Saturday, February 11, 2023

Tyrannosaurus Rex: smarter than advertised?

 

So, was the big bad and considered not-to-smart Tyrannosaurus Rex actually smarter than has been thunk for a long time in paleontological circles?

Maybe.


The T. rex may have been a lot smarter than you thought

"Extrapolating from emus and ostriches, [Vanderbilt neurologist/biologist Suzana] Herculano-Houzel estimated the T. rex’s cerebrum had as many as 3 billion neurons, comparable to a baboon’s brain. Another terrifying carnivorous dinosaur called the Alioramus, meanwhile, had over 1 billion, similar to a capuchin monkey. 

 If the T. rex’s cognition approached that of a baboon’s, the dinosaur may have been capable of using tools and passing down knowledge through generations, Herculano-Houzel said."

Hmm ... a tool-using gigantic dinosaurian predator?  That's not scary.

See?



 

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