T. rex took way longer to grow up than we thought
Turns out, T. rex wasn't a fast grower—new research says it took these dinosaurs 35-40 years to reach full size, not just 25.
Scientists figured this out by looking at growth rings in the bones of 17 specimens from the Tyrannosaurus rex species group, kind of like counting tree rings to see how old a tree is.
How did T. rex grow?
T. rexes hit their biggest growth spurt between ages 14 and 29, packing on up to 544kg a year before finally reaching their massive eight-ton adult size around age 40.
But their growth wasn't always steady—some years were slower than others.
Why does this matter?
A longer "teenage" phase meant young T. rexes had more time to rule their habitats before becoming top predators.
The study also hints that some famous fossils like "Jane" and "Petey" might actually be different species entirely, which could shake up what we know about dino family trees!