Might Not Want to Kiss One, But Scientists Say T. Rex Dinosaur Had Lips
2023-04-05
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The Tyrannosaurus rex, or T. rex, is a dinosaur that lived from the late Jurassic Period, about 150 million years ago, to the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago.
2Most artistic representations of the animal show its large, sharp teeth sticking out of its mouth, always visible.
3The T. rex model of the Jurassic Park movie series is an example.
4But scientists now say the dino probably did not look like that.
5Tyrannosaurus rex belongs to a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods.
6A study published Thursday in the journal Science found the teeth on T. rex and other big theropods were likely covered by thick, scaly lips.
7Lips are the soft parts that surround the mouth.
8The scientists found that the dinosaur's teeth did not stick out when its mouth was closed.
9They added that even in a wide open bite, only a small area of its teeth would show.
10The research is the latest in a long debate over how dinosaur mouths really looked.
11Recent images show big teeth extending out of the dinosaurs' jaws, even when closed.
12Some people thought the dinosaurs' teeth were just too big to fit in their mouth, said study writer Thomas Cullen.
13He is a paleontologist at Auburn University in Alabama.
14When researchers compared skulls from dinosaurs and living reptiles, though, they found this was not the case.
15Cullen said some large monitor lizards actually have bigger teeth than T. rex compared to their head size, and can still fit them under a set of scaly lips.
16The scientists also found signs of wear on the surface of the teeth that suggested they were hidden from view.
17Reptiles without such lip protection, like crocodiles, experience wear on their teeth quickly.
18But when researchers studied a tooth from Daspletosaurs, a T. rex relative, they found it was in good condition and it did not show similar signs of wear.
19Thomas Holtz is a dinosaur expert with the University of Maryland.
20He said with this evidence and other information from the build of the dinosaur, the study makes a good case for lipped tyrannosaurs.
21The lips would be thin and scaly, he added.
22The scientist was not involved with the study.
23It is not the first time the representation of dinosaurs has been called into question.
24Most of what science learns about dinosaurs comes from their bones.
25It is harder to get clear answers about soft tissues, like skin.
26Remains of soft tissues disappear more quickly.
27Adding lips to artistic representations may make dinosaurs look a little less terrifying, but it also makes them feel more realistic, Mark Witton said.
28He is a paeloartist at England's University of Portsmouth and another writer of the study.
29"You don't really see a monster," he said. "You see an animal."
30I'm Gregory Stachel.
1The Tyrannosaurus rex, or T. rex, is a dinosaur that lived from the late Jurassic Period, about 150 million years ago, to the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago. 2Most artistic representations of the animal show its large, sharp teeth sticking out of its mouth, always visible. The T. rex model of the Jurassic Park movie series is an example. 3But scientists now say the dino probably did not look like that. 4Tyrannosaurus rex belongs to a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods. A study published Thursday in the journal Science found the teeth on T. rex and other big theropods were likely covered by thick, scaly lips. Lips are the soft parts that surround the mouth. 5The scientists found that the dinosaur's teeth did not stick out when its mouth was closed. They added that even in a wide open bite, only a small area of its teeth would show. 6The research is the latest in a long debate over how dinosaur mouths really looked. 7Recent images show big teeth extending out of the dinosaurs' jaws, even when closed. Some people thought the dinosaurs' teeth were just too big to fit in their mouth, said study writer Thomas Cullen. He is a paleontologist at Auburn University in Alabama. 8When researchers compared skulls from dinosaurs and living reptiles, though, they found this was not the case. Cullen said some large monitor lizards actually have bigger teeth than T. rex compared to their head size, and can still fit them under a set of scaly lips. 9The scientists also found signs of wear on the surface of the teeth that suggested they were hidden from view. 10Reptiles without such lip protection, like crocodiles, experience wear on their teeth quickly. 11But when researchers studied a tooth from Daspletosaurs, a T. rex relative, they found it was in good condition and it did not show similar signs of wear. 12Thomas Holtz is a dinosaur expert with the University of Maryland. He said with this evidence and other information from the build of the dinosaur, the study makes a good case for lipped tyrannosaurs. The lips would be thin and scaly, he added. The scientist was not involved with the study. 13It is not the first time the representation of dinosaurs has been called into question. Most of what science learns about dinosaurs comes from their bones. It is harder to get clear answers about soft tissues, like skin. Remains of soft tissues disappear more quickly. 14Adding lips to artistic representations may make dinosaurs look a little less terrifying, but it also makes them feel more realistic, Mark Witton said. He is a paeloartist at England's University of Portsmouth and another writer of the study. 15"You don't really see a monster," he said. "You see an animal." 16I'm Gregory Stachel. 17Marcia Dunn reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 18_______________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20visible - n. able to be seen; exposed to view 21scale - n. one of many small thin plates that cover the bodies of some animals (such as fish or snakes) 22jaws - n. either one of the two bones of the face where teeth grow 23paleontology - n. the science that deals with the fossils of animals and plants that lived very long ago especially in the time of dinosaurs 24skull - n. the structure of bones that form the head and face of a person or animal 25monster - n. a strange or horrible imaginary creature 26________________________________________________________________ 27What do you think of this story? 28We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.