Why T-Rex was even bigger than we thought: Experts say museum exhibits are too small

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:25 AM on 1st October 2010

Dinosaurs have just got a little bit scarier.

Scientists have revealed they have been underestimating the size of the prehistoric giants – and that most were taller than the skeletons we see in museums.

The study suggests the creatures had thick layers of cartilage in their joints, making the gaps between their bones larger.

The difference is greatest in lumbering plant eaters such as Brachiosaurus, which, thanks to the research, has grown more than 12in to tower at 43ft.

Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus, two of the fiercest hunters to roam earth, are ‘several inches’ bigger.

The findings also mean that some species had even more powerful legs and arms than previously thought, and were even quicker at sprinting after prey.

Dr Casey Holliday, of Missouri University, and colleagues made the discovery after analysing the bone structures of ostriches and alligators – the two closest modern relatives of dinosaurs – and comparing them with the leg bones of the Tyrannosaurus rex, Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus and Triceratops.

Co-author Dr Lawrence Witmer, said: ‘This study is significant because it shows that bones can’t always speak for themselves.

‘The dinosaur bones mounted in museums don’t accurately reflect what the animals actually had in their bodies in life because the cartilage caps were lost along with the other soft tissues.’

His team tested the limbs of some of dinosaurs' modern relatives, ostriches and alligators, to estimate how much cartilage their ancient ancestors might have had.

Bones stripped of cartilage were 4 percent to nearly 10 percent smaller, and each contained some characteristics similar to dinosaur bones that can create a cartilage signature.

Using that information, he calculated that certain dinosaurs would have had more cartilage than others - enough that already huge sauropods like Brachiosaurus could have added another 12 inches of height.

Holliday is interested in how various species build healthy joints, a field that in turn might shed light on arthritis.

But for dinosaur specialists, it is work that could impact efforts to understand how the creatures stood and moved, said paleontologist Matthew Bonnan of Western Illinois University, whose own work is reaching similar conclusions.

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