Balloonosaurus rex, by Tina Gagliardo

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Balloonosaurus rex thrives as a close cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex, roaming the Cretaceous period about 68 million years back. It boasts nearly identical skeletal features to those of its larger relative, albeit on a significantly smaller scale. A fully grown adult Balloonosaurus rex measures roughly the size of a chicken in full plumage. Its diet consists mainly of rubber plants, direct precursors to Ficus elastica, which supply the essential polyisoprene molecules for maintaining healthy skin texture. Notably, Balloonosaurus rex lacks muscles and vascular tissue altogether, navigating aerodynamic movements through localized variations in air pressure instead. Scientists speculate that its extinction occurred due to significant atmospheric changes triggered by the massive asteroid impact at Chicxulub, Mexico, 66 million years ago.