Scientists from the University of Edinburgh have published a study showing that there is no evidence of more than one species of Tyrannosaurus. Thus, they referred to studies published several months ago, which established that the dinosaur was, in fact, three different species. In response, the co-author talks about “old propaganda.”
Differences in the skeletal morphology of individual Tyrannosaurus rex species have led some scientists to suggest that there may be several species of Tyrannosaurus. Your Analytics Results Posted in an article published in March this year. However, a new study by scientists from the University of Edinburgh calms the mood of enthusiasts of this view.
Recent studies have shown that dinosaurs still varied in size and shape, but too few to categorize them into different species. ‘Based on all the fossil evidence we currently have, Tyrannosaurus Rex is the only giant predator of the dinosaurs’ end in North America,’ Professor Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
The scientific controversy over the dinosaur
In this latest study, scientists looked at dinosaur fossils and data collected from 112 birds, which they called “living dinosaurs” because they are a direct descendant of theropods, the group of dinosaurs to which dinosaurs belong.
The authors of the new analysis included previous studies suggesting the possible existence of three tyrannosaurs for using a limited number of samples, unrivaled measurements, and inappropriate statistical techniques.
Gregory Poole, one of the authors of the original study, described the view of the Edinburgh scientists as an over-criticism of “what was the first serious attempt to study a species of tyrannosaur”.
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“An old propaganda that appears to have been constructed to defend the T-Rex.”
“There is something about the beloved T. rex that makes people anxious to an unprecedented degree (…) If our article was also about, for example, the giant Argentine theropod Giganotosaurus, then perhaps there would not be much confusion and trouble,” Paul wrote In the news for CNN. He added that the latest research appears to be “old propaganda that appears designed to defend Tyrannosaurus rex rather than seriously exploring the possibility that fossilized Tyrannosaurus specimens belonged to more than one species.”
Scientists involved in the latest research do not rule out the possibility of the existence of more than one type of tyrannosaur, but – they assert – there is currently no evidence to support this thesis. Said David Hoon, co-author of the study, a paleontologist and lecturer at Queen Mary University of London.
How do we distinguish species?
According to experts, figuring out what makes one species different from another is a very difficult and complex process, even among living animals. According to Thomas Holtz, Principal Lecturer in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Maryland, “It becomes more difficult when the species in question are old and known only from a relatively small number of specimens. Individual differences—must be rejected before the hypothesis that two sets of specimens are in fact separate species.” In our opinion, this hypothesis is not the best explanation so far ”- he admitted.
Main image source: meteo
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