Posted on 03/08/2019 6:44:15 AM PST by ETL
It may be hard to imagine towering Tyrannosaurus rex as tiny, but the toothy Cretaceous giant didn't spring from an egg fully grown. In fact, T. rex hatchlings were about the size of very skinny turkeys, with "arms" that were longer in proportion to their tiny bodies than in adults.
And each baby T. rex was covered in a coat of downy feathers.
What's more, T. rex's feathers likely grew along the animal's head and tail into adulthood, according to new reconstructions that represent the most accurate models of the dinosaur to date.
These and many more T. rex surprises abound in T. rex: The Ultimate Predator, a new exhibit opening March 11 at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City.
While T. rex is one of the most iconic dinosaurs, the exhibition presents new discoveries that are transforming scientists' understanding of this colossal carnivore and its tyrannosaur cousins, all of which likely had feathers, too.
Most of the tyrannosaur species featured in the exhibit were unknown to science prior to 2000, Martin Schwabacher, an exhibition writer at the AMNH, told Live Science.
Early tyrannosaurs first appeared about 167 million years ago, around 100 million years before T. rex ruled the Cretaceous.
These early tyrannosaurs had relatively long arms, and were smaller and faster than the giant T. rex.
But even T. rex wasn't always enormous.
The exhibit's minuscule and endearingly fluffy model of a T. rex hatchling underscores the dinosaur's dramatic growth, as it ballooned from a turkey-size juvenile to a gargantuan adult.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The Tyrannosaurus rex may be among the most well-known and terrifying dinosaurs to walk the Earth, but a newly discovered 4-foot cousin was likely just as scary.
Known as Moros Intrepidus (which means "harbinger of doom"), this tiny tyrannosaur lived 100 million years ago.
Despite its diminutive size, it was still lethal, North Carolina State University paleontoloist Lindsay Zanno said.
“Moros was lightweight and exceptionally fast,” Zanno said in a statement.
“These adaptations, together with advanced sensory capabilities, are the mark of a formidable predator.
It could easily have run down prey, while avoiding confrontation with the top predators of the day."
“Although the earliest Cretaceous tyrannosaurs were small, their predatory specializations meant that they were primed to take advantage of new opportunities when warming temperatures, rising sea-level and shrinking ranges restructured ecosystems at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous,” Zanno added.
“We now know it took them less than 15 million years to rise to power.”
In addition to the small height, it's thought it only weighed 78 kilograms [~172 pounds] and reached maturity between 6 and 7 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Yeah, that’s one badass parakeet for sure. Would NOT let that out of the cage, for sure.
I bet they tasted like chicken.
Hey, Colonel Sanders would have been interested in that guy.....nice drumsticks!!!!
Cue up the “That doesn’t look very scary! More like a six-foot turkey!” kid from Jurassic Park.
“Must ... go... FASTER...”
(Objects in the Mirror are closer than they appear)
LOL!!!!
LOL!!!
Where was that from???
I think that critter would give Col Sanders a run for his money... that’s a chicken with Attitude...
And they know this how?
Don’t know. Found it on Google Images. Didn’t check the source.
Tyrannosaurus rex roamed North America around 66 million years ago. But a small tyrannosaur from the same family lived in the Liaoning forest.
This small cousin of T. rex, Dilong paradoxus, was also a fierce predator. Certain features of Dilong resemble those of T. rex.
Both have large jaws with small, tightly packed front teeth. But this tyrannosaur has some surprising features—most notably, a thin coat of featherlike fibers.
A team of paleontologists led by Xu Xing of the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied the fibers and thinks these “protofeathers” may have helped keep Dilong warm.
Species: Dilong paradoxus
“dee-LONG pair-uh-DOX-us”
Feathered tyrannosaur with short, thin featherlike fibers on body. Relatively long arms with three-fingered hands
A relative of T. rex sporting feathers might seem surprising, but scientists actually expected to find a feathered tyrannosaur one day.
Tyrannosaurs are classified as advanced theropods (theropods are two-legged, meat-eating dinosaurs).
Scientists have found simple feathers on a wide range of advanced theropods, suggesting that feathers were present throughout the entire group.
Did T. Rex Have Feathers?
A feathered T. rex? Probably so—at least when the animals were young.
Paleontologists think feathers may have first evolved to keep dinosaurs warm.
But while a young T. rex probably had a thin coat of downy feathers, an adult T. rex would not have needed feathers to stay warm.
Large warm-blooded animals—like T. rex or modern elephants—generate a great deal of body heat so they usually don’t need hair or feathers to keep warm.
This is probably why elephants, which are mammals, don’t have much hair.
Feathers or “Fuzz”?
The flying reptiles known as pterosaurs are only distantly related to dinosaurs.
Pterosaurs did not have feathers but some were covered in thin fibers sometimes described as “fuzz.”
The first stages in the evolution of feathers could have taken place in a species that was the ancestor of pterosaurs and dinosaurs.
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