3 ms·
Looking at the paper, it looks like the authors didn't correct for the fact that CO2 levels during the late Cretaceous period were around 1000pm, so at the time
by Alex3917 6y ago
Looking at the paper, it looks like the authors didn't correct for the fact that CO2 levels during the late Cretaceous period were around 1000pm, so at the time there would have been significantly more available calories per square mile. If each individual really did require 40 square miles, it's hard to understand how they would successfully reproduce.
- enkid 6y ago40 Square Miles is only 6.3 miles to a side. That's not that far to travel for mating.
- ardit33 6y agoThere are plenty of animals with less density, that reproduce successfully. T-Rex was probably a solitary animal, and perhaps akin to a modern Tiger in its matting patterns. The spatial distribution and population density of tigers in mountainous terrain of Bhutan "Based on our top model, the estimated tiger population size (N) was 91 individual tigers with 60 adult females and a density of 0.24 tigers/100 km2 "
- chrisweekly 6y agoAnother interesting comparison between T Rex and tigers: the diameter and crushing force of a T Rex's jaws are pretty closely matched by the killing triangle of a tiger's front paws and fangs. Citation: John Vaillant's amazing book "The Tiger: a True Story of Vengeance and Survival". (Highly recommended)