All of them Teenagers The T-rex will begin an identity crisis in June of this year. The article was published in the magazine sciences It is the second time in less than two months that the previous halotypes given to small specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex have been proposed for review to consider whether it was not in fact a Tyrannosaurus rex. nanotyranus; A different species coexisted with the famous dinosaur about 67 million years ago.
This little tyrant was very similar to a T. rex, but with a larger size and ten times smaller muscle mass. Although it is small in size compared to… Tyrannosaurus rexIt was still a great predator: its skull was 59 cm long and it probably weighed about 700 kg, roughly the size of the largest existing terrestrial predator, the polecat. Christopher GriffinA researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences at Princeton University in the United States and the first author of the article. Another difference was that the Nanite Tyrant had more teeth and a wider mouth. With these characteristics, the T. rex’s involuntary crook would have been faster and more agile.
there confusion It takes more than 70 years. In 1942, the skull of a small theropod was found in the Hell Creek Formation, in Montana, United States. In 1988 I was assigned to a then new species Nanotyrannus lancensis. Other researchers soon objected that it must have been a young rex, since it was physically very similar and had been found in the same geological formation. Thus began the 40-year battle of publications, which is expected to end today. “Nanotyrannus lancensis y is Tyrannosaurus rex They are tyrannosaurs, technically so called the large group to which they belong Eutyranosauria“But their kinship will go no further,” Griffin explains.
This new development is possible by applying, for the first time in this type of remains, the method of histology of the hyoid – a color located below the jaw – which allows us to understand at a microscopic level the structure of the fossil to reveal the growth colors in more detail. It is common for the age of dinosaurs to be dated by growth rings (such as trees) that can be seen through a cross section of broad bones such as the arms, legs, or ribs. When these remains are not preserved, histology is a viable solution because it can be applied to other objects, as American scientists reported on the carved skull in 1942.
Thanks to this technique, the scientists who signed the study concluded that the example “was approaching achieving structural maturity, which suggests that it differs from it taxonomically.” Tyrannosaurus rex Contemporary of Hell Creek Ecosystems (and equivalents) supported a variety of predatory dinosaurs that came close to extinction in the Cretaceous.
Magazine nature general Last October 30, a similar work was conducted in which more than 200 dinosaur fossils were reviewed. Its authors, Lindsay Zano and James Napoli of the Carolina del Norte Museum of Natural Sciences, discovered that the supposedly young dinosaur appeared to be fighting with a Triceratops in the famous fossil.Dueling dinosaurs” (also written in Hell Creek, in 2006) is actually a n. lancensis. To find out, they focused on growth rings (which were possible in this case) where they reviewed the rate of maturation, and analyzed data on spinal fusion and developmental anatomy. This shows that this example was around 20 years old and physically mature at the time of his death.
Another teenage T-Rex, reviewed by Zano and Napoli, also changed his identity. Now one Nanotyrannus lithiusa variation of the more common nano-tyrant lancensis What about him? Rex.
King’s privileges
In Argentina, Juan Canale and Damiano Palumbo, two paleontologists who specialize in large carnivores, think the debate may be somewhat exaggerated because it is a very popular and highly regarded dinosaur in the United States.
“There was no such debate with another dinosaur, however Dinosaur “It’s a creative animal that goes beyond the rules we use in science,” Palumbo says.
Naples, co-author of the study published in natureDon’t say that. “the Dinosaur It is important to paleontology for two main reasons. First, there are many specimens: more than 100 have been found, which makes it one of the best-recorded dinosaurs in the fossil record and means that we can learn a lot more about it than from the ones we have less of. Secondly, it is one of the most popular, which means that people are particularly interested in it, which is why investigating it attracts more funding and interest. Therefore, there is a lot to learn about this topic Dinosaur And their appeal could allow paleontologists to undertake more ambitious projects or develop new methods using T. rex as a case study. It is unfortunate that many fossils will lose this rank and will be reassigned to their enemy.
On Earth the dinosaurs will change. Scientific opinions do happen. Kanale had favored the youth hypothesis, but now, as a good scientist, he has varied opinions in the face of new evidence, although he still views this controversy from a distance. “A classic competition arose where we were waiting to see him win. It’s absolutely crazy. For many years we started with the position that Nanotyranus was a juvenile T. rex and now there seems to be an agreement on this. I don’t think this journey will continue for much longer. What does not end in conclusion is why there are so many examples of adult T. rex. Where are the young ones if they are not born? And if there are small-sized representatives of the same family in other species, and it is rare for them to be found in the same geological formation and area,” as it happens with Nanotyranus. And Tyrannosaurus rex. “That’s why the youth hypothesis is so powerful,” he explains.
Scientific teams are aware of the implications of their investigations. “If this taxonomic hypothesis is incorrect, it is also a major part of what we know about one of the most studied extinct vertebrates on our planet and a key to paleoecological investigations of ecosystems before mass extinctions,” warns Zano and Napoli’s article.
Griffin puts an end to the controversy. “With our study on the holotype of nanotyranus And other excellent work done on other samples, the authenticity of which is disputed nanotyranus “It seems like it’s finally over.”
Now is the time to review everything and review how many young kings and reptilian tyrants are actually old tyrants.