Tyrannosaurus rex was able to pulverise bones with nearly 8,000 pounds of force, according to new research.
The enormous dinosaur's chomping ability was more than double the bite force of the largest crocodiles, which currently hold the record for the strongest bite on Earth.
The Tyrannosaurus rex’s bone-crushing capacity, known as ‘extreme osteophagy’ is usually seen in carnivorous mammals such as wolves, but not in reptiles, whose teeth do not allow for chewing up bones.
Along with the immense bite, the massive dinosaur’s long, conical teeth were able to generate an astonishing 431,000 pounds of pressure per square inch of bone. This huge force enabled Tyrannosaurus rex to ‘explode’ bones using a repetitive, mammal-like biting technique, according to the joint study from Florida State University and Oklahoma State University research team.
"It was this bone-crunching acumen that helped Tyrannosaurus rex to more fully exploit the carcasses of large horned dinosaurs and duck-billed hadrosaurids whose bones, rich in mineral salts and marrow, were unavailable to smaller, less equipped carnivorous dinosaurs," said Paul Gignac, assistant professor of Anatomy and Vertebrate Paleontology at Oklahoma State University.
The researchers built on their previous work modelling the arrangement of muscles in living crocodiles – the closest living relative to dinosaurs. They looked at how the muscle arrangement relates to bite force. By comparing their data with birds – which are also ‘modern-day’ dinosaurs - they were able to generate a model for Tyrannosaurus rex.
However, bite force doesn’t tell the whole story; the researchers also had to consider exactly the force was transmitted through the teeth.
"Having high bite force doesn’t necessarily mean an animal can puncture hide or pulverise bone, tooth pressure is the biomechanically more relevant parameter," said Florida State University Professor of Biological Science, Gregory Erickson.
"It is like assuming a 600 horsepower engine guarantees speed. In a Ferrari, sure, but not for a dump truck."
According to the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, Tyrannosaurus rex, with its mammalian ability to fragment long bones with its bite, appears to be unique among reptiles.
The research is the latest in a series of studies attempting to explain how sophisticated feeding abilities first appeared in dinosaur-era reptiles. In 2012, a study from the University of Liverpool used laser scanning and computer modelling to show that the Tyrannosaurus rex’s bite was more powerful than previously thought.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
