T. rex dinosaurs were warm-blooded like humans, new study suggests

Experts say they have found new evidence that Tyrannosaurus rex was warm-blooded, meaning it could produce its own heat and keep it stable - like humans!

According to the study, the huge predator had a body temperature of around 36.3C, which is similar to our own.

Researchers believe that being warm-blooded could have helped the famous dinosaur stay active and survive in both warm and cold environments.

Scientists say the findings could change the way we think about the T. rex, which lived around 66 million years ago at the end of the age of dinosaurs.

A team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) decided to take a closer look at three T. rex teeth, which were originally found in the US state of Montana.

By examining each tooth's enamel - the hard outer layer - scientists were able to find chemical clues which helped to calculate the dinosaur's body temperature.

They were able to estimate that T. rex had a body temperature of around 36.3C, with a possible difference of about 2.5C either way - humans have a very similar average body temperature of 37C.

Scientists say their findings suggest T. rex was very different from the cold-blooded reptiles we know of today.

Senior author of the study, UCLA geoscientist Aradhna Tripati, explained: "An animal at 36 degrees Celsius is not waiting for the sun to warm up.

"It is thermally independent of its surroundings, and in that respect closer to an elephant or an ostrich than to a crocodile."

Experts said being warm-blooded may have helped the dinosaur stay active for longer, travel across large areas and cope with colder environments.

However, it would also have meant that the T. rex used more energy, so it would have needed a lot more food to keep its body working.

The team added that their research shouldn't be used to assume that all dinosaurs were warm-blooded, as different species may have controlled their body temperatures in different ways.