New study refutes claim that T rex could have been three different dinosaur species

Scientists have published a rebuttal to a claim made earlier this year that fossils classified as the iconic dinosaurTyrannosaurus rex represent three separate species. In the earlier findings, made in February this year, scientists said variations they spotted in an examination of about three dozen Tyrannosaurus fossils warranted the recognition of two additional species – T imperator, meaning “tyrant lizard emperor,” and T regina, meaning “tyrant lizard queen.” However, scientists behind the new study, including those from the American Museum of Natural History, claim that while these fossils are somewhat variable in size and shape, the difference is “minor” and “cannot be used to neatly separate the fossils into easily defined clusters.” “Tyrannosaurus rex remains the one true king of the dinosaurs. They say the argument that T rex could be multiple species was based on a limited comparative sample, “non-comparable measurements, and improper statistical techniques.” “Their study claimed that the variation in T rex specimens was so high that they were probably from multiple closely related species of giant meat-eating dinosaur,” James Napoli, co-lead author of the rebuttal study, explained. Researchers say their rigorous statistical analysis technique, grounded in the knowledge of living animals, is the “best way to clarify the boundaries of extinct species.” “The boundaries of even living species are very hard to define: for instance, zoologists disagree over the number of living species of giraffe,” Thomas Holtz, another co-author of the study from the University of Maryland said. “T rex is an iconic species and an incredibly important one for both paleontological research and communicating to the public about science, so it’s important that we get this right,” David Hone, another co-author of the study from the Queen Mary University of London said.