Mmmm, that smells good: New research concludes that T-rex dinosaurs had an excellent sense of smell.Courtesy ArthurWeasleyOne of the first things I learned in my time here at the museum is that everything we know about dinosaurs we learn from the fossil record. Since then, we've posted numerous stories here about non-fossilized factors to dinosaurs. Here's another story that challenges the fossil record assertion. Researchers have discovered that T-Rex dinosaurs very likely had an extraordinary sense of smell. Click hear to learn how they've figured that out.
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I read about this a few days ago, I think. Pretty, pretty cool. I also saw that research they reference about figuring out T-Rex's eyes/vision somewhere, and it was really neat, but I couldn't find it again to post here.
I don't totally see the connection the researchers are making between its sense of smell and the T-Rex being a predator. Seems to me that a good nose would be pretty valuable for sniffing out distant dead meat. But, then again, I understand that some scavenging vultures (or buzzards?) don't even have a sense of smell.
Maybe it's the combination of the eyesight and sense of smell that suggests that they were predators? Also, as Calvin put it, "it would be so bogus if they just ate things that were already dead."
Whoops. Here's an article on the T. Rex's vision.
And here's the research it was based on (I think).
Most species of owls have no or very limited sense of smell. That's why they're the only predator of skunks.
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