T. rex teeth show the enormous predatory dinosaur was warm-blooded
Analysis of the chemistry of ancient T. rex tooth enamel adds weight to the idea that the fierce Cretaceous predator controlled its body temperature
New evidence from enamel chemistry of Tyrannosaurus rex teeth suggests the iconic predator was warm-blooded, not cold-blooded. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles examined the teeth of three T. rex specimens and compared them to five similarly aged fossilized crocodile teeth, as well as data from mammals like elephants and mammoths.
The team focused on the abundance of carbon-13-oxygen-18 bonds in the tooth enamel, which are more prevalent in minerals formed at colder temperatures. Their findings indicate T. rex had a body temperature around 36°C, comparable to modern mammals and higher than that of crocodiles living in the same geological formation. The elevated body temperature suggests T. rex would have been comfortable in subtropical and mild climates, contradicting previous assumptions that the dinosaur was restricted to warmer environments.
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