Was the Tyrannosaurus three species?

Scientists have found that the Tyrannosaurus may have been three species in a new study examining differences between fossils. However, the results are yet to be fully accepted.  

A team of three researchers have found that variations of about three dozen fossils indicated that two additional species deserved recognition. The team of researchers have called the other two species Tyrannosaurus Imperator and Tyrannosaurus Regina. 

Paleontologist Gregory Paul explained the findings in an abstract published to the journal Evolutionary Biology.  

“After over a century of all specimens being placed into one species without the issue being carefully examined, the first and only analysis finds that the variation in Tyrannosaurus is beyond the norms for dinosaurs, and is distributed over time in a manner that indicates that Darwinian speciation from one (species) to two new species had occurred before the final dinosaur extinction cut off further evolution,” Dr Paul wrote in the abstract. 

The Tyrannosaurus Rex was first displayed in a museum in 1905.  

The findings are far from established as consensus, with other researchers already observing their disagreement.  The University of Edinburgh paleontologist Steve Brusatte has argued that the findings weigh too heavily on minor differences between fossils. 

“Ultimately, to me, this variation is very minor and not indicative of meaningful biological separation of distinct species that can be defined based on clear, explicit, consistent differences,” he said.  
 
“It’s hard to define a species, even for animals today, and these fossils have no genetic evidence that can test whether there were truly separate populations.”