Scientists from Johns Hopkins University and the University of California, Los Angeles have used a novel chemical analysis of fossilized T. rex teeth to estimate the predator’s core temperature. The method, published in Science Advances, measured how atoms in enamel cluster at different temperatures.
Method and Findings
Three well‑preserved T. rex teeth were examined for temperature‑dependent atomic arrangements. The results indicated an average body temperature of roughly 97 °F (36 °C). This figure aligns closely with the normal range for modern humans (97‑99 °F) and is comparable to the temperature of contemporary elephants.
“We figured out how warm the most famous animal of all, a T. rex, was,” said co‑author Aradhna Tripati, a geochemist at UCLA. “The readings suggest a stable internal thermometer that would have allowed the dinosaur to thrive across a variety of prehistoric climates in North America,” Tripati added.
Implications for Dinosaur Biology
The finding supports the prevailing view that T. rex, like other large theropods, was warm‑blooded. Earlier theories that dinosaurs were sluggish, cold‑blooded reptiles have been largely replaced by evidence of metabolic rates comparable to modern birds and mammals. Knowing that T. rex maintained a temperature near that of present‑day mammals helps scientists infer its activity levels, hunting strategies, and ecological niche.
Jasmina Wiemann, a paleobiologist at Johns Hopkins who was not involved in the study, noted that the temperature is slightly lower than she expected. “Based on my prior work, I thought the predator could have run a few degrees hotter—similar to modern birds, the warm‑blooded descendants of dinosaurs,” she said.
Future Research
The researchers emphasize that testing this chemical approach on additional dinosaur species will be crucial. “There’s lots of interesting, charismatic species that could be explored using this technique,” said study co‑author Robert Eagle, a geobiologist at UCLA.
If similar temperatures are found in other large dinosaurs, it could explain how they dominated their ecosystems for millions of years. Conversely, variations among species might reveal different metabolic strategies within the dinosaur clade.
Broader Context
Understanding the physiology of extinct megafauna not only satisfies scientific curiosity but also informs models of ancient ecosystems, climate adaptation, and evolutionary pathways. The study adds a concrete data point to the ongoing debate about dinosaur metabolism and underscores the value of interdisciplinary collaboration between paleontology and geochemistry.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
