Gigantic flesh-eating dinosaur evolved tiny arms to keep them safe in frenzied group feeding

Sometimes an out of the box theory looks like a plausible explanation for something which seems bizarre. Take for example the small arms of the mighty and ferocious Tyrannosaurus rex which couldn’t be clarified despite many suggesting that they were used as slashing machines or helped in grasping the partner during mating, as per a report in sciencealert.com.

Though it is really difficult to figure answers by looking at bones which are 66 million years old, a new study has come with a fresh hypothesis, which states that the short arms helped in bringing down the chances of accidental bites by other T. rex when these creatures indulged in eating frenzies. The smaller the size, the lesser were chances of it being bitten off!

Elaborating on this new study, its author Kevin Padian, said: "What if several adult tyrannosaurs converged on a carcass? You have a bunch of massive skulls, with incredibly powerful jaws and teeth, ripping and chomping down flesh and bone right next to you. What if your friend there thinks you're getting a little too close? They might warn you away by severing your arm. So, it could be a benefit to reduce the forelimbs, since you're not using them in predation anyway."

Padian is from University of California, Berkeley and an integrative biologist.

The fossil finds of skin and feathers have helped palaeontologists to have a better idea about how the dinosaurs looked while placement of their bones help in knowing what these creatures did and likewise footprints provide details about their habits.

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