Which Colorado Dinosaur Do You Think Would Win In a Fight?

Colorado's Dinosaur National Monument posed an interesting question, and it's up to you to determine the answer. Who do you believe would win in this clash of the titans?

This question is purely hypothetical considering the two combatants didn't exist at the same time. As a matter of fact, these two roamed the Earth some 80 million years apart. Let us discuss this, shall we?

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Colorado's Dinosaur National Monument Wants To Know

Via Facebook, the Dinosaur National Monument asked,:

...what about the Allosaurus (whose bones were found in the Monument’s Dinosaur Quarry)? What if we matched him up with one of the stars of the Jurassic Park movies, i.e., the Tyrannosaurus Rex (aka, T-Rex)? Who would win in a battle between these two dangerous predators?

Okay, so Tyrannosaurus Rex lived some 80 million years after Allosaurus, but that's beside the point. We're playing "what ifs," and this is a valid question.

Why Colorado?

A good starting point would be to ask, "Did these two ever make their way to the region now recognized as Colorado?"

According to Thought Co., the type fossil of Allosaurus was discovered in Colorado's Morrison Formation in 1869. The website adds, "There's no denying that the most famous fossil specimens of Tyrannosaurus Rex hail from Wyoming and South Dakota. But very few people know that the very first T. Rex fossils (a few scattered teeth) were discovered near Golden, Colorado in 1874."

Differences and Similarities

In one corner we have Tyrannosaurus Rex - big, mean, and a nasty disposition.  In the other corner we have Allosaurus, who near as we can tell, wasn't exactly cute and cuddly, either.

Forget what you learned in the movies. I haven't seen the latest Jurrasic Park movie, and judging by the reviews, have no intention of coughing up twelve of my not-so-hard-earned bucks to see it.

The website Diffen offers a comparison chart. According to Diffen, these are the stats:

It goes without saying these stats are up for debate. The comment section on the Diffen page features nerds, I mean readers, engaged in heated debates regarding the data presented.

Computer Simiulation

In order to give you a better idea as how this battle might unfold, we proudly offer this highly-accurate computer simulation:

Dinosaur National Monument's Pick

I'm not familiar with any professional gamblers who specialize in handicapping dinosaurs. With that, let's take a look at Dinosaur National Monument's top pick:

In short, if these two dinosaurs were ever to square off, we suspect that T-Rex would win since Allosaurus would have to rely on its better speed, which would only allow it to duck out of the way, and not help it to kill T-Rex. In contrast, just one strong bite from T-Rex and this fight is likely over.

This is a tuffy. On the one hand, Allosaurus is faster, and could potentially evade Tyrannosaurus Rex. On the other hand, Allosaurus has to eat, too, and if T-Rex is the only thing on the menu, well, then...