a good thing for the plant-eating Stegosaurus.

The Stegosaurus roamed the Earth during the late Jurassic period between144 and 156 million years ago. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, on the other hand, lived during the late Cretaceous period about 65 to 67 million years ago.

What this means, startlingly, is that the period in which the Tyrannosaurus Rex lived is closer to humanity than to that of its fellow dinosaur. In fact, to a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Stegosaurus would appear positively ancient. Though every bit as delicious, we can suppose.