A one-of-a-kind exhibit has been unveiled in Los Angeles that shows the stages of growth of a long-extinct giant - the Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur. The exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County updates our understanding of the ancient creature.Experts from this museum unearthed all three of the fossilized skeletons. One is a baby three meters long. It died at about the age of two, and Luis Chiappe, director of the museum's Dinosaur Institute, says it is the youngest T rex ever discovered.
The three reconstructed skeletons have been posed and mounted, but the display is not yet finished. It will later show the three animals looking down on the carcass of a duck-billed dinosaur, reflecting modern understanding of dinosaur behavior. Scientists say the T rex probably lived in groups and may have been making the transition from cold-blooded to warm-blooded creatures. The T rex may have cared for its young, and was probably covered with feathers for at least part of its growth cycle. Luis Chiappe says the feathers were used for insulation or in a colorful display to attract mates. He notes that dinosaurs are related to modern birds, and probably acted more like birds than reptiles.
