Historically, dinosaur ages have been estimated using the growth rings in their bones — one ring per year. But new research involving crocodiles suggests a faster pace.
Tommy Trenchard
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Tommy Trenchard
Paleontologists have often determined how old a dinosaur was by counting the growth rings in its bones. Just like with trees, it was thought that each ring corresponded to a single year of age. But researchers who studied crocodiles at an outdoor recreation center near Cape Town appear to have poked a hole in that approach. In the crocodiles, which are some of the closest living relatives of dinosaurs, there was more than one growth ring laid down per year. The results contribute to a growing debate over the best way to age animals.
Read more of freelance science reporter Ari Daniel’s story here.
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This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez and Brent Baughman. Hannah Chinn checked the facts. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez.