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New evidence has been discovered to solve the case of a mysterious dinosaur excavated in the 1940s that has long puzzled over Scientist,
Mysterious small skull excavated in the 1940s was believed to be Tyrannosaurus RexBut having only a skull made it difficult to tell whether it belonged to a child or an adult.
Another skull and skeleton, nicknamed janeAdded to the debate but was not able to resolve the dispute.
A research team said it had discovered new evidence that solves the case. The latest clue comes from a complete skeleton – first discovered in 2006 Montana – Scientists say the mysterious reptile has been identified as its own species, not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.
In a study published Thursday in the journal Nature, researchers report that clues point to a dinosaur that is a distant T. rex cousin, known as Nanotyrannus lancensis. Nature,
This discovery rewrites decades of research EarthIt’s the most famous predator,” said co-author Lindsay Zanno of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. North Carolina State University,
Growth rings within bones found in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation told scientists that the new dinosaur was an adult half the size of a full-grown T. rex. From comparisons to the development of other reptiles such as crocodiles, they also found that the major differences between the creature’s skull and that of an adult T. rex – changes in bone structure, nerve patterns and sinuses – were unlikely to have formed solely during puberty.
Fossil bone expert Holly Woodward said there is now “more support and evidence than ever before” that this T. rex relative could exist. oklahoma state university Who had no role in the new study. But he’s not yet convinced that other mysterious skeletons like Jane’s are something new.
Other independent scientists also said the debate is not over. The new skeleton is actually an adult, but it may be a sister species of T. rex, not a distant relative, said Thomas Carr, a vertebrate paleontologist at Carthage College.
There are similarities between the shape of the skull of T. rex and mysterious specimens that prevent him from changing camps.
“I don’t think this study settles everything,” he said.
Resolving this case of mistaken identity is important for understanding how T. rex grew up, said study co-author James Napoli. Stony Brook UniversityAnother big question is whether T. rex was the main predator that roamed toward the end of the age of dinosaurs, 67 million years ago — or whether a smaller, but still powerful predator also roamed around.
The new skeleton has been dubbed the “Dueling Dinosaurs” because it was found intertwined with the bones of Triceratops, and is currently on display at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.