Study suggests theropod dinosaurs' tiny arms resulted from evolving larger, more powerful skulls
By
Phie Jacobs
Summary
A study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggests that many theropod dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex, evolved tiny forelimbs as a byproduct of developing larger heads and stronger jaws. As their skulls became more powerful hunting tools, their arms became less useful and gradually shrank over evolutionary time.
Source
bskyStudy suggests theropod dinosaurs' tiny arms resulted from evolving larger, more powerful skullsscience.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledFor one of the biggest and most ferocious predators to ever live, Tyrannosaurus rex sure had puny arms, not much longer than our own.
In a paper published last month in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, one team suggests that as certain theropods evolved bigger heads and stronger jaws, their forelimbs became less useful and consequently dwindled
Shrunken forelimbs were likely a byproduct of large, powerful skulls—with one notable exception
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