Summary
Researchers discovered, through studies and analysis, that dinosaurs like T. rex were as intelligent as reptiles but not as intelligent as apes.
Photo: Katie Rose/Pixabay
Researchers discovered that the dinosaurs like the T. rex they were as intelligent as reptiles, but not as intelligent as monkeys. They reviewed the size and brain structure of dinosaurs, identifying that their behavior was similar to that of crocodiles and lizards.
To reach this conclusion, it was necessary to bring together a group of paleontologists, behavioral scientists and neurologists.
In 2023, another published study stated that dinosaurs like T. rex had a large number of neurons and they were much more intelligent than anyone thought.
Furthermore, it was considered that this high number of neurons could provide direct information about the intelligence, metabolism and life history of dinosaurs, and that T. rex was similar to monkeys in some of its habits.
The cultural transmission of knowledge and the use of tools have been mentioned as examples of cognitive characteristics that dinosaurs could have had.
In the new study published in The Anatomical Record, scientists took a deeper look at the techniques used to understand brain size, as well as the number of neurons in dinosaur brains.
The team included Hady George from the University of Bristol, Dr. Darren Naish (University of Southampton) and led by Dr. Kai Caspar (Heinrich Heine University) with Dr. Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez (University of Alberta) and Dr. Grant Hurlburt (Royal Ontario Museum).
Why did dinosaurs become extinct?
It was discovered that previous assumptions regarding the size of dinosaur brains, as well as the number of neurons they contained, were unreliable.
The research is the result of decades of analysis by paleontologists and biologists on the size and brain anatomy of dinosaurs. This data was used to understand their behavior and lifestyle.
Information about dinosaur brains is obtained from mineral fillings in the brain cavity, known as endocastrums, as well as the shapes of the cavities themselves.
Dinosaur brain size has been overestimated, and so have neuron counts, according to new research. Furthermore, they demonstrate that neuron count estimates are not a reliable guide to intelligence.
To reliably reconstruct the biology of long-extinct species, researchers need to analyze multiple lines of evidence, including skeletal anatomy, bone histology, the behavior of living relatives, and fossil footprints.
“The possibility that T. rex could have been as intelligent as a baboon is both fascinating and terrifying, with the potential to reinvent our view of the past,” said Dr. Naish. “But our study shows how all the data we have goes against that idea. They were more like crocodiles intelligent giants, and that’s equally fascinating.”
Source: Byte Editorial
