How a baby T-Rex bites
Researchers use 3D modelling to examine the jaws of different-sized tyrannosaurs.
Finite element analysis results for an adult Tyrannosaurus rex (FMNH PR 2081) jaw demonstrating a range of biting stresses. Blue and green (cool colors) denote the lowest amount of stresses experienced whereas red and white (hot colors) display the highest. Credit: Andre Rowe
The fearsome jaws of
Tyrannosaurus rex have long captured the popular imagination. Now, a new study from the University of Bristol, UK, has revealed a more nuanced picture of that famous bite, showing that juvenile T-Rexes lacked the powerful bite force of their adult counterparts, and probably hunted different kinds of prey.
IMAGE: Skeletons of four tyrannosaurid specimens tested in the study view more
Credit: Clockwise from above left: adult Tyrannosaurus rex Sue (FMNH PR 2081) (Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL; photo by the Field Museum), juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex Jane (BMRP 2002.4.1) (Burpee.
By closely examining the jaw mechanics of juvenile and adult tyrannosaurids, some of the fiercest dinosaurs to inhabit earth, scientists led by the University of Bristol have uncovered differences in how they bit into their prey.
They found that younger tyrannosaurs were incapable of delivering the bone-crunching bite that is often synonymous with the Tyrannosaurus Rex and that adult specimens were far better equipped for tearing out chunks of flesh and bone with their massive, deeply set jaws.
Tyrannosaur Teens Didn’t Have the Bone-Crushing Bite of Adults
Image: Mary Altaffer (AP)
Adult tyrannosaurs were basically bone crushing machines on two feet. New research suggests juvenile tyrannosaurs couldn’t match the same level of brutality, resulting in a distinctive bite that set them apart from their adult counterparts.
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Nothing like tyrannosaurs exist today, and thank goodness for that. As the quintessential apex predator of the Mesozoic, these megatheropods featured bite forces that boggle the imagination. The modern lion exerts a respectable 1,300 Newtons of force when chomping down on prey , but
T. rex with its wide and deeply set jaw exerted a whopping 60,000 Newtons of force with each horrific bite.
Younger Tyrannosaurus Rex bites were less ferocious than their adult counterparts miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.