Hatchlings of Tyrannosaurus rex and the Evolution of Dinosaur Reproductive Strategies

Abstract

Tyrannosaurs were giant predatory dinosaurs that occupied the apex of Late Cretaceous food chains. Little is known about the early life and reproductive ecology of tyrannosaurs due to the extreme rarity of hatchling and juvenile fossils. We report bones of hatchlings (<1 yr) for Tyrannosaurus rex and Gorgosaurus libratus, weighing ~2.5 kg and ~2.4 kg, respectively, i.e., <0.1% of adult mass. Clutches were likely large. We conservatively estimate ~20 eggs in a small adult T. rex versus ~30 eggs in the largest T. rex, and clutches of ~15 eggs in G. libratus; larger clutches of 50 or even 100 eggs are not impossible. This suggests an r-selected reproductive strategy. Synchrotron scans reveal Haversian bone remodeling, suggesting that tyrannosaurs moved soon after hatching. Hatchling tyrannosaurs’ small size and precociality suggest limited parental care; teeth of hatchlings show wear suggesting that they fed on relatively large vertebrates. Tyrannosaurs had proportionately larger offspring than most reptiles, but relatively smaller hatchlings than Eumaniraptora and birds, suggesting retention of a primitive reproductive strategy intermediate between that of basal diapsids and birds. Multiple dinosaur lineages evolved large eggs independently, suggesting an evolutionary trend towards increased parental investment.