Was T. rex As Smart As A Primate? | BoneHeads

A recent study has claimed that dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex could have been as smart as certain primates, and also had the capability for tool use and the development of culture. But how true is this? Join us in this episode of BoneHeads as we discuss this paper and much more!
BoneHeads: • BoneHeads
Paleoart in thumbnail by Wayne Barlowe
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Things we talked about:
Theropod dinosaurs had primate-like numbers of telencephalic neurons (Herculano-Houzel, 2023)
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...
/ 1611871291857854464
A new pterodactyloid pterosaur with a unique filter‑feeding apparatus
from the Late Jurassic of Germany (Martill et al., 2023)
link.springer.com/article/10....
Reconstruction of the pectoral girdle and forelimb musculature of Megaraptora (Dinosauria: Theropoda) (Rolando et al., 2023)
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wil...
Growth constraints set an upper limit to theropod dinosaur body size (Henderson, 2023)
link.springer.com/article/10....
Turnersuchus:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
Spinosaurus is trending again:
/ 1622728165331435520
Interesting speculation by Kosemen: / 1621514245870620674
New colossosaur titanosaur:
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Important crab news:
www.frontiersin.org/articles/...
www.sci.news/archaeology/nean...
0:00 - Intro
0:35 - T. rex Intelligence Paper
29:57 - Balaenognathus Introduction
32:44 - Full Balaenognathus Interview
49:21 - Balaenognathus Discussion
1:00:42 - Megaraptoran Muscle Reconstruction
1:07:17 - Isle of Wight Fossil Hunt
1:17:45 - Turnersuchus
1:27:17 - How Big Could Theropods Grow?
1:35:50 - Spinosaurus is Trending Again
1:41:37 - New Colossosaur
1:43:17 - Important Crab News
1:45:20 - Outro
#boneheads

[@sexualyeti7023]

I think the REAL discussion we should be having is what was going on with the thumbnail artist's life to produce such a terrifying and creepy image. Either he was being haunted by a superintelligent trex ghost and was attempting to imprison it like a Cretaceous Dorian Grey, or the artist was going through a spectacularly messy divorce.

[@sym9266]

I absolutely love it. That’s what TREX looked like as far as Im concerned

[@ToaOfFusion]

I can see where Dreamworks got their inspiration for Death from when making the new Puss and Boots film.

[@dboot8886]

Needs some more chonk. I get why people avoid feathers, even feathery entegument, but srsly what's wrong with putting some more meat on those bones??

[@flightlesslord2688]

@@dboot8886 its an older depiction, before the current understanding of rex being an absolute unit. And feathers arent a thing on derived tyrannosaurs from what we currently know, beyond the sparse feathering seen in the likes of Prehistoric Planet, but even that is speculative and that likely.

[@theperfectbotsteve4916]

given that if you saw that stareing at you it would most likely be the last thing you see I think it's pretty appropriate

[@alexwynters600]

Thumbnail might be the most cursed rendition of a Tyrannosaurus I've ever seen...

[@Rhynchocoela]

Yeah genuinely scary

[@sym9266]

Like a bird of prey

[@kaminsod4077]

Looks like he wants to devour your soul as well as your flesh.

[@markd.s.8625]

at the time it was made it was supposed to be a rendition of Nanotyrannus, it's titled approaching storm and it was made in 1995

[@MourningCoffeeMusic]

T. rex was definitely smarter than my neighbor who manages to step in his own dog’s poo almost every day without fail.

[@katlee8778]

Lmao

[@John.0z]

No dogs here... but that sounds about the same general IQ as a few of my neighbours.

[@theperfectbotsteve4916]

they've got nothing on my moms friend from her weird shopping meeting thing who thinks vaccines cause autism, is vegan, believes in zodiac sighs and is Seriously considering that the earth might be flat.

[@H34L5]

How do so many idiots not know they should pick up the dog poo and throw it out? They seem to think it's like manure... I too had such a neighbor.

[@VeganSanatani]

Listen man... When you are busy or absent minded, it happens right ?

[@johnsteiner3417]

Elephants also uproot trees to reinforce migration paths, which inadvertently improves the overall forest health- not that the elephants necessary know, because it clears out some older trees to make room for saplings.

[@Mortablunt]

Sadly we only know of that because we killed thousand of them to see it had the opposite effect of helping forests. The elephants could know, they are more than intelligent enough to hold the memories and recognize patterns, but they may not necessarily kenn the why.

[@nathon1942]

@@Mortabluntbro what

[@BlueRidgeBubble]

​@@nathon1942 Beyond the kenn of man Kenn is understanding

[@plopdoo339]

​@@MortabluntThey probably understand; if it's for making a migratory path for them to remember then it's clearly on purpose.

[@michaelthomas5433]

I truly love the idea of a T-Rex wearing a beret and holding a paint brush in their claws. However if they dropped that brush they probably wouldn't have been able to pick it back up.. because of their tiny arms. I bet they would spend a lot on brushes that way.

[@rodrigopinto6676]

The Tyrannosaurus rex was the ultimate terrestrial predator

[@michaelthomas5433]

@@rodrigopinto6676 But was it also an artist?

[@altithoraxperotorum5133]

Palaeontology discussions in 15 years : did T. rex have a society

[@Bowie_E]

Did T Rex host Tupperware parties with said society?

[@myleswelnetz6700]

To answer that question now, yes. Some species were likely social animals.

[@biomuseum6645]

they lived in a society

[@nyalan8385]

T Rex probably was mostly solitary based on its size, although mated pairs probably hunted together until they split up. There are more types of intelligence than just social intelligence, and just because T Rex was possibly as smart as a primate does not mean it lived like a primate by any means

[@fullup91]

They had VR headsets

[@TheAnimalKingdom-tq3sz]

T-Rex: "Hmmmm, M O N K E"

[@LowellLucasJr.]

So far Trex could be 70% bigger than expected, smart as a chimp, twice as ugly, has incredible smell, arms can lift 400lbs, could swim and with a shocking acute eye sight! Tyrannosaurus is just getting cooler and cooler and time goes on!

[@thedukeofchutney468]

There’s a reason it’s dubbed the king of dinosaurs and is pretty much the only creature in existence to be known by its full binomial name.

[@shockmesane4158]

Imagine what will happen when Nick Cage has to sell all his dinosaur fossils for tax reasons, we'll finally realize the T-Rex had lasers that shot out of the eyes and just cut anything they look at in half.

[@evelynlamoy8483]

don't even get me started on their ear structure and potential of their infrasound communication, and what that would mean for their social structures. I imagine it used primarily to organize family units, with young wandering off to fill their own dietary niches as they grow, but staying in earshot of mom for safety.

[@planescaped]

We've recent evidence to suggest that T-Rex's could skateboard and may have worn backwards caps.

[@sandro5535]

@@evelynlamoy8483 Also heard that their saliva was likely venemous like a Komodo Dragon.

[@tommyfishhouse8050]

The Jurassic Park movies would have gone very differently if the T-Rex was the smart dinosaur instead of the Raptors.

[@mikeramon4664]

Thumbnail is terrifying lowkey

[@Bottle-OBill]

Ngl... The main reason I clicked was to stop that damned thumbnail from staring into my soul every time I opened up YT lol

[@persianking44]

To add onto the tool use thing, the primary use of it among animals that predate on other species is simply to make it easier for them to hunt the prey item in question. In some cases, such as Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons and other early humans, it even allowed them to hunt much larger game that would have otherwise been too big to safely bring down. Dromeosaurids and other small theropod families I could see having the potential for tool-use among them, especially those more closely related to (or count themselves among) the lineage that led to the modern birds, but not large theropods. After all, why would they need tools to take prey down when their sheer size and powerful jaws and/or forelimbs would be more than sufficient enough?

[@flightlesslord2688]

but, if they had a predilection for dexterity, why would they not use tools at the same time.

[@persianking44]

That doesn't make any sense. Being dexterous doesn't inherently correlate to tool use for starters (see corvids and other modern avian dinosaurs who do use tools), and again, what would be the need? Their jaws are more than sufficient for acquiring and dispatching prey items, so they wouldnt need tools for that, and it's really unlikely they'd use tools for nestbuilding.

[@JohnSharpe-pu3nz]

I mean, they specifically evolved to hunt armored herbivores, but that doesn't mean those herbivores weren't still extremely dangerous. They might not strictly *need* tools, but tools would certainly improve their survival odds.

[@persianking44]

@@JohnSharpe-pu3nz That’s a really dumb counterpoint and not how it works. If a species evolves the behaviors and adaptations necessary for tool use, it is because tool use is essential for the species to acquire a food source or protect itself. Yeah, no shit it would have improved their odds, but it didn’t happen anyway, so why make the argument at all?

[@Five_y_kay]

Hey thanks these podcasts are great, as an amateur I really love to hear from knowledgeable and passionate people who used to all the ins and outs of the field.

[@vividvulpe9842]

I had the book when i was a kid with that very thumbnail/illustration in it. Loved how some illustrators really portrayed some dinosaurs with stereo vision. Wayne B*

[@aceundead4750]

Megaraptorans had those big arms for throwing sticks for their pet Trex to fetch, like a big puppy lol in an alternate universe this explains the big arms and big heads of Megaraptorans and Tyrannosaurs respectfully.

[@rodrigopinto6676]

“Shorter” but very STRONG

[@myleswelnetz6700]

They were smart, but not THAT smart.

[@williambuchanan77]

Even if T-Rex was clever enough to use tool it didn't have the arms and hands to do something like that. So, if T-Rex did have that much intelligence it was most likely because it lived in family units, so the extra intelligence was most likely for social purposes like communication. It's possible they would have also had a capacity to use strategy, or be it to a limited extent.

[@petrairene]

Exactly. And wolves are not known to use tools. T Rexes do not even need tool use because they already have all the tools they need on their bodies.

[@fermintenava5911]

Arms are not the issue - the New Caledonian crow can form AND use tools all with their beaks. However, you can't really argue that T-Rex could work all that precisely with their big mouths. And even then - the crows use these tools to pull bugs out from under the bark. What tools could a T-Rex possibly need?

[@minutemansam1214]

There is no evidence that T. rex lived in family units. And the study is highly suspect as it makes several incorrect assumptions.

[@rahowherox1177]

@@fermintenava5911 an ass scratcher.

[@Nmethyltransferase]

r/BoneAppleTea It's possible they would have also had a capacity to use strategy, *albeit* to a limited extent.

[@IceSpoon]

52:05 I've seen that part like 5 times and I still laugh lol

[@GengragonCreep]

Amazing podcast and interview! Greetings from Mexico!

[@lorrinbarth1969]

The paper on theropod size is saying that to walk or run the animal has to have the strength to move its legs fast enough to have a foot planted for the next step or it falls on its face.

[@DarthInsomnis]

Science 100 years ago: Einstein proving that gravity is a 4 dimensional fabric of space time Science now: was trex as smart as monke

[@altithoraxperotorum5133]

Science in 15 years : did dinosaurs use tools?

[@leppeppel]

At long last, the episode I've been waiting for!

[@WAcrobat19]

That thumbnail art though 😭😭😭

[@rileyernst9086]

The way i see it is that most animals are much more smarter and trainable than you'd first imagine. Sophylogentically bracketing trex between a chicken and a crocodile, the most important questions can be answered: yes they would make good pets, yes you'd be able to forge a close bond with it and should be able to train it quite effectively. You just need to house and feed the thing and get rid of mountains of shit, once you have those logistics and training sorted you're good 👍.

[@cursedGalataea]

How naive of you to assume your pet chicken wouldn't consume you and everyone you love, if only it was large enough ʘ⁠‿⁠ʘ

[@fermintenava5911]

But that's the thing - dinosaurs had no one who would train them. Training is a system "reward for behaviour" - many animals recognize that pattern. Scientists define intelligence on things like self-consciousness (could a beast recognize itself as an individual) and the processing of information. I've recently read "The Genius of Birds" by Jennifer Ackerman, which goes into much more detail on that.

[@rileyernst9086]

Oh no i am talking about other people's pet chickens. Mine are savage and ravenous beasts.

[@_paleodude_6186]

Have you guys ever considered making a video on how you managed to study paleontology in university? I'm currently unsure where to even start lol

[@bcwbcw3741]

Well, octopus are smart as are whales and dolphin. It seems like brain structure is a very iffy method for looking at intelligence. Also, what is intelligence? Visual processing is hard for computers but fairly "dumb" animals do it really well. Is "intelligence" mostly a measure of social behavior or what? We say what we do is intelligence. Octopus live for two to three years yet are really good at abstract understanding of physical world problems.

[@maureensurdez7841]

Loved the outdoor seaside fossil hunt.!

[@jahreem1923]

i want some paleo art of this paper, a t-rex trying to hold a spear or gnawing on a log would be great

[@alaskatheakita7217]

Love your videos big fan for about 2 years No disrespect but much prefer the length of your other videos Much love

[@ariwoodshany4308]

Not trying to be rude. I apologise if it comes off that way. This is a podcast episode not the usual shorter content. Suprised me too when I stumbled upon the Boneheads Podcast. Have a nice day.

[@npanic628]

Great stuff.. while listening to the podcast and eating my cornflakes a weird thought crossed my mind: imagine in 65 million years 3 weird pink creatures sitting in their respective habitats separated by miles and miles talking about whether humans were capable of cognitive thought, communication, civilization, etc etc...

[@entropicflux8849]

if anybody comes across us in the fossil record, they'll know that we thought but that we were also very, very dumb.

[@_Rosebud]

my favourite pod ngl.❤

[@totAlvoetbal]

That thumbnail is nightmare fuel. Head on depictions of predatory dinosaurs, in general, are so weird and terrifying

[@markd.s.8625]

it was made in 1995 it's titled approaching storm, by wayne barlowe

[@tacho9427]

I would find it hard to believe Tyrannosaurus, and other predators from the late Cretaceous, did not at least have a decent amount of intelligence. These animals spent millions of years evolving, and their ancestors dominated the planet for nearly 50x as long as humans have.

[@lukaslambs5780]

And bacteria have been the dominant life form for way way way longer than any animal, intelligence is not a prerequisite for success! They weren’t stupid but primate levels of intelligence is seen by most to be a large stretch.

[@rahowherox1177]

Lol jellyfish do alright... Despite lack of brains ...

[@lukaslambs5780]

@@rahowherox1177 exactly! Intelligence ≠ success. Microorganisms plants and fungi are very successful with no brain whatsoever.

[@anthonyrebuffo9509]

Nope, maybe something like an hawk

[@sabedoriaaciencia]

Gosto muito do seu canal parabéns: good job !

[@osmosisjones4912]

You should see a Sea turtles Offactory bulb . I and wondered how new Born sea turtles know to go to ocean. Turns out it's not instincts is sense's and craving and urges

[@TimothyMusson]

21:22 - Caber tossing as a mating display! :)

[@fermintenava5911]

My main gripe is... in our day, the evolution towards intelligence is dependent on constant challenges. Our most intelligent species (like baboons, corvids and dolphins) today are usually omnivor and/ or highly social in dynamic environments. How many challenges could an apex predator in an environment full of big prey POSSIBLY face?

[@lenosflarrethedragonking4300]

The same can be said of whales, orcas, and elephants which don't face many challenges due to their massize sizes and yet they're some of the smartest animals on earth.

[@rileyernst9086]

The sea is inherently a more harsh enviroment with food sources, breeding grounds etc are much further appart and oppotunity to feed maybe limited, oceanic mammals are often intensely social as hunting in groups is more effective as is detecting and defending against potential predators.

[@lenosflarrethedragonking4300]

@@rileyernst9086 I notice you didn't bring up elephants.

[@fermintenava5911]

@@lenosflarrethedragonking4300 As Riley stated, the keyword is social. Elephants have complex social structures that can also easily break, and they get a lot of neural input from their ears and trunk and other senses. But we only know that because we have studied LIVING elephants, their social life and their anatomy, and they come from an animal group that already had very active senses. We have nothing of that sort to go by for T-Rex, and certainly not to the degree that we could grant them a "culture".

[@lenosflarrethedragonking4300]

@@fermintenava5911I'm not saying that there shouldn't be skepticism involved with the study because yeah we don't know enough. What I'm disagreeing with you on is how you said T-Rex wasn't challenged, making it less likely for it to evolve intelligence. Which doesn't make any sense considering that the big prey you were talking about, like triceratops, edmontosaurus, could easily kill them. They were obviously challenged. I personally think they weren't as smart as baboons, but about as smart as bears give or take.

[@carlorielmendez6505]

The mink guy is training his monitor lizard with some progress, and he's not alone. Even birds which are modern dinosaurs could be trained. So this is still murky but possible. Though solitary apex predators probably have less use for social skills, therefore probably have a hard time making themselves work as a team or even temporary alliances.

[@GridironGnoll]

finally: a plausible explanation for the unexpectedly mobile shoulder joints in carnotaurus.... to throw spears^^

[@twilightknight123]

I'm 90% sure telencephalic is pronounced like encephalopathy given the similar roots, so it would be "tell-en-seph-a-lick"

[@sym9266]

Think more like ‘tell-en-seff-AGH-lick’ with the stress on the second to last syllable because it’s an adjective like melodramatic, metallic, idiosyncratic, homeostatic, etc.

[@twilightknight123]

@@sym9266 Yeah that's fair, I guess I didn't specify the stressed syllable. I was more so just pointing out the "c" is pronounced like an "s" rather than how they're pronouncing it.

[@sym9266]

@@twilightknight123 ah, I got bored after 10 minutes and started scrolling the comments xD

[@CardinalBiggles01]

They struggle to bother pronouncing the "Th" sound correctly of most words like a lot of kids.

[@maniacovenator3048]

Where do I see all these papers? 🤔

[@danluthje3474]

I love the picture in my head.. a t-rex tossing a spear.. thats why it had those arms 🧐

[@rodrigopinto6676]

“Shorter” but very STRONG

[@CAWCarcharo34]

Hamzah clearly doesn't own an air fryer

[@dinoboyo6639]

How did you he didn't?

[@CAWCarcharo34]

@@dinoboyo6639 Because sleep in bed, him

[@Charles-sg9zu]

Palaeo social in the chat

[@CAWCarcharo34]

Wordz, damig'd)

[@estemmenosuchusuralensis8060]

@@CAWCarcharo34 how to word

[@erictaylor5462]

I'm dyslexic and I clicked in this video thinking it said "Was T-rex as smart as a pirate?" Just a suggestion. I want to know if T-rex made a sound like a goose.

[@tim3tRav3l3RR60]

She was a quack I brought up similar points as you all as a question ( you can see it in her comments on the video) and she didn't even acknowledge them. Instead referring to the praise and or answering people who didn't understand the method rather than those who found it questionable. Halfed ass research imo

[@alexandermelchers1497]

So you guys enjoy Monmouth Beach more than Black Ven and Church Cliffs? I thought especially Black Ven is particularly productive in vertebrate remains?

[@apotato-]

that thumbnail is terrifying

[@Ivorykittenart]

That thumbnail is terrifying

[@antonbrakhage490]

Considering that quite a few avian dinosaurs use tools, build nests, and are social animals, I think its quite probable that some non-avian dinosaurs could have. Whether Rex did though I can't say.

[@maartendj2724]

Wait until they find T-Rex footprints on the moon

[@markd.s.8625]

the magma tunnels in the moon at that!

[@TeethToothman]

1:05:16

[@cursedGalataea]

1:10:06 as a matter of fact, that looks like a dinosaur trackway behind you!

[@SuperMewKittyKatGaming]

i wanted to be paleontologyst but my mother forced me to study engineering :( i loved dinosaurs and prehistoric animals since i was 5

[@SuperMewKittyKatGaming]

also wasnt troodons and raptors the smartest?

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

You probably make more money as an engineer. And you can still study palaeontology for fun! 😄😄 😄 {:o:O:}

[@humblemarty]

If it had the intelligence of a primate we'd probably have dinosaurs picking a pecking order sort of like Guinea Pigs. It would look like a wrestling match.

[@michaelthomas5433]

So. Much. Squeeling.

[@sova656]

the research behind this study is done by someone who specializes in brain science and not someone who specializes in paleozoology but I don't think it should be brushed aside as obscure it does have credibility but there should be more research done.

[@fermintenava5911]

But that's the point - more research COULD have been done. There are scientists that specialize in that field and have written about it (Amy Balanoff for example). It's not too much to ask for (at least in the academic world) to read their work and cite them before making such outlandish claims.

[@JohnyG29]

It was awful research, as they explain in this video.

[@Thulgore]

I've always wondered if it's possible that tyrannosaur arms were egg carrying. Fuck nests, the safest place on the planet (on land) would have been held "lovingly" underneath a tyrannosaurs jaw.

[@myleswelnetz6700]

The thumbnail looks so creepy.

[@markd.s.8625]

the piece is from 1995, titled approaching storm

[@ohianaw]

that thumbnail is scary asf

[@eyemallears2647]

Hey Ben you rock

[@eyemallears2647]

Ok you all rock

[@rumpelforeskin3431]

Great job gents!

[@1perspective286]

52:14 Why do they even have that sound effect? I guess it's for all those dinosaur pwnings out there.

[@messiahmatrix]

I was wondering what this scientist was thinking TRex was smart as a baboon, was she aware that TRex Olfactory bolb, as well as ocular as well. T-Rex was a animal ruled my scenes.

[@melodyashwin4643]

The thumbnail wigs me out

[@rikardevjen9911]

It could have a pouch like a pelican!

[@Jean-yn6ef]

💚🏜 I can hardly wait for the cartoons depicting t rex using tools 🙄🤣

[@yellowflowerorangeflower5706]

Cool

[@FeralFelineFriend]

The thumbnail is really creepin' my out. Looking at it for too long is making me shutter.

[@michielwaalboer3088]

2024: Jack Horner includes these findings into his new theory that claims that T-Rex was not in fact a scavenger BUT! it dit grow its own food. "Superior Intelligence allowed the animal to be the first to discover advanced cultivation methods like crop rotation" 2025: The new documentary "Smarter than T-Rex " is released about the enigmatic Spinosaur and it's cognitive capabilities. 2026: Jurassic World part whatever is made. The movie is about intelligent dinosaurs that together build a park where humans are put in cages. 2027: Something unpredictable involving Spinosaurus (again) probably...

[@maureensurdez7841]

Wonderful informative interview with prof Martel was it?

[@barrybarlowe5640]

Comparing cognition of extinct animals to living ones is futile. T-Rex did not have the advantage of exploring its environment with manipulating hands. Unless it had some sort of tentacle arrangement on its tongue tip, it would have been primarily dependant on its lips, much like a crocodile. It possibly could be equated to a Raven or Parrot. As far as we can tell it did not have a syrinx to vocalize as modern birds do, so the communication of ideas and experiences would need to be handled differently.

[@harrymonk6]

So what about chickens

[@bcwbcw3741]

Why are there no T-rex cave paintings?

[@sym9266]

That’s simply because anyone drawing on cave walls never would have seen one to know what they look like.

[@bcwbcw3741]

@@sym9266 I meant paintings by T-rex's

[@steven95N]

Bruh, why does the thumbnail T-Rex look like King Ramses from Courage the Cowardly Dog?

[@scottzema3103]

Giant ammonites and other cephalopods probably were the most intelligent creatures in the Cretaceous.

[@lorencalfe6446]

‘trex uprooting trees and using as weapons’ someone’s been playing too much monster hunter 🤪

[@ogedeh]

Trex on rollerskates

[@tsmspace]

perhaps this paper signals a dark age of information is dawning.

[@tsmspace]

imo the problem is we have so much technology, but are only "children in school" for the same amount of time that we were before computers. ,, maybe the real question is about our own brain-cases.

[@dud3655]

I wouldn't say they were stupid, a predator of this size should've been pretty smart, but I wouldn't exactly say primate-level, I'd say they were as smart as a dog or a bit more.

[@thedukeofchutney468]

I think a lot of it depends on how you define “smart”.

[@therion5458]

They've recently discovered that certain breeds of dogs are actually smarter than chimpanzees. Which is impressive. Dogs/wolves are very cool animals.

[@dud3655]

@@thedukeofchutney468 honestly in a predator's case I think it'd mean how easy would it be for it to form strategies in the middle of hunts, use the terrain to it's advantage, etc, basically do more than just chase prey around.

[@therion5458]

I'd like to add something which seems to be overlooked about Tyrannosaurus Rex's intelligence. For one, it was an Archosaur. What is one thing we know about surviving Archosaurs? Crocodiles and birds are both abnormally intelligent. Crocodiles are the only reptile with a cerebral cortex, and certain birds like ravens and crows have an intellect similar to modern humans despite having very small brains! So, theoretically, a T-Rex was likely MORE intelligent than primates in general.

[@minutemansam1214]

@@therion5458 There is no dog as intelligent as a chimpanzee. And corvid intelligence is comparable to a very young human child, but not an adult. And no, T. rex didn't reach primate intelligence. Crocodilians, while being pretty smart for a non-avian reptile, still isn't nearly as intelligent as the average mammal, or bird. Given that T. rex's brain was more similar to a crocodile than a bird, I'd say it was around, if not a little more intelligent, than a crocodile.

[@shockmesane4158]

Typing before I even watch the video, and looking at the length I now understand how you took a minute to address this honestly kind of click-baity story. Almost 2 hours? Ok here we go.

[@Charles-sg9zu]

T. rex jumped in the chat 💬

[@fullup91]

Ben E Hamzah

[@osmosisjones4912]

Land before Time sharptooth had lips .but deliberately showed them to look scary

[@CthulhuianBunny]

"Biological capability to use and craft tools." Okay, I know crows can manipulate lengths of wire to get at food, but the difference between a crow's beak and a T. rex's maw is like tweezers vs a pair of snow shovels. Not saying that a T. rex couldn't be graceful or even gentle when it needed to be, just that it had a lot of mass.

[@CthulhuianBunny]

@@Me-yq1fl I'm talking more size comparison, rather than bite force/damage they can do.

[@rileyernst9086]

I'd be inclined to think megaraptorans are ceolursaurans.

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

What sort of tools would a _T. rex_ use? Very, very, very long chop sticks? {:o:O:}

[@danielled8665]

Not sure why we're comparing them to primates when bird intelligence is much more valid. Crows and other corvids have small brains compared to many mammals, but they are absurdly intelligent and good at problem solving, counting, and social behavior

[@themyceliumnetwork]

Great Video !! from this research I have gathered that I am smarter than a T-Rex LOL

[@cheaplaughkennedy2318]

Another one of many endless debates.

[@Jim58223]

So did she blend 174 brains? And make em into soup?

[@jaremakarwowski1574]

And bringing any humanist to the table would beat the idea of Animals creating a culture out of her head

[@alioramus1637]

I knew this paper had it's flaws and was made by someone who specializes in neurology. But i like it because it will open the door to more debate which will lead to new discoveries concerning the intelligence of non-avian dinosaurs.

[@GoodForYou4504]

Yes, that was my thought as well. I worked with a guy who would always have crazy plans for projects. Everyone telling him he was nuts always made for a better understanding of how to proceed. I believe he knew exactly what he was doing.

[@tsmspace]

so if so much of the T-rex brain is olfactory, wouldn't it need plenty of brain just to remember all of the smells??

[@frojojo5717]

The olfactory bulb does both the processing and the memory. The whole brain works like that.

[@tsmspace]

@@frojojo5717 the olfactory bulb remembers the smells, (I don't know this kind of stuff) but does it then also apply this knowledge? I'm imagining a T-rex that is a big animal so sees far and learns a lot of very detailed environment (including smells but not limited to them) and also must overcome difficulties with mobility limitations (how can it take a bite without flopping the carcas around a bit) ,, and suggesting that it might require quite a bit of brain just to do these things.

[@frojojo5717]

@@tsmspace Coordination and movement is relatively easy for brains and do not need large amounts of neurones. A tiny gecko with a really minute brain can control four limbs with five digits each as well as it’s tail etc. and be extremely agile and coordinated. Analysing complex incoming data like smell, sight and sound is generally more computationally intensive. Half of the human cortex is devoted to sight.

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

@@frojojo5717 Another factor to consider in that case is that Tyrannosaurus rex had likely stellar vision and good hearing. Which would take up even more space in its brain.

[@tsmspace]

@@frojojo5717 I suppose I still imagine that tracking it's environment takes more though, a tiny gecko may sometimes see a t-rex, but a t-rex will see many geckos

[@hankskorpio5857]

I like how this vids pic is the most disturbing pic of a Trex ive ever seen even after literal decades of seeing them depicted over and over drenched in blood tearing into flesh...

[@osmosisjones4912]

Flying birds can nest on the ground

[@nicodemusedwards6931]

I could believe that a T-Rex had a form of culture, especially depending on how you define culture. A lot of animals could have a kind of culture… I don’t know why or how a T-Rex would develop tool use.

[@robinmatz6686]

I can imagine simple traps, like crocodiles piling sticks to lure birds with nesting material. Purposefully attracting prey is something that isnt entirely out of question, but how to know?

[@minutemansam1214]

@@robinmatz6686 The idea that crocodiles intentionally use sticks to catch birds has been called into question, since other studies show no link between crocodiles having sticks on their head and their success in hunting birds. The initial 'study' is an anecdote a couple scientists shared by viewing wild crocodilians. But subsequent studies on captive animals failed to show such behaviors. Captive crocodilians in areas where birds were nesting were no more likely to have sticks on their snout than ones in areas without nesting birds. The behavior seems to be either coincidental (the sticks just happen to be on their head) or curiosity at best.

[@josiahhockenberry9846]

This gives off aliens vibes. Extraordinary claims and whatnot...

[@jabberman3000]

if theyre so smart where are they now?

[@johnsteiner3417]

Tool use? With those forelimbs? And even if we knew tyrannosaur brain size, which you note that we don't, much more of that brain is to manage body and senses? Sight and smell for tyrannosaurs would take a lot of the brain to process.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

Dolphins are extremely intelligent, but they don't really have the limbs to use tools.

[@minutemansam1214]

@@ExtremeMadnessX But they still use tools.

[@johnsteiner3417]

@@ExtremeMadnessX Intelligent by animal standards, sure, but that too isn't a comparison made with a wildly different taxon.

[@johnsteiner3417]

@@minutemansam1214 No evidence for that. Which is why the paper's own lack of citation is damning.

[@rodrigopinto6676]

@@johnsteiner3417 “shorter” arms but very STRONG

[@OctopusWithNoFriends]

I find it hilarious that half the comments are people saying "Well *I* think, based on my opinion only, that T-Rex was as smart as (this) but not as smart as (this)." None of us has a grasp of how intelligent ANY of these animals were. Maybe someday we will. Hell this is a step in the right direction; question everything, and look for answers. I wanna know what they were really like in life! Anyway, *I* believe T-Rex was omniscient. 🦖

[@rodrigopinto6676]

Was the ultimate predator