The Tyrannosaurus dinosaur was not as smart as it was thought to be.
New study on brain size and structure Tyrannosaurus Dinosaurs concludes that his intellect was limited and They behaved more like modern crocodiles and lizards. A study published last year claimed that dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex had an exceptionally large number of neurons and were significantly more intelligent than previously thought. It has been argued that such a large number of neurons may directly influence intelligence, metabolism and life history, and that T. rex in some of his habits he was rather ape-like. Cultural transmission of knowledge and use of tools were given as examples of cognitive qualities he may have possessed.
However, a new study published in The Anatomical Record, involving George Heady from the University of Bristol, Dr Darren Naish (University of Southampton) and led by Dr Kai Kaspar (Heinrich Heine University) and Dr Christian Gutiérrez-Ibáñez (University of Alberta) and Dr Grant Hurlburt (Royal Ontario Museum) take a closer look at the methods used to predict brain size and number of neurons in dinosaur brains.
The team found that Previous assumptions about the size of dinosaur brains and the number of neurons it contained were unreliable.
The study followed decades of analysis in which paleontologists and biologists examined the size and anatomy of dinosaur brains and used the data to make inferences about behavior and lifestyle. Information about dinosaur brains comes from the mineral fillings of the brain cavities, called endocasts, as well as from the shape of the cavities themselves.
The team found that the size of its brain (especially the forebrain) and therefore the number of neurons had been overestimated. Moreover, they show that estimates of the number of neurons are not a reliable indicator of intelligence.
To reliably reconstruct the biology of long-extinct species, researchers will have to examine a wealth of evidence, including skeletal anatomy, bone histology, the behavior of living relatives and trace fossils, the team says.
“The best way to determine the intelligence of dinosaurs and other extinct animals is to use a variety of evidence, ranging from gross anatomy to fossils, rather than relying solely on estimates of the number of neurons,” Heady explained in a statement. Bristol School of Geosciences.
Dr. Kaspar explained: “We argue that predicting the intelligence of extinct species is not a good practice. when all we need is to restore the number of neurons along the endocasts.”
“The number of neurons is not a good predictor of cognitive performance, and using it to predict intelligence in long-extinct species can lead to very misleading interpretations,” adds Dr. Ornella Bertrand (Miquel Crusafont Catalan Institute of Palaeontology).
“The possibility that a Tyrannosaurus rex could be as intelligent as a baboon is both fascinating and frightening. and has the potential to reframe the way we look at the past,” concluded Dr Naish. “But our research shows that all the data we have contradicts this idea. “They were more like intelligent giant crocodiles, and that’s just as fascinating.”