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Here’s how fierce T. rex got to North America
- A new study suggests that the ancestors of T. rex migrated from Asia to North America over 70 million years ago, possibly via a land bridge.
- Tyrannosaurus rex, known as T. rex, evolved in western North America and adapted to a cooling climate, indicative of potential warm-bloodedness or feathered insulation.
- The study traced the evolutionary tracks of Tyrannosaurids and megaraptors, revealing their large body sizes and adaptations to changes in climate and predator extinction.
- Researchers utilized advanced mathematical modeling and fossil data to map out the evolution of these dinosaurs over the Cretaceous Period.
- Megaraptors emerged in Asia around 120 million years ago and spread globally, while T. rex's ancestors likely crossed into North America from Asia.
- The study highlights how climate changes, environment, and geological factors influenced the evolution of tyrannosaurids and megaraptors over millions of years.
- T. rex and megaraptors grew to large sizes as they adapted to a cooling planet, with T. rex reaching weights of up to 10 US tons and megaraptors up to 33 feet in length.
- The extinction of other large carnivorous dinosaurs allowed tyrannosaurids and megaraptors to dominate the top of the food chain and evolve to large body sizes.
- The findings suggest that the gigantic size of T. rex and megaraptors was a result of evolutionary adaptations to ecological changes and predator extinctions.
- Overall, the study sheds light on the origins and evolution of T. rex and related dinosaur species, providing insights into their remarkable evolutionary history.
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