T. rex traded small eyes for a big bite

Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the world’s fiercest predators, with a jaw that could crunch through bones. But a new study suggests that in order to have such a powerful bite, it had to have smaller eyes and weaker vision. Researchers analyzed skull fossils from the Mesozoic period (252 to 66 million years ago). They came from dinosaurs such as T. rex and Triceratops, pterosaurs (flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs), and crocodile ancestors. The team found that while herbivores (plant eaters) and young carnivores (meat eaters) had circular eye sockets, many adult carnivores had oval- or keyhole-shaped eye sockets. Over time, carnivores developed smaller, narrower eyes. Circular eye sockets would have allowed T. rex and other carnivores to have larger eyes—up to seven times bigger—which could have improved their…

You're reading a preview of

The Week Junior US (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 127

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.