The T.Rex dinosaur of prehistoric predator had an 'air conditioner'. integrated into his skull



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The thermal imaging of the alligator heads has made it possible to better understand the tyrannosaur's skull. The researchers found that the large holes found in the dinosaur's head were filled with blood vessels.

( Parker West | pixabay )

Scientists previously thought that the skull roof of Tyrannosaurus rex had two large holes known as dorsotemporal fenestra that were filled with muscles to help dinosaurs perform jaw movements.

Alligators, Crocodiles And The T. Rex Have Big Holes In The Skull

Casey Holliday, professor of anatomy at the University of Missouri's Faculty of Medicine, and colleagues, however, found evidence that offers new insights on T.rex's head.

In their study published in The Anatomical Record on July 1, researchers examined alligators using thermal imaging, which translates heat into visible light. Like T.rex, alligators and crocodiles also have holes on the roof of their skulls. .

The head of the body of an alligator is dependent on the environment. The researchers noticed that when it was colder and the animals were trying to warm up, the thermal imaging revealed large hot spots in the skull holes of the alligators, indicating an increase in temperature.

Later in the day, when it was warmer, the researchers observed that the holes looked dark, as they were closed to keep the animals cool.

Holiday and his colleagues then compared thermal imaging data from dinosaurs to T.rex fossils, to see how the two holes evolved over time.

The study found that the holes on the roof of T.rex's skulls were filled with blood vessels, challenging previous assumptions about the anatomy of the prehistoric predator's head.

"The relevant anatomical features argue in favor of rejecting the default hypothesis that the pit was muscular – due to a complete absence of osteological correlates reflecting attachment to muscle, adipose tissue", wrote the researchers in their study.

Integrated air conditioner to keep T.Rex dinosaurs cool

Holiday explains that terrestrial predators such as T.rex would need the ability to dissipate heat because it generates a lot of body heat. A "thermal window" in their head would have helped. The special set of blood vessels in their skull could have served as a way to regulate the temperature of their body and brain.

"The dinosaurs probably had more warm blood than we thought, more like birds than lizards," Holliday told CNN. "Their warm blood would not allow them to rely so much on environmental temperatures, such as cold-blooded lizards, but also to control their own body temperature by internal means."

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