Neuroscience For Kids
Tyrannosaurus Rex: Dinosaur Nose King
November 21, 2008
When you think of a T. Rex, you might picture a large dinosaur with razor-sharp teeth and claws. The ability of these large animals to smell is probably not something you consider. However, T. Rex likely had an excellent sense of smell; better than most other dinosaurs.
To study the sense of
smell in T. Rex, researchers placed the fossilized skulls of
various dinosaurs into a CT scanner to measure
the size of the olfactory bulbs. The total body size of the dinosaurs was
estimated based on the length of a leg bone (the femur). Finally, the
scientists compared the size of the olfactory bulbs to the brain size and
body size of each dinosaur.
T. Rex was found to have a larger than expected olfactory bulb
for a dinosaur of its size. Velociraptors also had large olfactory bulbs.
These data suggest that predatory, meat-eating dinosaurs had a good sense
of smell and used this sense more than other dinosaurs.
Perhaps T.
Rex could find food at night when lighting conditions were poor.
Whether T. Rex was a scavenger or a predator is still not known,
but
its acute sense of smell appears to have given this giant dinosaur one
more weapon to use in its battle for survival.
References and further information:
- Zelenitsky, D.K., Therrien, F. and Kobayahsi, Y., Olfactory acuity in theropods: palaeobiological and evolutionary implications, Proc. Royal Society B., 10.1098/rspb.2008.1075.
- Dinosaur Neck Decoded - Neuroscience for Kids
- Dinosaur Noses on the Move - Neuroscience for Kids
Copyright © 1996-2008, Eric H. Chudler, University of Washington
