A recent study of T. rex fossilized bones suggests that it was much larger than the fossil evidence suggests. It implies that at the current size of the carnivore, which could be 70% bigger than thought.
Bigger, Meaner T. Rex Fossil Discovered
Imagine a Tyrannosaurus Rex that tipped the scales at 33,000 pounds; it would be the meanest carnivore that has walked the earth, reported by Live Science. But paleontologists are attempting to answer the question of how massive this monstrous dinosaur truly is.
Scientists at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario, recently suggested that the Tyrant Lizard is 33,000 pounds heavier than a school bus. The paper's authors presented their study last November 5 at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's (SVP) annual conference in Toronto.
Scotty is the current record holder for the largest Tyrannosaurus fossil. Weighing almost 20,000 pounds when living, the equivalent of 6.5 Volkswagen Beetles together, The Head Topics were noted, per Smithsonian Magazine.
According to the new study but lacks fossil evidence, Scotty will be dwarfed in size, says study co-author Jordan Mallon. He does research and is the head of paleobiology at the Canadian Museum of Nature; at 70% bigger, the carnivore will be way bigger.
The fossil record indicates that 2.5 billion of them lived during the Cretaceous period, leading to this heavy conclusion. But not all T. Rex fossils survived over time, and only 32 adult remains were found.
Study Says T.Rex Are Much Larger Than Imagined
Mallon and co-author David Hone of the Queen Mary University of London investigated population size and longevity. This would be a guide to see how big a Tyrannosaurus got, based on the male and female in a species.
Mallon added that two models were developed: one with zero dimorphisms and one with solid dimorphism. Furthermore, if the carnivore were dimorphic, it would weigh 53,000 pounds, but the scarcity of specimens precludes this.
Utilizing the data to help the researcher have a hypothetical growth pattern while alive; to see if an adult could be so big. Until all the evidence is in to prove the hypothesis of a massive Rex, it is pure guesswork on the scientists' part. He stressed that it's only a thought experiment with numbers to back it up; that is fun to consider.
Overall, it demonstrates how the study highlights how scholars have little to gain from the fossil record, which is extremely difficult.
Thomas Carr from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who is not involved in the study, gave his take on the study. He stated that a sample of the animal concerned should also be compared to other animal species.
He was at the SVP conference and stated the study's premise: that a super-huge tyrant lizard could exist. But it has yet to be dug out from any excavation needed to prove it did exist in the past.
Carr emphasized that such a carnivorous dinosaur of that size would be incredible, but it is statistically possible. The prospect of T.Rex being about 70% larger and way bigger is still debatable; due to the lack of fossil evidence that might prove otherwise.
