subtitle, "A fossil tooth is the best proof yet that T. rex wasn't just a giant vulture."
There is new evidence that the T. rex hunted hadrosaurs such as the Anatosaurus seen in this illustration. Illustration by Roy Andersen, National Geographic
Posted on 07/17/2013 7:19:25 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A fossil tooth found buried inside the healed tailbones of a duckbill dinosaur suggests the animal survived a close encounter with a Tyrannosaurus rex about 65 million years ago, according to a new study.
Scientists say the embedded tooth, discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, is the first conclusive proof that T. rex was not just a scavenger, but also a predator that hunted and killed prey...
But not everyone agrees. Jack Horner, a paleontologist at Montana State University who has long argued that T. rex was incapable of hunting healthy adult prey, remains unconvinced...
The fossil evidence has been inconclusive on this matter. That's because while dinosaur bones and even fossilized skin have been found with tooth marks linked to T. rex, it's impossible to conclusively prove whether an animal was alive or dead when it was bitten...
So instead of relying solely on bite marks, some scientists have tried to determine T. rex's feeding style by analyzing its physical and sensory attributes.
Paleontologists such as Horner have concluded that T. rex was not only too slow to chase down prey, its arms were too puny and its eyesight was too poor for it to successfully attack or chase down a healthy adult animal. At best, T. rex could have chased down lame, young, or weak animals, but otherwise it lived on carrion, Horner said...
The fact that the bitten duckbill dinosaur -- also known as a hadrosaur -- managed to escape suggests it was more than a match for its pursuer, he argued, and thus unlikely to have been young, weak, or handicapped.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalgeographic.com ...
There is new evidence that the T. rex hunted hadrosaurs such as the Anatosaurus seen in this illustration. Illustration by Roy Andersen, National Geographic
What caliber was the tooth?
Well duh they attacked prey. Didn’t ya see Jurassic Park?
Jack just won't let go of that bone. Sad, really.
Well there’s only one way to prove if T-Rex was too slow to be a hunter. Clone one of them from existing DNA, and have the scientists who doubt T-Rex could run fast try to outrun one. That would make for exciting reality tv.
The reason they went extinct was, with those little arms, no Tyrannadontists.
Every 4 year old knew this already.
Good idea. What could possibly go wrong?
That must be a big assed plane!
Sho nuff!
Horner is also convinced t rex was just Big Bird with attitude.
It didn’t need to be a marathon runner. Just faster than what it was hunting. And with a battery of teeth like that, and a set of toenails like that, hands really are an unnecessary option.
As for using Hyenas as an example, Horner demonstrates exactly what kind of fool he is. They are VERY effective predators.
Just like the old joke about runners fleeing from a bear.
The first runner says to the second. “What are you doing? You can’t possibly outrun a bear!”
The second replies: “I don’t need to outrun the bear, I just need to outrun you.”
Lawyers seem to be one of their favorite meals, based on my scientific observations.
:)
Never bring a tooth to a smoking gunfight...
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