A remarkable fossil at the Montana State University Museum of the Rocky Mountains is providing scientists with an extraordinary insight into how Tyrannosaurus rex attacked its prey. This specimen, featuring a Tyrannosaurus tooth embedded in the skull of another dinosaur, is the focal point of a new study by researchers from Montana State University and the University of Alberta.
Approximately 66 million years ago, towards the end of the dinosaur era, Tyrannosaurus rex dominated what is now Montana. This colossal predator coexisted with other giants, including the horned Triceratops and the duck-billed herbivore Edmontosaurus.
Embedded Tyrannosaurus Teeth Reveal an Ancient Story
In 2005, researchers uncovered a nearly complete Edmontosaurus skull in the Hell Creek Formation, located on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in eastern Montana. This fossil, now a part of the Museum of the Rockies’ paleontology collection, features a broken Tyrannosaurus tooth lodged in the dinosaur’s face.
The skull is currently displayed in the museum’s Hall of Horns and Teeth, as the centerpiece of a joint expedition led by University of Alberta doctoral student Taia Weinberg-Henzler and John Scannella, curator of paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies. Their groundbreaking findings were published in the scientific journal PeerJ.
“Bite marks on bones are relatively common, but finding embedded teeth is exceptionally rare,” stated Weinberg-Henzler. “The unique aspect of the embedded teeth is that we can identify both the victim and the predator, allowing us to reconstruct this Edmontosaurus’s final moments like a Cretaceous crime scene investigator.”
CT Scanning Reveals Details of the Attack
To pinpoint the predator, researchers compared the embedded teeth with those of all known carnivorous dinosaurs from the Hell Creek Formation. The analysis confirmed that the predator was indeed a Tyrannosaurus rex. A CT scan conducted at Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital’s Advanced Medical Imaging Facility provided further insights into how the tooth became trapped in the skull.
“Fossils like this are particularly captivating because they illustrate the behavior of a Tyrannosaurus rex biting this Edmontosaurus in the face,” Scannella remarked. “The skull shows no signs of healing around the embedded teeth, suggesting that the Edmontosaurus may have been dead at the time of the bite or died as a result of it.”
Rare Fossils Offer New Insights into Tyrannosaurus Behavior
According to Weinberg-Henzler, the positioning of the teeth provides critical clues about predator-prey interactions.
“The fact that these teeth are embedded in the Edmontosaurus’s snout implies that it faced its attacker directly—typically the scenario for animals killed by predators,” she explained. “Moreover, the force required to break the teeth within the bone indicates lethal force was applied. This paints a harrowing picture of the final moments of this Edmontosaurus.”
The feeding habits and hunting behaviors of tyrannosaurs have been a topic of debate among scientists for decades. As one of the largest carnivores to roam the Earth, Tyrannosaurus rex has long captured the attention of paleontological research. This rare fossil, featuring embedded teeth preserved for millions of years, contributes essential evidence regarding how this iconic predator hunted and subdued its prey.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com