New study finds T. rex and theropods had scaly lips
Technology
Turns out, T. rex and other famous meat-eating dinosaurs didn't walk around with big toothy grins like we see in movies.
A new study says they actually had scaly lips more like lizards than crocodiles that covered their teeth most of the time.
So, those fierce open-mouth looks from Jurassic Park? Not so accurate after all.
Researchers link dinosaur mouths to lizards
Scientists compared dinosaur jaws and teeth with modern reptiles and found T. rex and Velociraptor were closer to lizards (and even a rare New Zealand reptile called tuatara) than crocodiles when it comes to mouth structure.
These scaly lips weren't for smiling: they just kept teeth protected and sealed in moisture.
This discovery changes how we understand dinosaur appearance.