Fossil studies have long suggested modern birds were descended from T. rex, based in similarities in their skeletons. Now, bits of protein obtained from connective tissues in a T. rex fossil shows a relationship to birds including chickens and ostriches, according to a report in Friday's edition of the journal Science.
Modern birds descended from a group of two-legged dinosaurs known as theropods, whose members include the towering Tyrannosaurus rex and the smaller velociraptors.
“A bird didn't just evolve from a T. rex overnight, but rather the classic features of birds evolved one by one; first bipedal locomotion, then feathers, then a wishbone, then more complex feathers that look like quill-pen feathers, then wings,” Brusatte said.
T-Rex DNA shows common ancestry with chickens and ostriches
While it is considered common knowledge that dinosaurs eventually evolved into some form of birds in the modern life-forms, a study of molecular data showed close matches with chickens and ostriches in particular.
It is an unlikely relationship, but the humble pigeon is a descendant of the group of dinosaurs that also includes the mighty T. rex. The two species share a remarkable biological past.
As you might already have guessed, tyrannosaurs were closely related to dromaeosaurs—the relatively small, two-legged, vicious dinosaurs better known as raptors.
Doing this helped provide more evidence for scientists to confirm that the chicken is currently the closest living relative to the T-Rex. Even before discovering the evidence from the fossil, some scientists observed that chickens and the T-Rex had similar characteristics.
In 1970 British paleontologist Barney Newman posited that the arms actually served as braces to prevent the front of the body from skidding forward as the animal rose from a prone position using its hindlimbs. During such activity, the forelimbs would have been extended in an action reminiscent of a push-up.
Paleontologists find insufficient evidence that the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex should be reclassified. A bold assertion made earlier this year that fossils identified as belonging to the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex really represent three distinct species is debunked by new research.
rex might have had in its telencephalon – the more highly developed part of the brain also commonly known as the cerebrum. Consisting of two hemispheres, this chunk of neural anatomy is responsible for the animal's cognition (amongst other stuff).
As far as we know, all dinosaurs reproduced by laying eggs, as do most other sauropsids (reptiles).
The closest living relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex are birds such as chickens and ostriches, according to research published today in Science (and promptly reported in the New York Times).
Bizarre 500-toothed dinosaur
Nigersaurus, you might remember, we named for bones collected on the last expedition here three years ago. This sauropod (long-necked dinosaur) has an unusual skull containing as many as 500 slender teeth.
rex, it turns out, was not grandpaw to chickens—he was more like a shirt-tail relative. “Chickens are dinosaurs.” Pretty much every evolutionary biologist and paleontologist worth their salt long ago came to the conclusion that birds are descended directly from dinosaurs. And chickens, of course, are birds.
65 million years ago marks the end of the Cretaceous Period, and is when dinosaurs go extinct. Dinosaurs like the T-rex, or Veolocirpator have never existed with humans, and we are separated by about 65 million years. Dinosaurs went extinct before early humans or even neanderthals.
By far the largest carnivore in its environment, Tyrannosaurus rex was most likely an apex predator, preying upon hadrosaurs, juvenile armored herbivores like ceratopsians and ankylosaurs, and possibly sauropods. Some experts have suggested the dinosaur was primarily a scavenger.
“Tyrannosaurus rex remains the one true king of the dinosaurs,” said paleontologist Steve Brusatte, study coauthor of the latest analysis and professor at The University of Edinburgh's School of Geosciences in Scotland, in a news release.
Spinosaurus was even larger than Tyrannosaurus rex and measured 45 feet (13.7 meters) long. The colossus had an unusual skull shape that made it look more like a toothy crocodile than a raptor, said Paul Sereno, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at The University of Chicago.
Relatives of Tyrannosaurus discovered just before or some time after Brown's significant finds (like Lawrence Lambe's discovery of Gorgosaurus) showed that tyrannosaurids possessed two fingers, not three.
New research indicates the ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex may have died from starvation, caused by a sore throat that it made it uncomfortable to swallow. The hypothesis developed after scientists took another look at holes in the jaws of Sue, a 42-foot-long, 13-foot high T. Rex at Chicago's Field Museum.
Except for some carnivorous dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex is also afraid to provoke some herbivorous dinosaurs, and Ankylosaurus is one of them. It was equipped with a powerful tail club that could be swung with enough force to shatter bone.
What is a Tyrannosaurus rex weakness? Although Tyrannosaurus rex is known for its sharp claws and teeth, this dinosaur also had a few weaknesses. One of them is the presence of extremely short arms, which were too short to be used for eating or grasping items.
rex tasted more like poultry than, say, beef or pork. Its flavor would likely have been closer to that of a carnivorous bird—perhaps a hawk—than a chicken. What does a hawk taste like? It's probably not far off from the dark meat of a turkey but would be more pungent because of its all-meat diet.
Although nowadays you see chickens are only eating seeds, their ancestor is one of the most feared predator at its time. A 68 million years old Tyrannosaurus Rex DNA was compared to DNA of 21 modern species of animals and from the analysis researchers found out that chickens are the closest one.
Strictly speaking, birds are the only direct descendants of the giant, extinct dinosaurs, and crocodiles and alligators are close relatives. In fact, crocodiles are more closely related to birds than they are to lizards and snakes, Gold says.