T. rex had a teenage growth spurt — but not all dinos did
For immediate release ‐ November 30, 2020
Contact: Jon Pishney, 919.707.8083. Images available upon request
CNN — Researchers have long known that the meat-eating Tyrannosaurus rex had a teenage growth spurt, gaining around 35 to 45 pounds per week, to reach its colossal size.
But up until now, it hasn’t been clear whether all dinosaurs shared this growth pattern. Was a T. rex-style period of extreme growth the only way dinos became full-fledged adults?
A study of fossilized bone samples from 11 different dinosaurs published Tuesday has revealed that while some transformed during an adolescent growth spurt, others grew slow and steady.
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“Growth rate really varies, there’s no one size fits all,” said [Tom] Cullen, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. (The museum announced last week that it’s building the new SECU DinoLab to house and study the fossil pair of a Triceratops horridus and a Tyrannosaurus rex, which will go on display in 2022. The “dueling dinosaurs” are some of the most complete dino skeletons ever found, which will contribute to furthering research on dinosaur biology.)