Scientists at the Field Museum carefully removed one of the forearms of Sue the Tyrannosaurus Rex Monday. It’s all part of a study to try to figure out what the short arms may have been used for.
The right forelimb and shoulder girdle of Sue the T-Rex will be taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for a CT scan on Wednesday.
Dr. Jingmai O’Connor, associate curator of fossil reptiles at the museum, said she wants to determine what range of motion the arms had and possibly determine, more reasonably, what the T-Rex’s arms were used for.
Some have suggested the short arms were used for slashing prey, but that’s something O’Connor said she doesn’t think makes sense.
“If they’re fighting a triceratops, the height of the forelimbs versus where a triceratops would be doesn’t seem to really make a lot of sense,” she said. “Also, with the position of the forelimbs being underneath the skull, they wouldn’t be able to see even what they’re slashing at.”
O’Connor thinks the short forelimbs were most likely used as “claspers” during mating.
“Basically, during copulation with a female T-Rex, the male T-Rex would use its short arms to kind of grasp the female and hold her in place,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor said she hopes to publish the results of her study in 2024.
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