(ORDO NEWS) — A new study by paleontologists at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa suggests that the famous T. rex may have been 70% larger than previously thought.
The scientists presented their findings at the annual conference of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Toronto.
Currently, the largest tyrannosaurus in the history of study is a specimen named “Scotty”, which in life weighed almost 9 tons. However, scientists suggest that much larger individuals could live on Earth.
Paleontologists analyzed dinosaur population and average lifespan data to create a computer model of the reptile’s growth curve. They also looked at differences in body size based on sex (dimorphism).
“As a result, we built two models – one with zero dimorphism and one with strongly pronounced. In the second case, T. rex could reach a weight of 24 tons, but we rejected this model.
The first suggests that the largest dinosaur could weigh 15 tons,” the scientists explained.
However, the researchers emphasize that so far no fossils have been found confirming that such large tyrannosaurs could live. Therefore, the model cannot be considered reliable.
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