The mystery of Tyrannosaurus rex's intelligence
A new study refutes the hypothesis that T. rex was similar to a baboon, instead suggesting similarities to an intelligent crocodile. The new study analyzes the scientific methods and the importance of considering the behavior of modern reptiles to better understand the past.
A 2023 study (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cne.25453) raised the hypothesis that Tyrannosaurus rex may have been as intelligent as a baboon, based on analysis of bony braincases. However, this theory has now been refuted by a new paper released a few days ago (https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ar.25459) which suggests that T. rex may have been more like a giant, intelligent crocodile.
An international team of 11 scientists conducted a new study carefully examining the methods used in the previous 2023 study to estimate the size and count of neurons in dinosaur brains. It was found that the methodology used was unreliable, leading to incorrect estimates of neuron count and brain size, highlighting the challenges of endocast translation.
The endocast, as explained by Dr. Kai Caspar, is a cast of the internal cavity of the skull and does not correspond exactly to the brain itself. In living reptiles and most extinct dinosaurs, the brain occupies only part of the cranial cavity, making the endocast different from the actual size and shape of the brain.
According to the authors of the study, simply counting neurons is not sufficient to assess the intelligence of an extinct animal. To assess intelligence, anatomical evidence would be needed about the size and proportions of the brain and its components, which can be inferred from endocasts.
Dr. Darren Naish highlighted the importance of considering the behavior of modern reptiles and fossil records to imagine T. rex as a social animal with long-term bonds, capable of cooperative and exploratory behavior.
T. rex lived at the end of the Late Cretaceous, between 69 and 66 million years ago, but our understanding of how it lived and behaved is limited by the incompleteness of the fossil record. Despite the challenges, paleontology continues to advance, offering new perspectives and extraordinary discoveries.
Our view of the geological past is constantly evolving, but it is important to challenge stereotypes and recognize that extinct animals were just as capable, if not more so, than current ones. T. rex may not have been an intelligent baboon, but rather a formidable crocodile, and this perspective opens up new possibilities for understanding the ancient world.
