Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why did T. rex have tiny arms? A new study may finally have the answer
The Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) was one of the largest and most fearsome
terrestrial carnivores that lived between 68 and 66 million years ago. An adult
T. rex grew up to 12 meters in length, stood about 3.6 meters tall, and weighed
six to nine tons. The unique, iconic feature of the carnivore was its massive,
heavily reinforced skull, which was used as its primary weapon. As herbivorous
dinosaurs grew larger to deter predators, predatory dinosaurs faced immense
evolutionary pressure to grow larger and stronger to hunt them. So, T. rex and
some other carnivores invested their most energy resources in growing a larger
head, stronger skull, and sharper teeth. The trade-off was their forearms,
which did not play any vital role in their survival. As a result, those non-essential
parts of their body shrank over time. Researchers believe that was why the T. rex
had disproportionately short forearms. Evolution seems to have grown T. rex’s
skull stronger and larger while shrinking its forearms, and made the land
carnivore like a giant land shark.
Read the article and learn how the T. rex evolved for survival.
No comments:
Post a Comment