Scientists reveal baby Tyrannosaurus rex was an ‘adorable ball of fluff’

Even the most fearsome dinosaur of all was once a baby. And downright ’adorable’ at that.

Scientists have new revelations about the Tyrannosaurus rex, which was so small at birth that even humans would have been giants in comparison.

“Baby T. Rex was an adorable ball of fluff. It may be hard to imagine towering Tyrannosaurus rex as tiny, but the toothy Cretaceous giant didn’t spring from an egg fully grown. In fact, T. rex hatchlings were about the size of very skinny turkeys, with ’arms’ that were longer in proportion to their tiny bodies than in adults. And each baby T. rex was covered in a coat of downy feathers.” wrote Mindy Weisburger, a senior writer for Live Science.

“What’s more, T. rex’s feathers likely grew along the animal’s head and tail into adulthood, according to new reconstructions that represent the most accurate models of the dinosaur to date,” she said.

Ms. Wesiburger cited a newly opened exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City which showcases many new discoveries about the iconic dinosaur.

As a baby, the typical T. rex gained six pounds a day for well over a decade, according to paleontologist Mark Norell, curator of both the new exhibit and the Division of Paleontology at the museum.

That adorable ball of fluff ultimately weighed in at 6 to 9 tons and stood 12 to 13 feet high, and was some 40 feet long. The critter had a “bite force” estimated at 7,800 pounds-force (34,500 newtons) — the strongest of any living animal and most extinct animals.

Still, the juvenile T-Rex had a tough life as a “vulnerable, feather covered youngster,” according to the exhibit’s new findings.

“Most defenseless hatchlings never made it past age 1,” the research said.