Hackaday · Creativity & design

T. rex Body Temperature Estimated

A recent study investigated the body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex, a long-standing question in paleontology regarding whether non-avian dinosaurs were cold- or warm-blooded.

Researchers analyzed temperature-dependent carbonate clumped isotopes in three T. rex teeth. This method allowed them to estimate the dinosaur's body temperature.

The study deduced that T. rex had a body temperature of 36.3 ± 2.5°C. This is comparable to modern warm-blooded animals (endotherms).

This estimated temperature was significantly higher than that of contemporary crocodilian teeth found in the same geological formation.

Modern dinosaurs (birds) are warm-blooded, while related species like crocodiles are cold-blooded, highlighting the diversity in thermoregulation among dinosaur relatives.

Previous popular depictions of T. rex as active, warm-blooded hunters, such as in Jurassic Park, are largely supported by these later paleontological findings.

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