We will have to re-study the pursuit of the Tyrannosaurus in
Jurassic Park
.
The dreaded dinosaur actually walked slower than previously thought.
According to a study conducted by researchers from the Free University of Amsterdam, published in the journal
Royal Society Open Science
, the animal only moved at an average speed of about 5 km / h when walking, report our colleagues from the
Huffington Post
.
This speed is similar to the average speed of a walking human being.
To determine this speed, which had previously been estimated between 7 and 10 km / h by other researchers, the scientists were interested in the role of the T-rex's tail.
“The tail acts as a counterweight and also produces the force necessary to move the body forward,” explained Pasha Van Bijlert, co-author of the study.
"No living animal today has this ability."
Determine your running speed
The researchers therefore modeled the swaying rhythm of this dinosaur's tail to establish the frequency of its steps, which they then multiplied by the length traveled.
The exact result they found is 4.6 km / h, a speed "significantly slower than other estimates".
Now, scientists will try to determine the speed of this dinosaur when it ran, always paying close attention to its tail.
And for good reason, it could have served as a shock absorber for the T-Rex to "run faster without breaking his bones," said Pasha Van Bijlert.
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