Overview
- The peer‑reviewed study published Wednesday in Science Advances reports an average internal temperature of roughly 97°F (36°C) for Tyrannosaurus rex based on chemical measurements in fossil tooth enamel.
- Researchers used a clumped‑isotope technique that reads rare carbon‑oxygen bond patterns in enamel to estimate body temperature, and the team refined the method so it needs only a few milligrams of material.
- Curators at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County allowed the team to sample sections from museum T. rex teeth, a cooperation that was crucial because the smaller sample size reduces damage to rare specimens.
- A warm, regulated internal temperature helps explain how T. rex could live across wide prehistoric climates, including high latitudes like the Arctic, and supports other evidence for active, bird‑like physiology.
- Authors and outside experts say the finding should be tested across more dinosaur species and more specimens to map how widespread warm‑blooded physiology was, noting the team previously applied a similar method to megalodon.