According to latest fossil evidence, T-Rex the king of dinosaurs made a late evolutionary arrival.
- About eighty million years ago, tyrannosaurs maintained their size similar to humans.
- A decade ago only a handful of T.Rexes (about 20 species) close relatives that included of gigantic and apex predators were known.
- Last decade witnessed an explosion of T-rexes that doubled the diversity of dinosaur family.
- Six new species got added just last year only.
Dinosaur Family Tree
The first all-inclusive tyrannosaur family tree (large and small cousins) was created and can be seen in Journal Science issued on 17th September.
The family tree illustrates how the first originated tyrannosaurs (165 million years ago) were small and fast-footed. It was just 1/100th size of T-rex.
Speculations related to T-Rex
In their young age, the dinosaurs were capable of more hunting activity. As they started evolving, they added more than 2 kg daily and lost their speedy footwork. These growth surges allowed late adult tyrannosaurs to weigh around 11,000 to 17,500 pounds. Even their running speed got restricted. They were able to run between 16 to 35 feet per second.
This slow movement characteristic in T.Rex was balanced with their aspects of keen smell, hearing, and bone crushing bites (3,000 pounds force). Their bite marks on fossils reveal that it was not a picky eater, but was a scavenger and hunter.
Paleontologists are still perplexed, why tyrannosaurs shot up quickly. However, fossil record exhibits that several gigantic predators became extinct around eighty million years ago, so the tyrannosaur body size blew up soon after.
Scientists believe that it may have been possible because huge predators went extinct offering tyrannosaurs freedom and space to grow as well as become top predators.
Feathery Plumage
Another speculation has been sported that dinosaurs have hair-like feathers. It comes from study of Dilong paradoxus; a species belonging to China’s early Cretaceous period had such features. The past ancestors too carry feathery plumage. Obviously, tyrannosaurs never fly, but their feathers may have been used for insulation or display.
Discovering each tyrannosaur sex from specimen is baffling for researchers. Recently, they hit on a method. They looked for medullar bone tissue or calcium phosphate that was used to create eggshells within she-dinosaurs. However, this depends on finding the fossil of a female, who had been ovulating.
Researchers find it exhilarating to explore discovered soft tissues like collagen, blood vessels, and cells in a tyrannosaur specimen. However, it can create controversies on what body parts are capable of surviving fossilization.
Educate Your Kids
Today, fossil evidence has given mankind good understanding of dinosaur biology and genealogy. Children also are interested to gain knowledge about these gigantic creatures. Parents can select educational drawing tool, where they can explore pre-historic dinosaur world.
Drawing app has valuable features, where your kid can learn to how to draw dinosaurs step-by-step. In addition, they learn about the different species of T-Rexes. Each dinosaur comes with detailed information and facts about where they lived and died. You can begin your personal dinosaur zoo.
