According to a new study, T-Rex had a small arm to firmly hold a partner during sex.
A giant carnivorous dinosaur found in South America also had disproportionately short upper limbs.
Its fossilized bone is one of the best known and sheds new light on its function.
The skull, called Meraxes gigas, was adorned with crests, crests, crests, and small horns. It was 36 feet long and weighed 4 tons.
The new species helps explain the exact purpose of T-Rex’s strange appendages, which has baffled paleontologists for decades.
Merax belonged to a large group of bipedal theropods, mostly known as Carcharodontosauris.
The bigger their heads, the smaller their hands. The same was true for T-Rex.
Dr. Juan Canale, project leader at the Ernestobachman Paleontological Museum in Neuquen, Argentina, said they were not well suited to hunting.
He explained: “The actions related to the predation were probably carried out by the caciques. They tend to think that their weapons were also used for other activities.”
Merax lived 90 million years ago in what is now northern Patagonia, Argentina. He was about 45 years old when he died and had a large family.
Dr Canale said: “The group thrived and reached its peak of diversity shortly before extinction.
“They may have used their arms for reproductive behavior, such as embracing females during mating or bending down to stand up after a rest or fall.”
A Current Biology study found that T-Rex and Meraxes independently evolved small hands.
Dr Canale said: “The Melax fossils show the complete parts of the skeleton, such as the arms and legs, and helped us understand some of the evolutionary trends and anatomy of the Carcharodontosauria group to which it belongs.”
As a result, T-Rex did not get a handgun from Meraxes. The latter died almost 20 million years before the appearance of the former. They are also far apart on the evolutionary tree.
“There is no direct connection between the two,” Dr. Canale said.
He believes the small arms gave them some survival benefits.
He states: “I am convinced that these proportionally smaller arms had some function. The arms had strong muscles because the skeleton showed large muscle attachments and a fully developed pectoral girdle.
This means that the arm did not shrink because it did not help the creature. The more difficult question is exactly what the function was. Probably sex and balance.
Merax’s impressive head jewelry was likely used to attract potential mates.
Dr Canale said:
“Sexual selection is a powerful evolutionary force, but it’s impossible to be sure because we can’t directly observe its behavior.
“The fossils have a lot of new information and are in very good shape.”
He hopes to explore other questions through Meraxes.
Dr. Canale added: “I found the perfect place on the first day of my search and I found Melax. It was probably one of the most exciting moments of my career.”
Source: Metro
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