T rex was a Cannibal

Published: 21st Nov 2015

A Tyrannosaur bone recently found in Wyoming, USA, exhibits several strange grooves along its surface. These grooves indicate that it had been gnawed by a large theropod dinosaur. With some of the grooves having serrated edges this would point to a T rex feasting off one of its own kind.

There are at least 10 separate grooves of different widths up to 5mm across, and wider than they are deep. The grooves show signs of a dinosaur pulling the flesh off the bone, in a similar way to which humans eat fried chicken. Serrated teeth indicate a large theropod dinosaur and the only dinosaurs of that type to be found in the area where the bone was discovered are tyrannosaurs - Tyrannosaurus rex or Nanotyrannus lancensis. As many palaeontologists believe that Nanotyrannus is just a juvenile form of Tyrannosaurus this is almost certainly a cannibalistic act.

It cannot be known whether the T rex was scavenging from the carcass of a tyrannosaur or whether it had killed the dinosaur and was feasting of the body.

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