T. rex Teeth Peg Body Temperature at 36°C, Bolstering Warm-Blooded Case
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 18
T. rex Teeth Peg Body Temperature at 36°C, Bolstering Warm-Blooded Case
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 18
Summary
Researchers led by UCLA geochemists Randon J. Flores and Robert A. Eagle measured T. rex body temperature at about 36°C by analyzing tooth enamel, putting the dinosaur near modern elephant levels.
The team used clumped isotope thermometry, which reads how often heavy carbon and oxygen isotopes bond in enamel and avoids the water-composition problem that limited earlier oxygen-isotope estimates.
That result strengthens the view of T. rex as an active, bird-like predator powered by internally generated heat rather than a sun-warmed reptile.
The finding adds direct evidence to a long-running debate that had previously relied on indirect clues such as bone structure, growth rates and fossil distribution.