T-Rex, Brontosaurs or Brachiosaurs… Several species of dinosaurs lived on Earth 250 million years ago. But researchers are calling into question the name of a well-known dinosaur species.
Dinosaurs have fascinated children and adults for many years. We find them in films such as Jurassic Park, in certain exhibitions and theme parks, or through toys that are a hit when they represent a T-Rex, a triceratops, a velociraptor, a brachiosaurus, a brontosaurus or even a diplodocus. And while we thought we knew everything or almost everything about these creatures that lived several million years ago, researchers are making astonishing revelations about a well-known species, after carrying out in-depth analyzes of fossils.
Indeed, some paleontologists have long believed that a species of dinosaurs belonging to the group of tyrannosaurs, and called “nanotyrannus lancensis”, represented young T-Rex. This juvenile species was first discovered in 1942 in Montana. More recently, researchers from the University of Bath and the University of Chicago have looked in more detail at these “young T-Rexes” by analyzing in particular the structure of their bones and teeth.
According to the results of the study published in the journal Fossil Studies, it is simply not the same species! The young T-Rexes would therefore not be Tyrannosaurus Rexes as previously believed, but a very distinct species. And for good reason: the Nanotyrannus measured around five meters, while the T-Rex could reach 9 meters in length. In addition, the Nanotyrannus, previously considered “young T-Rexes”, would in fact have already reached adulthood at the time of their disappearance. Other differences were noted between the two species in terms of limb length, cranial anatomy, speed of growth and even arms, leading researchers to the same conclusion.