University of Alberta researchers find evidence raptor may have fed on apex predator

Key Points:

• Researchers at the University of Alberta discovered bite marks on the jawbone of an Albertosaurus, suggesting a small raptor fed on the much larger tyrannosaur shortly after its death during the Late Cretaceous period.
• The study, led by master's student Joshua Doyon, identified the bite marks by comparing tooth spacing and concluded a dromaeosaurid (raptor) was the most likely feeder, with a less likely possibility of cannibalism by a juvenile Albertosaurus.
• The Albertosaurus specimen, found in Alberta’s badlands and prepared by the Royal Tyrrell Museum, showed no signs of healing around the bite marks, indicating the feeding occurred soon after death.
• University of Alberta paleobiologist Philip Currie noted that evidence of one carnivorous dinosaur feeding on another is rare, and this finding offers valuable insight into predator-prey interactions and feeding behavior in prehistoric ecosystems.
• The discovery enhances understanding of dinosaur biology and ecological relationships, shedding light on who ate whom in the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Alberta.