Have movies and most conventional paleontologists got it all wrong? T. rex and other theropod dinosaurs (the meat-eaters) are often portrayed as intelligent predators that can outmuscle and outsmart their opponents. But is that really supported by science?

A recent study of dinosaur sizes claims to break Bergmann’s rule.¹ Bergmann’s rule was named after biologist Carl Bergmann, who in 1847 noticed that warm-blooded animals tended to be larger in cold climates compared to the same animal in a warm climate. Larger body mass tends to help an animal retain more heat, helping animals survive in the cold.

Hot Springs National Park is located about an hour southwest of Little Rock in the folded Ouachita Mountains of central Arkansas. It is the second smallest national park in the United States at just under nine square miles.