Fossil teeth reportedly reveal T. rex's body temperature was about 97°F · Digg

Fossil teeth reportedly reveal T. rex's body temperature was about 97°F

ScienceDaily reports that chemical clues in fossilized teeth put the dinosaur's temperature close to humans', calling the finding direct evidence that it was warm-blooded.

TLDR

ScienceDaily reports that fossilized T. rex teeth indicate a body temperature of about 97°F, nearly as warm as a human. A post crediting Atlas Intelligence describes how carbon and oxygen isotope patterns in enamel depend on formation temperature and can survive fossilization, acting as a molecular thermometer. That account also says crocodilian teeth from the same ancient environment yielded substantially lower temperature estimates, supporting the idea that T. rex maintained an elevated internal temperature rather than simply matching its surroundings.

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Fossil teeth reportedly reveal T. rex's body temperature was about 97°F

ScienceDaily reports that chemical clues in fossilized teeth put the dinosaur's temperature close to humans', calling the finding direct evidence that it was warm-blooded.

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5 Sources, first seen 4d ago

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4d ago

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TLDR

ScienceDaily reports that fossilized T. rex teeth indicate a body temperature of about 97°F, nearly as warm as a human. A post crediting Atlas Intelligence describes how carbon and oxygen isotope patterns in enamel depend on formation temperature and can survive fossilization, acting as a molecular thermometer. That account also says crocodilian teeth from the same ancient environment yielded substantially lower temperature estimates, supporting the idea that T. rex maintained an elevated internal temperature rather than simply matching its surroundings.

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5 Sources

@NewsTongueX🔴 T. rex body temperature measured at 36°C using tooth enamel analysis Researchers at UCLA led by Randon J. Flores and Robert A. Eagle used clumped isotope thermometry to measure Tyrannosaurus rex body temperature by analyzing carbonate minerals in tooth enamel. The reading: approximately 36 degrees Celsius, matching modern elephant body temperature. The technique measures how often rare heavy isotopes of carbon-13 and oxygen-18 bond together in tooth enamel—a ratio that depends solely on formation temperature.

@GrimillionaireA 66-million-year-old tooth reveals T. rex was nearly as warm as a human. Chemical clues in fossilized teeth show a body temperature around 97°F, suggesting the giant predator was warm-blooded. https://ift.tt/b5uO1vh

@Michael_W_DeemChemical clues preserved inside fossilized T. rex teeth reveal that the dinosaur maintained a body temperature of about 97 degrees Fahrenheit, almost identical to humans. The finding provides direct evidence that the giant predator was warm-blooded, helpin https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260919031020.htm

@JohnsxxnA T. rex tooth has preserved something extraordinary for 66 million years: the temperature of the animal it grew inside. 🦖🌡️ Scientists analysed chemical signatures locked inside fossilised Tyrannosaurus rex tooth enamel and estimated that the dinosaur maintained an average body temperature of around 36.3°C (97.3°F). That’s remarkably close to our own. But the fascinating part is how they figured it out. When tooth enamel forms, carbon and oxygen isotopes arrange themselves differently depending on temperature. Once locked into the enamel, those chemical relationships can survive fossilisation—effectively creating a molecular thermometer. 🔬 Researchers also analysed crocodilian teeth from the same ancient environment. Their estimated temperatures were substantially lower, supporting the idea that T. rex maintained an elevated internal temperature rather than simply matching its surroundings. So a fossil tooth can tell us more than what an extinct animal ate or how large it was. It can preserve clues to what was happening inside its body while it was alive. 66 million years later, the chemistry is still talking. 🦖 📰 Atlas Intelligence See more. Learn more. Master yourself.

@dakotanews_nowUsing fossilized teeth, scientists have finally taken the T. rex’s temperature — and it wasn’t too different from our own.https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2026/09/17/t-rex-had-body-temperature-similar-our-own-study-finds/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd&utm_content=ksfy