Tyrannosaurus rex was indeed a ferocious predator that terrorized North America with its enormous size, knife-like fangs, and sharp claws. Now, experts researching the beast’s remains believe it was not the only tyrannosaurus type.
Scientists examining presumed T rex bones have concluded that their variety demonstrates evidence of not one but rather three species.
The study notes that many tyrannosaurus species are likely to have developed over their million-plus years on Earth, as previously shown for other dinosaurs that roamed at the very same period, such as triceratops. Experts examined a total of 37 T rex fossils, focusing on the length & circumference of the thigh bones, which were accessible for almost two-thirds of the specimens, to determine their strength. According to the researchers, discrepancies in thigh bone toughness are unlikely to be due to individual variations.
The research notes that the difference does not seem to be related to the specimen’s overall size or maturity at the time of death and that other variables – like the unequal ratio of strong to thin bones – indicate that the variation is improbable to be related to the creatures’ sex. Additionally, fossils with more gracile skeletons were discovered in higher levels of sediment, and so these, as well as more robust examples discovered alongside them, appeared to possess just one incisor-like tooth in the bottom jawbone in comparison with the robust samples found in lower strata.
Whilst the team acknowledges that they can not exclude other interpretations for the findings, they suggest that the specimens discovered in the lower layers are most likely from a species they have named Tyrannosaurus Imperator(tyrant lizard emperor); the later, sturdy-boned samples seem to be from Tyrannosaurus Rex; and thus the slim-boned samples are from a 3rd species they have named Tyrannosaurus Regina(tyrant lizard queen).
