Study estimates Tyrannosaurus rex body temperature around 97°F
Analysis of enamel from three T. rex teeth suggests the predator maintained an average core temperature of about 97 degrees Fahrenheit, comparable to modern mammals.
Scientists have estimated the core temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex by examining the chemical structure of enamel in fossilized teeth. The study, published in Science Advances, measured atoms in the enamel that align differently at varying temperatures. Readings from three specimens indicated an average body temperature of roughly 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius), a range similar to that of modern elephants and close to human body temperature.
"We figured out how warm the most famous animal of all, a T. rex, was," said co-author Aradhna Tripati, a geochemist at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The findings support the view that T. rex was warm-blooded, but the exact temperature is lower than some researchers expected. Paleobiologist Jasmina Wiemann of Johns Hopkins University, who was not involved in the work, noted she had anticipated a slightly higher temperature based on previous studies of dinosaur metabolism.
"I almost would have expected a higher body temperature," Wiemann said.
According to the researchers, a stable internal temperature around 97 degrees would have allowed the predator to inhabit a wide range of prehistoric climates across North America and may have influenced its hunting behavior and energy requirements. The authors suggest applying the same enamel-analysis technique to other dinosaur species to further explore metabolic patterns in extinct reptiles.