Tyrannosaurus rex's body temperature is estimated to be around 36.3 degrees, suggesting the possibility of homeothermy

The body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex, a large carnivorous dinosaur, is estimated to be around 36.3 degrees Celsius, similar to that of humans, a research team from the University of California, Los Angeles and other institutions announced in the American scientific journal Science Advances on the 16th. The idea that dinosaurs were at least partially homeothermic like mammals, rather than cold-blooded like reptiles, has been growing in recent years, and this is the first time that their body temperatures have been specifically estimated.

The fossils analyzed were young adult fossils from the late Cretaceous period that were excavated in the state of Montana in the northwestern United States and are housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. Carbon-13 and oxygen-18 isotopes, which exist in small amounts in nature, were extracted from tooth enamel and measured, and the ratio was estimated based on the fact that the ratio reflects the rise and fall of body temperature.

It is thought that their body metabolism was active due to their high body temperature, which is thought to be one of the reasons why they were able to move vigorously to catch prey and were able to adapt to the cold north and highlands.