An international group of researchers, including biwhyviorists, paleontologists and neurologists, came to the conclusion that the dinosaurs of the Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-ROX) were not as reasonable as previously, and were more like crocodiles and lizards.
Researchers from Bristol and Southampton Universities in the UK, University of Henry Heine in Germany, Alberta University in Canada and the Royal Museum of Ontario analyzed the methods used to assess the size of the brain and the number of neurons among dinosaurs, reports Phys.org.
International Research Group concluded that previous estimates of the size of the brain of dinosaurs and the number of neurons are not reliable.
Researchers concluded that the size of the front brain of dinosaurs was overstated, the number of neurons is exaggerated, and they themselves behaved like crocodiles and lizards.
Stenting that the calculation of the number of neurons is not a reliable guideline for determining intelligence, the researchers said that for a reliable reconstruction of biology of extinct species, it is necessary to study many evidence, including the anatomy of the skeleton, bone tissue, behavior of living relatives and traces of fossils.
Information about the brain of dinosaurs can be obtained in the shape and size of mineral cavities called “endocastes”.
– the use of the number of neurons to assess the intelligence of dinosaurs misleads
Hadi George from the University of Bristol believes that to describe the intelligence of dinosaurs and other extinct animals, it is best to use a wide range of evidence, from macroscopic anatomy to traces of fossils, and not rely only on counting the number of neurons.
Dr. Ornella Bertrand from Edinburgh University also notes that the number of neurons is not an accurate predictor of cognitive abilities and that their use to assess the intelligence of extinct animals leads to very erroneous interpretations.
According to the results of a study conducted last year, it was suggested that T-RX dinosaurs with a high number of neurons were more smart than previously considered.
The results of the study were published in the journal The Anatomical Record.