Study Confirms T. rex Ran at 97 Degrees as 90% Smaller Samples Unlocked Tooth Test
Updated
Updated · Popular Science · Sep 16
Study Confirms T. rex Ran at 97 Degrees as 90% Smaller Samples Unlocked Tooth Test
3 articles · Updated · Popular Science · Sep 16
Summary
Science Advances published the first conclusive chemical proof that Tyrannosaurus rex maintained an internal temperature of about 97 degrees Fahrenheit, placing it above modern reptiles but below birds' 104-109 degree range.
A refined isotope method cut the fossil material needed by about 90%, letting researchers test just a few milligrams of enamel from two teeth of "Thomas the T. rex" at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum.
The team dissolved drilled tooth enamel, analyzed released carbon dioxide in a mass spectrometer, and used rare carbon-oxygen bond ratios to calculate body temperature.
That warm-blooded reading fits T. rex's active hunting, fast metabolism and broad range, helping explain fossils found as far north as present-day Alaska and other climates hostile to cold-blooded reptiles.