New study revises T. rex growth timeline, reached full size by 35–40 years
TL;DR
A study of 17 Tyrannosaurus rex fossils using polarized light reveals growth rings showing they grew slowly, not reaching a maximum size of about 8 tons until about 35–40 years old. Growth rings capture only the last 10–20 years of life, but by combining data across ages researchers reconstructed year-by-year growth, finding more variability and suggesting possible taxonomic differences such as Nanotyrannus; the findings revise the dinosaur’s growth timeline and how it occupied various ecological niches.
- It took 35 years for T. rex to become fully grown CNN
- T. rex Bones Reveal These Dinosaurs May Have Lived Far Longer Than We Thought Scientific American
- Study finds Tyrannosaurus rex did not reach full size until age 40 Reuters
- Tyrannosaurids Took Their Time Growing to 17,000 Pounds Yahoo
- T. rex took 40 years to become fully grown New Scientist
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