WHILE ARTISTS LIKE MARK BASE THEIR ILLUSTRATIONS ON FOSSILS AND RESEARCH, SOME THINGS REMAIN A MYSTERY – EVEN FOR THE MOST FAMOUS DINOSAURS, LIKE THE TYRANNOSAURUS REX.
BUT NOW, AFTER STUDYING A WELL-PRESERVED FOSSIL OF A NEWLY DISCOVERED T. REX RELATIVE, PALEONTOLOGISTS THINK THEY HAVE REVEALED SOME IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE PREDATOR’S FEARSOME FACE.
THE TYRANNOSAUR FAMILY HAD NO LIPS AND HAD FACES COVERED WITH SMALL PATCHES OF ARMORED SKIN AND LARGE, FLAT SCALES MORE SIMILAR TO CROCODILES THAN TO LIZARDS.
THE TEAM ALSO DISCOVERED THAT TYRANNOSAUR SNOUTS AND JAWS WERE MOST LIKELY LACED WITH NERVES THAT MADE THEIR SKIN SUPERSENSITIVE, COMPARABLE TO A HUMAN’S FINGERTIPS. THE EXTRA SENSITIVITY MAY HAVE HELPED THEM IN HUNTING.
Instructional Links
Website Article: Active Wild, Daspletosaurus Horneri, A New Species of Dinosaur, Has Recently Been Discovered! | Includes images, map & links to more info
Encyclopedia Article: World Book Student, Dinosaurs | May need password.