T. rex may not have been so exalted

Dealing with prehistoric heat and moisture had to be difficult even for a cold-blooded thundercloud.

New research shows that the most formidable dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex, could have had its own cooling system in the skull.

Terrifying old T. rex had two big holes in the roof of his head bone, which, according to scientists, were filled with muscles to help move his big powerful jaw.

But the idea never made much sense for Casey Holliday, professor of anatomy at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

"It's really strange for a muscle to come out of the jaw, make a 90-degree bend and skirt the roof of the skull," Holliday said in a statement.

To take a closer look at what could happen in Swiss cheese regions like T. rex skulls, Holliday and other researchers have turned to one of the closest things to the dinosaurs: alligators.

"We know that, like T. rex, alligators have holes in the skull and that they are filled with blood vessels," said Larry Witmer, professor of anatomy at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. the University of Ohio. "Yet for over 100 years, we have been putting muscles in a similar space with dinosaurs."

The researchers took thermal imaging cameras to St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Florida, where they discovered that the area around the reptile skull holes appeared to be warmer or colder depending on the outside temperature.

"When it was colder and the alligators were trying to warm up, our thermal imaging showed big hot spots in those holes in the roof of their skull, indicating a rise in temperature, but later in the day, holes appear dark, as if they were turned off to stay cool, "said Kent Vliet of the Department of Biology at the University of Florida. "This is consistent with previous evidence that alligators have a cross flow circulatory system – or an internal thermostat, so to speak."

The researchers believe that by studying the holes in the skull of live animals and comparing them to similar features in dinosaur fossils, this could overturn the long-held view that the voids in T. rex's head are filled with muscles. Instead, they could be vents for a prehistoric AC unit.

The full study was published in The Anatomical Record.

Holliday has said that the team's observations on live alligators are only a starting point and that further studies are needed to determine how the holes could be part of a team. temperature regulation system that has evolved over millions of years.

"We can not say with certainty the direction of the temperature flow at this stage, but given the differences in thermal signatures during the day and our still unclear understanding of temperature regulation in alligators, we were convinced that this device had a meaning ".

So please, let the scientists continue to do their due diligence and research this idea before anyone has any ideas about drilling holes in their heads to calm themselves down. Consider this as your daily reminder that you are not a repitle. Thank you.