Discover evidence that explains the evolution of tyrants

Scientists have reported fossil specimens of a dinosaur named Timurlengia euotica who lived 90 million years ago, which could help explain how Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) dinosaurs evolved into one of the most dangerous predators on Earth and topped the food chain 70-80 million years ago.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists said the T-rex and its relatives had climbed to the top of the food chain at the end of the the era of dinosaurs , after other branches of large carnivorous dinosaurs became extinct about 80 to 90 million years ago.

However, there is still no convincing explanation of how "these scary giants" evolved from a short-legged Tyrannosaurus dinosaur line, long-tailed and small-bodied. Therefore, the discovery of fossils of Timurlengia dinosaurs recently opened hope of deciphering the mystery.

According to scientists, the fossils of Timurlengia are found by researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Uzbekistan.Although T imulengia belongs to the Tyrannosaur dinosaur family, it is not an ancestor of T-rex.

Photo reconstruction of Timurlengia euotica.(Photo: theaustralian.com.au).

The fossil study of Timurlengia shows that this dinosaur is about the size of a horse, many times smaller than T-rex. In return, they possess a booming brain and extremely sensitive senses, especially the ability to hear low-frequency sounds, similar to T-rex.

The researchers suggest that the difference in size between Timulengia and T-rex shows that both dinosaurs evolved in size quickly in the last 20 million years of the Cretaceous period. This proves that the Tyrannosaur breed has become a dangerous predator before its size grows.

Talking to journalists, lead researcher Steve Brusatte said that T-rex's ancestral appearance may look like Timurlengia - a small-bodied predator with a large brain and sensitive hearing.

He identified the brains and senses of the Tyrannosaur variety that had evolved dramatically before reaching the equivalent size of T-rex tyrants. The first Tyrannosaurs lived about 170 million years ago, only slightly larger than a human. However, in the late Cretaceous, Tyrannosaurs evolved into animals such as T-rex and Albertosaurus weighing more than seven tons.

In addition, scientists also identified one of the major factors that played a role in the evolution of T-rex, the massive eruption of volcanic eruption 94 million years ago. They suspected fire and lava killed many of the top predators at the time, and created the opportunity for the rise of the T-rex tyrant dinosaurs.

However, the team thinks that more fossils are needed to find convincing evidence for the hypothesis.

The discovery of Timurlengia's fossils is considered an important finding, not only partly explaining the evolution of T-rex in particular but also provides a clearer view of the evolution of the species. Tyrannosaur.