Did any T-Rex have lips? Learn more here.

Palaeontologists have given one of the most famous dinosaurs a new look by saying that the T-Rex didn’t have big, sharp teeth that stuck out, but rather teeth that were the right size and were hidden by lizard-like lips.

The fact that T-Rex had lips could make it hard to play with old toys or enjoy watching Jurassic Park again.

In a study released in the journal Science, an international team of researchers from the University of Portsmouth looked at the jaw shape, tooth structure, and wear patterns of reptiles with and without lips.

In contrast to what was thought before, they found that T-Rex lips were more like those of snakes than crocodiles.

“In the past, it was thought that the teeth of predatory dinosaurs might be too big to be covered by lips, but our study shows that their teeth were not unusually big,” said Thomas Cullen, an assistant professor of paleobiology at Auburn University and the study’s lead author.

“Even [T-Rex’s] huge teeth are about the same size in relation to the size of their skulls as those of living predatory lizards. This disproves the idea that their teeth were too big for their lips to cover,” he said.

In fact, the researchers say that the shape of their jaws was like that of a tuatara, a small, extinct lizard from New Zealand that was closely related to dinosaurs.

Derek Larson, who works as the Collections Manager and Palaeontology Researcher at the Royal BC Museum in Canada, said that it was “remarkable” how similar monitor lizards and T-Rex lips are.

Based on what was found, the teeth and bones of dinosaurs were about the same size as those of modern lizards with lips. Fossil research shows that the pores in the jaws of theropods, which would have held nerves and blood for the mouth tissue, were more like those in lizards than in crocodiles.

Assistant professor of palaeontology at the University of Manitoba and co-author Kirstin Brink said that if teeth aren’t covered by lips, they can dry out, which can cause more damage when eating or fighting, like in alligators.

“Mammal teeth, with a few exceptions, have thick enamel, while dinosaur teeth have very thin enamel,” she said.

The find gives scientists new ideas about how the T-Rex might have eaten and kept its teeth healthy. It also gives evolutionary ecologists and artists the chance to start over with their work.