A study of Tyrannosaurus rex teeth has given scientists the first measurement of the dinosaur's body temperature, CNN reports. The findings indicate the giant predator ran at roughly 97 degrees Fahrenheit (about 36 degrees Celsius), a range close to that of modern humans.
The result points to the T. rex being warm-blooded, according to New Scientist. The New York Times also reported the temperature figure, while the Los Angeles Times framed the finding by noting that humans are only slightly hotter than the dinosaur was. AP News reported that the study found the T. rex had a body temperature similar to our own.
The work was published on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, and drew coverage from multiple outlets. The reports describe the measurement as the first of its kind for the species, based on analysis of the dinosaur's teeth rather than its bones. The studies cited by the outlets consistently place the animal's internal temperature in a warm-blooded range, a trait that would have shaped how the dinosaur regulated heat and sustained activity.
The finding adds to a long-running debate over whether dinosaurs were cold-blooded like modern reptiles or generated their own body heat like birds and mammals. Because the measurement comes from teeth, it offers a different line of evidence than previous estimates.
Researchers are likely to apply the same method to other dinosaur species to see whether warm-bloodedness was widespread among the group.