Manchester, United Kingdom – Researchers at the University of Southampton have challenged a controversial study from 2023 suggesting that the Tyrannosaurus Rex, commonly known as T. Rex, may have had the intelligence similar to modern monkeys. The new study found inaccuracies in the brain size measurements used in the previous research, leading to inflated estimates of the number of neurons these prehistoric giants could have possessed in their brains.
Led by zoologist Kai Caspar from Heinrich Heine University in Germany, the team concluded that the overestimation was primarily due to the assumption that T. Rex’s brain occupied most of the endocranial space, a notion that is not common in most dinosaurs. According to University of Southampton paleontologist Darren Naish, this finding challenges the original theory and supports the idea that T. Rex may not have been as intelligent as previously suggested.
The study also highlights the limitations of using neuron counts as a sole indicator of intelligence. For example, birds like crows have demonstrated impressive cognitive abilities despite having smaller brains than primates, indicating that factors beyond brain size play a crucial role in determining intelligence. Caspar and colleagues argue that a more comprehensive approach, including evidence from anatomy, behavior, and comparisons with modern animals, is necessary to accurately estimate the intelligence of extinct species.
The research, published in The Anatomical Record, emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the relationship between neuron counts and cognitive performance in living animals before making further predictions about the intelligence of prehistoric creatures like T. Rex. While recent behavioral studies suggest that T. Rex may have exhibited social behaviors and hunted in packs, researchers caution against equating these findings with high levels of intelligence.
Ultimately, the new study paints a picture of T. Rex as more akin to a “smart giant crocodile” rather than a highly intelligent creature on par with modern primates. The findings challenge previous assumptions about the intelligence of these fearsome predators and underscore the complexity of unraveling the mysteries of prehistoric life.