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T. rex ran on its tiptoes ‘like an 8-tonne chicken’, study finds
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A model of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, part of an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
PHOTO: GEORGE ETHEREDGE/NYTIMES
Jack Tamisiea
NEW YORK – In recent years, scientists have given Tyrannosaurus rex a makeover. Some have suggested that the dinosaur’s toothy maw was covered by fleshy lips. Others have reconstructed the beast with a fluffy coat of feathers.
Even the dinosaur’s earth-shaking footsteps are being re-examined. An analysis of fossilised tracks and T. rex’s lower-leg anatomy are prompting a reconstruction of the dinosaur’s gait. The findings, published on Feb 25 in the journal Royal Society Open Science, reveal that the top of the dinosaur food chain walked on tippy-toes, not unlike modern birds.
