Jurassic Park might be considered one of the best movies of all time, but according to one scientist, it’s also wrong. While the monster movie has iconic shots of a genetically-engineered T-Rex baring its terrifying teeth, new research suggests that this isn’t exactly how T-Rexes look. Instead, because they’re closely related to lizards, the study suggests that they had more of a gummy smile that obscured their teeth.
Speaking to The Guardian, Dr. Mark Witton, of the University of Portsmouth and a co-author of the study, said that the Steven Spielberg movie led to a false perception around T-Rexes’ appearance.
“We are basically still living in the shadow of Jurassic Park [from] 30 years ago,” he said. “We need to move away from this toothy lipless look for things like Tyrannosaurus and towards these animals having more lizard-like faces. No animals can repair or replace worn enamel, and yet the thin enamel of tyrannosaurs remains intact even though some retained their teeth well over a year.”
I suppose giant dinosaurs with gummy teeth might not have had the terrifying effect Spielberg was looking for, but it’s called a science fiction movie for a reason. For more fun-but-potentially-inaccurate flicks, check out our guide to all the new movies coming your way this year, including Christopher Nolan movie Oppenheimer.