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Did T. rex Have Feathers? (Documentary)

Galvasean

An upcoming documentary seems to think yes.

Every time I see a feathered T. rex in popular culture I am reminded how as a kid I suggested this and everyone told me I was mad.

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Kess73

I still don't buy into the idea of a T Rex being feathered. I could believe some of the smaller and earlier Tyrannosaurids having feathers that were used for heat retention, but I fail to see how and why such a large creature as a T Rex would continue the trend.

If we accept that the T Rex lived and thrived in a warm climate, then having a body covered in even a light layer of feathers would put such a big animal at a serious disadvantage as it would be at serious risk of overheating from even the most minor of exertions.

The largest of animals from warm climates today have no need for an layer of insulation on their hides, and the same has proven true for pretty much all of the largest land animals that lived in warm climates after the dinosaurs, and it holds true for large reptiles today.

So why would one of the largest predators ever to walk the earth have something that would make it more inefficient as an organism? I mean we are talking about an animal that was probably in the 5 to 7 ton range, that lived in warm conditions.

Also has there not been impressions of scales found on T Rex remains found in Canada?

And if T Rex was meant to be feathered, are we then going to start throwing feathers onto other massive predators like Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus? Because if feathers are getting thrown onto the biggest of the Tyrannosaurids, then we may as well chuck a few on the giant Carcharodontosaurids.

Nope, my T Rex is staying feather free. Bad enough that hack Horner tried to turn Rex into a cheap scavenger, now they are trying to make out that Rex was a giant feather duster. :mad::mad:

Adam Khor

Kess73 wrote: »

I still don't buy into the idea of a T Rex being feathered. I could believe some of the smaller and earlier Tyrannosaurids having feathers that were used for heat retention, but I fail to see how and why such a large creature as a T Rex would continue the trend.

Had T-Rex been feathered, I suposse it would be for display purposes, not heat retention. But I'm not sure about it either... such an inmense animal wouldn´t need feathers to be noticed...

Kess73 wrote: »

Also has there not been impressions of scales found on T Rex remains found in Canada?

I didn´t know... I do remember something about tyrannosaur skin impressions being found in Asia (not Tyrannosaurus, but a close relative), and it was indeed scaly. However, Juravenator, a Compsognathus relative, was thought to be featherless originally because its skin impressions showed scales, yet later studies found that it was partially feathered as well. Finding scaly skin patches seemingly doesn´t rule out the possibility of feathers in other parts of the body...

Kess73 wrote: »

And if T Rex was meant to be feathered, are we then going to start throwing feathers onto other massive predators like Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus? Because if feathers are getting thrown onto the biggest of the Tyrannosaurids, then we may as well chuck a few on the giant Carcharodontosaurids.

Some paleontologists argue that Tyrannosaurids are more likely to have been feathered than other giant meat eaters, simply because they belong to the same evolutionary branch as birds and many dinosaurs that were feathered (such as raptors), while the other giant meat eaters belong to different branches.
But I'm sure there must be already feathered Carcharodontosaurid pics somewhere out there

Alvin T. Grey

No. Just No.

I can tell two things looking at that picture:

1. Those other dinos would not be hanging around longer than it took to munch them. What is this - The Lion King!

2. T-Rex did not have feathers.
As big as it's mouth was, I'd have a hard time believing that it could radiate enough excess heat to cool a body that big whilst it was wrapped in what is the equivelant of a featherd eiderdown.
Just wouldn't happen.

And thats under normal conditions. Imagine it after a chase, it's be panting so bloody hard it couldn't afford to close its mouth for the signiture munch!

We know T-Rex was warm blooded. We know it was related to birds. We know that birds dissapate heat through their mouths. we know that that amount of muscle mass generates a smack load of thermal energy.

OOh, I just thought of something. If it's for thermal regulation, it's the core that needs to be protected. Not the head. If you are going to draw feathers, start there..

Adam Khor

Alvin T. Grey wrote: »

We know T-Rex was warm blooded. We know it was related to birds. We know that birds dissapate heat through their mouths. we know that that amount of muscle mass generates a smack load of thermal energy.

Plus, the largest bird today, the ostrich, has large areas of naked skin in the upper legs and flanks. Ostriches are much smaller than T-Rex yet they already show a tendency to lose their feathercoat. Maybe if there were elephant-sized birds today they would be featherless. And, if you think about it, that's pretty much what a T-Rex was; an elephant-sized predatory "bird" so to speak.