Scientists say the biggest Tyrannosaurus rex ever found was living with a catastrophic rib injury in the final stretch of its life.
Using a remarkable new fossil reconstruction, researchers have been able to look inside the ancient bone and examine the dinosaur’s attempted healing process in rare detail.
The discovery centers on Scotty, a massive 42-foot-long (12.8m) T. rex that stalked the landscape of what is now Saskatchewan, Canada, roughly 66 million years ago.
Researchers believe the injury may have happened during a violent clash with a triceratops herd: after Scotty attacked one animal, another appears to have driven its horn into the predator’s side, ripping through tissue and splintering a rib.
A close study of the fossilized rib revealed an intricate web of preserved blood vessels. Scientists think the vessels developed as Scotty’s body tried to repair the break, sending iron-rich blood into the wounded bone.
That recovery, however, was cut short. The giant carnivorous dinosaur died before the broken rib had time to completely heal.
“It’s like winning the lottery,” said Mauricio Barbi, a physics professor at the University of Regina (U of R) in Saskatchewan.
“Scotty’s rib contains a vast network of mineralized blood vessels that has never before been observed in a fossil,” he added.
After attacking a triceratops the T. rex is speared in the side by another member of the herd, with the horn tearing through skin and muscle to shatter the rib bone
Scotty’s remains were discovered in Saskatchewan’s Frenchman River Valley, one of North America’s richest dinosaur fossil sites, in 1991.
After being injured, the T. rex died in a salty marsh which slowed decomposition and contributed to the preservation of the delicate network of blood vessels.
The team, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, used powerful neutron imaging to build detailed three–dimensional images of the fossil without damaging it.
The technique effectively allowed them to perform a prehistoric medical scan, revealing structures hidden inside the rock–hard bone.
Neutrons are particularly sensitive to hydrogen, making them capable of detecting traces of soft tissue that can be difficult to see with conventional X–rays.
The result is an astonishing glimpse into the final chapter of one of the most famous predators ever to walk the Earth.
The presence of blood vessels indicates the injury had started to repair, the researchers said.
When the break occurred, iron–rich blood flowed into the area, forming blood vessels to promote healing.
Scientists believe blood vessels formed as Scotty’s body attempted to repair the fracture, with iron–rich blood flowing into the damaged area
After being injured, the T. rex died in a salty marsh which slowed decomposition and contributed to the preservation of the delicate network of blood vessels
University of Regina doctoral candidate Jerit Mitchell holds Scotty’s fossilised rib bone at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Scotty could have weighed up to 33,000lb (15,000kg) when it roamed the Earth, an earlier study revealed.
This is just over the weight of two elephants, or a London double–decker bus, and is 70 per cent more than previously thought.
Researchers from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa built a model that predicted the maximum size of the prehistoric beast.
‘This is the Rex of Rexes,’ Scott Persons, a postdoctoral researcher who has also analysed the fossilised remains, said.
‘There is considerable size variability among Tyrannosaurus. Some individuals were lankier than others and some were more robust. Scotty exemplifies the robust.’
The dinosaur’s size isn’t the only thing that set Scotty apart, say the researchers. The world’s biggest–ever T. rex is also the world’s oldest.
Scotty was around 30 years old when he died – an unusually long lifespan for a T. rex.
Its name was derived from the celebratory bottle of scotch that scientists drank upon discovering the behemoth.
Scotty, who was first discovered by palaeontologists at the University of Alberta, could have weighed up to 33,000lb (15,000kg) when it roamed the Earth, an earlier study revealed
Scotty’s name was derived from the celebratory bottle of scotch that scientists drank upon discovering the behemoth
A separate study has claimed that humans could have outrun the T. rex as they enjoyed a ‘leisurely’ stroll at just 2.8 miles per hour (4.6km per hour).
Scientists estimated the stride length of a T. Rex specimen called ‘Trix’, and reconstructed its tail to find out the rhythm it would sway at.
The animal’s walking speed rate was thus comparable to that of emus, elephants, horses and humans.
Meanwhile, further research has looked into why the dinosaur had such short arms for its body.
Some academics suggest that they evolved them to lower the risk of them being bitten by other hungry T. rex adults while they were devouring a carcass.
Another claims dinosaurs with smaller forelimbs used them to grip each other while mating, or to help them stand up after a fall.
T. rex had complex nerve sensors in the tips of its jaws to help it recognise what it was eating, study finds
Tyrannosaurus rex had nerves in its jaw that would have allowed it to recognise varied parts of its prey and eat them differently.
This is the conclusion of experts from the Fukui Prefectural University, who scanned the fossilised lower jaw of a T. rex and reconstructed the nerve pattern within.
The fearsome reptiles may also have been adept enough with their mouths to use them to make nests, care for their young and even communicate with each other.
While the internal structure of the jaw has been studied previously in several fossil reptiles, this is the first such study to focus on T. rex, the team said.
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Tyrannosaurus rex had nerves in its jaw (pictured in orange) that allowed it to recognise varied parts of its prey and eat them differently
