Whatcheeria, the prehistoric animal considered to be the “fearsome” Tyrannosaurus rex of its time
EL NUEVO DIARIO, INTERNATIONAL.- A new investigation by Loyola University Chicago considered that the Whatcheeria, which is an extinct genus of Carboniferous tetrapods dating back about 350 million years, was the prehistoric animal considered the “fearsome” Tyrannosaurus rex of his time.
The Whatcheeria lived 350 million years ago and is one of the first land animals with a backbone.
Long before dinosaurs or the first amphibians and reptiles, a unique crocodile and salamander-like creature loomed as a fearsome predator and was considered to be the Tyrannosaurus Rex of its day, the study explains.
New research published in the journal Communications Biology revealed that the prehistoric animal arose in a time of evolutionary experimentation that unfolded tens of millions of years after vertebrates spread across Earth.
Through analysis of its fossilized bones found at What Cheer in Iowa, USA, scientists were surprised to discover that this animal did not follow a pattern of slow and steady growth, like many modern reptiles and amphibians, but rather grew rapidly as a youngster. such as birds and mammals.
“Whatcheeria was not a slow and lazy amphibian. It was a large and active predator that grew very rapidly in its juvenile stage. It was the apex predator in its environment, which included different types of fish and ancient sharks, as well as other smaller primitive tetrapods,” said Megan Whitney, lead author of the study from Loyola University Chicago.
According to scientists, it was probably the largest animal in the lake, and with this they continue to publish data for public knowledge.