Bite force estimates in juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex based on simulated puncture marks.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Bite marks attributed to adult Tyrannosaurus rex have been subject to numerous studies. However, few bite marks attributed to T. rex have been traced to juveniles, leaving considerable gaps in understanding ontogenetic changes in bite mechanics and force, and the paleoecological role of juvenile tyrannosaurs in the late Cretaceous.

Methods

Here we present bite force estimates for a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex based on mechanical tests designed to replicate bite marks previously attributed to a T. rex of approximately 13 years old. A maxillary tooth of the juvenile Tyrannosaurus specimen BMR P2002.4.1 was digitized, replicated in dental grade cobalt chromium alloy, and mounted to an electromechanical testing system. The tooth was t

SUBMITTER: Peterson JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8179241 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature