Nature
Tyrannical Tyrant Among Dinosaurs? T. Rex Could Bite With The Force Of Three Cars
Sam D
First Posted: May 19, 2017 07:17 AM EDT
The most fabled dinosaur, the Tyrannosaurus Rex (T. Rex), definitely lived up to its terrifying image. A new study has revealed that the bite force of the menacing carnivore was equal to 7,800 pounds (3,538 kg) of force, which is twice the bite force of the largest living crocodiles.
“That’s equivalent to putting three small cars on top of the jaws — that’s what’s pushing down on you,” study co-author Gregory M. Erickson said, according to The New York Times. “Boom! It’ll puncture through just about whatever’s in there.”
Study lead author, Paul Gignac, added that the T. rex was in a league of its own due to the combination of its stout teeth and impressive bite force that could slice through the biggest of bones. The researchers also said that the dinosaur's conical teeth could generate a staggering 431,000 pounds (195,498 kg) per square inch of bone-failing tooth pressures.
The research team modeled and tested how the musculature of present day crocodiles contribute to biting forces. Subsequently, the researchers also compared the test results with birds, which are said to be the modern day version of dinosaurs. The model for the T. rex was generated after taking into account all the comparisons.
The scientists were, however, surprised by the results because they had expected the overall bite force estimate to be higher. Still, the model could help them understand the T. rex’s bone-eating capacity and know that their bite had enough force to chomp through the bones of other dinosaurs.
"It was this bone-crunching acumen that helped T. rex to more fully exploit the carcasses of duck-billed hadrosaurids and large horned-dinosaurs whose bones, rich in marrow and mineral salts, were unavailable to smaller and less equipped carnivorous dinosaurs," Gignac added, as per Business Insider.
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First Posted: May 19, 2017 07:17 AM EDT
The most fabled dinosaur, the Tyrannosaurus Rex (T. Rex), definitely lived up to its terrifying image. A new study has revealed that the bite force of the menacing carnivore was equal to 7,800 pounds (3,538 kg) of force, which is twice the bite force of the largest living crocodiles.
“That’s equivalent to putting three small cars on top of the jaws — that’s what’s pushing down on you,” study co-author Gregory M. Erickson said, according to The New York Times. “Boom! It’ll puncture through just about whatever’s in there.”
Study lead author, Paul Gignac, added that the T. rex was in a league of its own due to the combination of its stout teeth and impressive bite force that could slice through the biggest of bones. The researchers also said that the dinosaur's conical teeth could generate a staggering 431,000 pounds (195,498 kg) per square inch of bone-failing tooth pressures.
The research team modeled and tested how the musculature of present day crocodiles contribute to biting forces. Subsequently, the researchers also compared the test results with birds, which are said to be the modern day version of dinosaurs. The model for the T. rex was generated after taking into account all the comparisons.
The scientists were, however, surprised by the results because they had expected the overall bite force estimate to be higher. Still, the model could help them understand the T. rex’s bone-eating capacity and know that their bite had enough force to chomp through the bones of other dinosaurs.
"It was this bone-crunching acumen that helped T. rex to more fully exploit the carcasses of duck-billed hadrosaurids and large horned-dinosaurs whose bones, rich in marrow and mineral salts, were unavailable to smaller and less equipped carnivorous dinosaurs," Gignac added, as per Business Insider.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone