Scientists continue to search for answers about how the Tyrannosaurus rex fit into the ecosystem. Questions about how long this dinosaur lived, breeding habits, skin color, and many more are still a mystery. It is also not clear as to whether the Tyrannosaurus rex was warm blooded or cold blooded. It is possible that the Tyrannosaurus rex was partly warmblooded- that is, it was able to regulate it’s body temperature.
Another surprising discovery was that of a feathered species of Tyrannosaurus rex. Some smaller coelurosaurs were found with fur-like feathers in the Yixian Formation located in Liaoning, China. Another species, the Dilong paradoxus, was discovered in the same area with long tail feathers. Most Tyrannosaurus rex however, have been found in Alberta or Mongolia with impressions of scale-like skin. One idea is that the Tyrannosaurus rex only had feathers when it was younger, to keep it warm. As it grew, the feathers fell off leaving the mature dinosaur to regulate its own temperature. |
