Tyrannosaur fossil reveals dark secret about apex predator: ‘Like solving ancient murder mystery’
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- A fossil discovery reveals that some tyrannosaurus species were opportunistic scavengers, feeding on the remains of larger T rex relatives about 75 million years ago.
- Researchers at Aarhus University identified 16 precise bite marks on a tyrannosaur foot bone, indicating a smaller tyrannosaur scavenged the carcass of a significantly larger relative.
- The bite marks, located on a low-meat area of the foot bone, suggest the scavenger was consuming the last scraps of an old carcass, showing tyrannosaurs did not waste resources.
- The fossil, found in Montana's Judith River Formation, was digitally modeled and analyzed in 3D to safely study the detailed bite marks without risking damage to the original bone.
- This study highlights how modern digital techniques can uncover new insights into dinosaur behavior from subtle fossil evidence.
