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4d ago

T. Rex Had a Body Temperature of About 36.3 °C, Study Finds

Using a new low‑damage enamel isotope method, researchers say the result supports warm‑blooded physiology with major implications for T. rex behavior and habitat range.

Resuelto el enigma de la temperatura corporal del T. rex: 36 grados
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Overview

  • The UCLA‑led paper, published Wednesday in Science Advances, reports a Tyrannosaurus rex body temperature of 36.3 °C ±2.5 °C based on isotope measurements of three Hell Creek teeth.
  • The team measured chemical bonds between heavy carbon and oxygen in tooth enamel to act as a thermometer because enamel preserves original isotopic signals over millions of years.
  • A key advance cut the amount of fossil material needed by about 90 percent, which allowed permissioned, minimally destructive sampling of teeth from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, including the specimen 'Thomas'.
  • The measured temperature is warmer than contemporary crocodilian values and the authors interpret it as evidence of internally generated heat, implying higher metabolic rates and an active predator or energetic scavenger lifestyle.
  • The study notes remaining uncertainties about exact metabolic rates and food needs and the authors plan follow‑up analyses of other tyrannosaurs and dinosaur taxa to test how widespread warm‑blooded physiology was and what it meant for cold‑region survival and dispersal.