They Want to Break T. Rex Into 3 Species. Other Paleontologists Aren’t Pleased.
The New York Times
The premise, put forth in a new paper, highlights an assortment of tensions in dinosaur paleontology, including how subjective the naming of species can be.
Tyrannosaurus rex is the most iconic dinosaur. Its skeletons hold pride of place in museums around the world, and sell for millions of dollars at auction — and a bounty of relatively complete specimens have made it the most thoroughly studied dinosaur in the world.
But in a new paper published Tuesday in Evolutionary Biology, three researchers argue that the animal we currently call Tyrannosaurus rex should actually be split into three separate species, with T. rex being joined by two cousins they name Tyrannosaurus imperator, or the emperor, and Tyrannosaurus regina, the queen.
“This paper is likely to rock the paleo community, and the public that is so used to good old T. rex,” said Gregory Paul, an independent paleontologist and paleoartist and author on the paper.
