T. rex body temperature measured for first time, study finds

Scientists have directly measured the body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex for the first time, finding it was a warm-blooded animal with a core temperature of about 36.3 degrees Celsius (97.3 degrees Fahrenheit), similar to that of humans and elephants. The finding, published in the journal Science Advances, provides the most precise estimate yet of the dinosaur's internal heat and strongly supports the view that T. rex was an active, adaptable predator capable of living across a wide range of climates. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) used a refined chemical technique to analyze clumped isotopes in the enamel of three fossil teeth from T. rex specimens found in Montana's Hell Creek Formation. The method measures the bonding patterns of rare carbon and oxygen isotopes, which vary with temperature. The results showed T. rex's body temperature was significantly warmer than that of contemporaneous cold-blooded reptiles like crocodiles, which averaged about 30.9 degrees Celsius (87.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the same geological formation.