Gnawed T-Rex fossil hints at dino cannibalism
Tyrannosaurs may have indulged in a bit of cannibalism, according to new research. The evidence comes from a fossilized t-rex bone that shows obvious signs of having been gnawed. The fossil was discovered during a dig in Wyoming; it is broken at both ends with deep grooves over its surface. Some of those grooves hold clues about their possible source, and that source is probably a fellow t-rex.
According to Loma Linda University paleontologist Matthew McLain, he and fellow researchers were on a dig when someone found the tyrannosaur fossil. The grooves on it are deep and appear to be teeth marks. In particular, a single groove proved the most intriguing, with parallel etching likely caused by the eater dragging its teeth down the length of the bone.
![](https://www.slashgear.com/img/gallery/gnawed-t-rex-fossil-hints-at-dino-cannibalism/Tyrannosaurus-bones.jpg)
That groove shows the dino's teeth were serrated, meaning the attacking creature most likely was a theropod dinosaur. In Wyoming, the only large theropods were Tyrannosaurus rex and the more controversial Nanotyrannus, which may have been a juvenile t-rex or a related type of dinosaur.
The size of the teeth marks on the bone indicate the culprit was a t-rex. According to McLain, "There's just nothing else that has such big teeth." This all leaves a big question — did the t-rex die, and then another t-rex, stumbling upon the carcass, decide to have a meal? Or did one t-rex take down another with the intention of feasting?
SOURCE: Live Science