NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL PEELS BACK THE SKIN TO GO DEEP INSIDE ONE OF EARTH'S MOST FEARED AND MYSTERIOUS CREATURES

T. rex Autopsy, Premiering Sunday, June 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Combines Biology With Paleontology to Explore the Guts and Glory of a T. rex, Re-Created Using State-of-the-Art Special Effects and Cutting-Edge Science

(WASHINGTON, DC - May 19, 2015) This summer, dinosaurs will again capture the world's imagination with a trip to "Jurassic World." And though National Geographic Channel cannot bring any dinosaurs back to life (at least not yet!), we will make our own attempt to crack the paleontological code with the new two-hour world premiere special T. rex Autopsy, premiering Sunday, June 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Imagine a biology lab, filled from end to end with a 46-foot specimen, ready for dissection. The creature has a heart 100 times larger than a human's, eyes the size of softballs and serrated teeth up to a foot long. It would not be a stretch to say this experiment is anything but routine. T. rex Autopsy will literally go under the skin of a full-size T. rex for the first time ever to reveal how the 65-million-year-old beast may have lived.

Using cutting-edge special effects techniques, and in collaboration and consultation with esteemed veterinary surgeons, anatomists and paleontologists, T. rex Autopsy features the world's first full-size anatomically complete Tyrannosaurus rex, based on the very latest research and findings. The massive monster is lifelike inside and out, giving scientists the chance to touch it, smell it and cut it open from head to toe for the first time.

Using industrial-sized tools, a veterinary surgeon aided by leading paleontologists slices and dices the dinosaur, on a quest to reveal the answers to a number of questions:

· How did the T. rex feed? It has massive back legs, but what happened once it caught its prey?

· How did it digest its prey? Looking at the contents of the T. rex guts can help tell us whether it was a hunter, a scavenger - or maybe even both.

· Just how similar was T. rex to its closest living relatives, birds and crocodiles? There are clues in its cardiovascular system and its bones.

· How old did T. rex live to be? Its leg might hold the answer.

· Was the T. rex warm-blooded like a mammal, or cold-blooded like a lizard? With blood vessels big enough to stick a human arm through, the answer may lie in the immense blood pressure necessary to keep the beast on the move.

· And perhaps the question we have always wondered: how did the T. rex procreate?

Part gruesome monster film, and all real science, T. rex Autopsy is a special that both aspiring and reformed dinosaur fanatics will find engrossing. Once the T. rex has been fully dissected and examined, we will learn just how and why this particular beast met its end, which in and of itself could reveal more information about the prehistoric creatures.

T. rex Autopsy will cap off a full slate of dinosaur-themed programming on NGC throughout the weekend, including three additional new premieres:

· Dino Death Match (Saturday, June 6, at 9 p.m. ET/PT): A fossil known as the "dueling dinosaurs" depicts predator and prey as they died in combat. A dramatic fossil, but also one that is central to a controversial debate; does it provide evidence of the existence of a separate tyrannosaur species? It could reveal a pygmy tyrant - the Nanotyrannus. As the evidence for and against this predator is reviewed, dinosaur like no other is revealed, brought to life in stunning CGI.

· Jurassic CSI Special (wt) (Saturday, June 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT): Today, all that is left of the dinosaurs are fossilized bones. But, using modern technology, we can now go beyond the bones and use fossils to answer eye-opening questions about dinosaur appearance, behavior and lifestyle.

· Ultimate Dino Survivor (Sunday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET/PT): Tyrannosaurus rex was a top predator of its day. Well-armed with terrifying jaws, it was seemingly impervious to attack. But new fossils are revealing that the life of T. rex and its cousins was brutal. Fossils are probed with cutting-edge techniques to reveal the source of injuries, predation attempts that went wrong and titanic battles where T. rex teeth were sunk into adversaries.

Please note: no Chris Pratts were harmed in the making of this documentary.

T. rex Autopsy will air globally on National Geographic Channels in over 170 countries and in 45 languages. The special is produced for National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) by Impossible Factual. For Impossible Factual executive producer is Paul Wooding. For NGCI, Ed Sayer is the executive producer and executive vice president and head of international content is Hamish Mykura. For NGC, Allan Butler is the executive producer.

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National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in more than 90 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 432 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.