For Tyrannosaurs, Teen Years Were Murder
If they survived the deadly toddler years, tyrannosaurs apparently had it pretty cushy, at least until they hit dinosaur puberty.
But after these dinosaurs reached sexual maturity, life’s harsher realities kicked in again. Beginning at about age 14, tyrannosaurs suffered death rates of nearly 23 percent a year, according to a new study.
Threatened by disease, combat, and the stress of mating or raising offspring, most adults were lucky to hit their early 20s, the study says.
And just 2 percent “lived long enough to attain their maximal size and age” in their late 20s, the study authors write.
On top of that, adult Tyrannosaurs would never let their teenagers borrow the car.
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