In its work, the team specifically referenced a paperpublishedlast year in the Journal Comparative Neurology.
Dino organsincluding brainsdont preserve particularly wellover tens of millions of years.
When it does, it tends to bestuff like dinosaur skin, not internal organs.
A T. rex skeleton at the Natural History Museum of Leiden.Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos (Getty Images)
Indeed, theoldest fossilized skinis nearly 300 million years old, making it much more ancient than T. rex.
Thus, scientists turn to other lines of evidence to determine how bright the animals were.
Readers should analyze the evidence and draw their own conclusions, Herculano-Houzel told theLA Times.
Thats what science is about!
Plenty of animals (including reptiles!
But our study shows how all the data we have is against this idea.
They were more like smart giant crocodiles, and thats just as fascinating.
Theropodsand especially T. rexattract a distinctive degree of fervor.
Even if T. rex wasnt as smart as modern monkeys, its still a very scary animal.
More:Which Animal Will Develop Human-Level Intelligence in the Future?
News from the future, delivered to your present.
