Cannibalism in Tyrannosaurus rex
2010/10/15 by Nicholas R. Longrich, John R. Horner, Gregory M. Erickson +1 · 1 voice · 68 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Biology #Cannibalism #Carnivore #Ecology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Paleontology #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Predation #Zoology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013419
published in PLoS ONE 5(10), e13419 (Public Library of Science)
openalex publication_date 2010/10/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest terrestrial carnivores of all time, and consequently its ecology and diet have been the focus of much discussion. However, there is little direct evidence of diet or feeding habits in this species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Examination of museum collections has revealed four specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex that bear tooth marks made by large, carnivorous dinosaurs. Because Tyrannosaurus is the only large carnivore known from the Late Maastrichtian of western North America, we infer that Tyrannosaurus made these tooth marks. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The marks are interpreted as feeding traces and these fossils therefore record instances of cannibalism. Given that this behavior has a low preservation potential, cannibalism seems to have been a surprisingly common behavior in Tyrannosaurus, and this behavior may have been relatively common in carnivorous dinosaurs.
Cited by
- Identification of tooth traces from a Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Edmontosaurus annectens bonebed in the Lance Formation, Wyoming, U.S.A.
- Hatchlings of Tyrannosaurus rex and the Evolution of Dinosaur Reproductive Strategies
- Direct evidence of trophic interaction between a crocodyliform and a large terror bird in the Middle Miocene of La Venta, Colombia
- Behavioral implications of an embedded tyrannosaurid tooth and associated tooth marks on an articulated skull of Edmontosaurus from the Hell Creek Formation, Montana
- High frequencies of theropod bite marks provide evidence for feeding, scavenging, and possible cannibalism in a stressed Late Jurassic ecosystem
- Tyrannosaur feeding traces on Deinocheirus (Theropoda:?Ornithomimosauria) remains from the Nemegt Formation (Late Cretaceous), Mongolia
- Jacob Hashimoto interview
- The significance of the theropod collections of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology to our understanding of Late Cretaceous theropod diversity
- Thalassotitan atrox, a giant predatory mosasaurid (Squamata) from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco
- Bone-breaking bite force of Basilosaurus isis (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the late Eocene of Egypt estimated by finite element analysis. [europepmc]
- Pre- and postmortem tyrannosaurid bite marks on the remains of Daspletosaurus (Tyrannosaurinae: Theropoda) from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. [europepmc]
- The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex. [europepmc]
- Bite marks on the frill of a juvenile Centrosaurus from the Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Provincial Park Formation, Alberta, Canada. [europepmc]
- High frequencies of theropod bite marks provide evidence for feeding, scavenging, and possible cannibalism in a stressed Late Jurassic ecosystem. [europepmc]
- Obtaining new resolutions in carnivore tooth pit morphological analyses: A methodological update for digital taphonomy. [europepmc]
- Bite force estimates in juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex based on simulated puncture marks. [europepmc]
- Rare evidence for 'gnawing-like' behavior in a small-bodied theropod dinosaur. [europepmc]
- A giant tyrannosaur from the Campanian-Maastrichtian of southern North America and the evolution of tyrannosaurid gigantism. [europepmc]
- New information on paleopathologies in non-avian theropod dinosaurs: a case study on South American abelisaurids. [europepmc]
- Diuqin lechiguanae gen. et sp. nov., a new unenlagiine (Theropoda: Paraves) from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Neuquén Group, Upper Cretaceous) of Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina. [europepmc]
- Injuries in deep time: interpreting competitive behaviours in extinct reptiles via palaeopathology. [europepmc]
- Behavioral implications of an embedded tyrannosaurid tooth and associated tooth marks on an articulated skull of Edmontosaurus from the Hell Creek Formation, Montana. [europepmc]
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