T-rex versus Beckham? Sorry, David, you're lunch

The smallest dinosaur could reach speeds of over 60 kph and even the massive, lumbering Tyrannosaurus rex would have been able to outrun most modern-day sportsmen, according to research published yesterday.

Scientists using computer models calculated the top speeds for five meat-eating dinosaurs in a study they say can also illustrate how animals cope with climate change and extinction.

The velociraptor, whose speed and ferocity was highlighted in the film Jurassic Park, reached 38 kph while the T-rex could muster speeds of up to 28 kph, the study published in the Royal Society's Biological Sciences showed.