Researchers have successfully determined the body temperature of two T. rex dinosaurs using a unique chemical analysis method. Aradhna Tripati, a geochemist at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained the study published in Science Advances. The traditional methods of measuring temperature in living animals were not viable for extinct dinosaurs, and thus, scientists utilized a chemical technique that examines variations in tooth enamel and eggshell compositions.
By studying the mineral bioapatite found in these hard tissues, researchers could estimate the body temperature of dinosaurs. In a previous study, UCLA scientists had concluded that titanosaurs and oviraptors were warm-blooded by analyzing their eggshells. To assess the body temperature of T. rex, scientists faced challenges due to its thin tooth enamel but successfully overcame them by refining the analysis technique with megalodon teeth samples. They obtained tooth enamel samples from a T. rex specimen named Thomas and another unidentified specimen to estimate T. rex’s body temperature between 33.8°C and 38.8°C, akin to large mammals like elephants and flightless birds such as ostriches.
The findings suggest that a warm-blooded T. rex could have been highly adaptable, possibly even thriving in Arctic regions. Paleontologist Anthony Fiorillo commended the study’s solid evidence supporting the theory of warm-blooded predators in the dinosaur era. This discovery raises questions about how dinosaurs, including T. rex, might have survived in extreme environments like the far north.
Another researcher, François Therrien, used isotope clumping to determine that troodon dinosaurs had body temperatures exceeding 40°C, resembling warm-blooded birds. The study sheds new light on the active lifestyle and wide geographic range of T. rex, indicating their potential ability to navigate vast territories, including crossing between Asia and North America. While the warm body temperature of T. rex suggests increased activity levels, debates continue regarding their metabolic similarities to modern mammals and birds in terms of food requirements.