Did Chickens Really Originate From T. rex? — Here’s What the Evidence Actually Shows

You probably have heard or seen people claiming that chickens may have originated from T.rexes. Well, it may sound funny and unbelievable in some sense, but the reality is there’s a real connection between these two species that lived tens of millions of years apart.

Chickens originating from a T.rex is a famous pop culture reference, but scientific evidence showcases a more nuanced relationship between these giant, sharp-toothed predators and farm birds that like to peck at different items in the barn. Let’s explore how they could actually be related.

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Are Birds Really Dinosaurs?

Tyrannosaurus Rex and its descendants

For a long time, scientists thought that dinosaurs and birds were completely separate groups of species. However, since more fossils have been unearthed and modern studies showcase feathered dinosaurs existing, such as Archaeopteryx, the gap between the classic ancient dinosaurs and modern birds is now thought of as not so far away.

When researchers compare the bones of these two species, they are able to see some similarities. Birds may have shared some key features with a group of dinosaurs called theropods, which included Velociraptors and the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex.

Some of these traits include walking on two legs, a neck that is S-shaped, three main toes on each of their foot, and, in some cases, feathers. Because of these strong characteristics’ similarities, several experts suggest that birds may have been a type of avian dinosaur.

Read more: Evolution.Berkeley.edu

So, Are Chickens T. rex’s Closest Living Relatives?

Can We Get a T-Rex from a Chicken? | Science is Hard

A famous study led by paleontologist Mary Schweitzer and colleagues found that preserved collagen protein from a T. rex fossil highly resembles that of modern birds more than reptiles. Comparing those T.rex fragments to modern living animals suggests that they are more closely matched to species like chickens and ostriches than crocodiles.

However, what exactly is the answer to the question whether chickens really originated from a T.rex and are their closest relative. The answer is it is fair to say that birds are the closest living relatives of T.rex, but chickens are not exactly special that they are considered closer to them. Other birds like ostriches, pigeons, and a robin also share the deep ancestral features and similarities to the T.rexes.

So, chickens are not more T.rex than other birds; they’re just a very familiar example that people could recognize, and chickens most likely did not come from a T.rex. They are most likely just distant cousins.

Read more: Harvard.edu

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Author's Final Thoughts

The idea that the mighty T.rex have a descendant that turned into a chicken is both fascinating and funny in some cases. However, it is not quite right, but it still got the job done to make it fun for people to be interested in the concept of evolution, and how some of the smallest and harmless creatures could share an ancestral bond with some of the strongest, fiercest, and biggest species to have ever existed.

Read next: What Once-in-an-Eon Event Gave Earth Its First Plants Around 1.5 Billion Years Ago? — Here’s What Scientists Believe