T-Rex was NOT ‘fluffy or fuzzy’ and really DID look like the scaly killing machine familar from films like Jurassic Park, boffins discover
Scientist demolishes claims the most vicious monster in history was actually cute and feathered
THE TYRANNOSAURUS Rex is regarded as the fiercest killer in the history of our planet, but its fearsome reputation has been somewhat undermind by recent claims it was actually covered in fluffy, fuzzy feathers.
Now scientists have confirmed it really did look like the scaly killing machine familiar from films like Jurassic Park.
New fossils dug up North America and Asia have proved the T. Rex was covered in skin which looked like the scales of modern reptiles.
Dr Phil Bell, of the University of New England, New South Wales, said the ancient monster was so gigantic that feathers would have caused it to overheat.
He carried out the "first detailed descriptions of Tyrannosaurus skin" by closely analysing the new fossils.
"The greater ability of larger tyrannosaurids to maintain a constant body temperature may have outweighed the advantages of insulation by a more pressing need to shed heat," he said.
The idea T Rex was feathered was fuelled by the discovery of Yutyrannus Huali five years ago in China.
Despite weighing 1.5 tons, the fearsome predator had feathers, a discovery which added weight to the theory its famous cousin must also have had them.
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Another dinosaur called Dilong, an early member of the tyrannosauroids that includes T. Rex, although much smaller, is known to have feathers.
Dr Bell said big animals like elephants and rhinos typically have relatively little hair because they risk overheating.
Scientists recently discovered the partial tail of a feathered dinosaur that was preserved in amber almost 100 million years ago.
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