Baby tyrannosaurs were just the size of a Border Collie dog when they took their first steps, a team of palaeontologists has discovered.
Led by Dr Greg Funston, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, the team studied the fossil remains of tiny strand bone found in Canada and the USA.
They have been revealed to be related to a baby tyrannosaur – a cousin of the elegant T-Rex – in 3D scans and are the most recognizable fossils of tyrannosaur embryos.
He suggests that the creatures that lived more than 70 million years ago were only about three feet long when hatching, although they were able to grow up to 40 feet long and weigh. about eight tons.
The team has also estimated that tyrannosaur eggs – which have never been found – were about 17 inches long.
Specific tyrannosaur features were found in an analysis of bone bone three-centimeter-long stripes, including an “acoustic chin,” which the team says showed physical signs. also before they were born.
Dr Funston, from the university’s School of Geosciences, said: “These bones are the first window into the early life of tyrannosaurs and teach us about the size and appearance of baby tyrannosaurs.
“We now know that they were the largest chicks that ever laid eggs and would have looked very much like their parents – both good signs for find more stuff in the future. ”
The study is published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences and has received support from the Royal Society, the Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the National Science Foundation.
Researchers from the universities of Alberta, Calgary, Montana State and Chapman were also involved.