The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex

Abstract Most carnivorous mammals can pulverize skeletal elements by generating tooth pressures between occluding teeth that exceed cortical bone shear strength, thereby permitting access to marrow and phosphatic salts. Conversely, carnivorous reptiles have non-occluding dentitions that engender neg...

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Autores principales: Paul M. Gignac, Gregory M. Erickson
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Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Nature Portfolio 2017
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/63a788a5446a41508a8273ab1925cc94
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:63a788a5446a41508a8273ab1925cc942021-12-02T12:32:30ZThe Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex10.1038/s41598-017-02161-w2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/63a788a5446a41508a8273ab1925cc942017-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02161-whttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Most carnivorous mammals can pulverize skeletal elements by generating tooth pressures between occluding teeth that exceed cortical bone shear strength, thereby permitting access to marrow and phosphatic salts. Conversely, carnivorous reptiles have non-occluding dentitions that engender negligible bone damage during feeding. As a result, most reptilian predators can only consume bones in their entirety. Nevertheless, North American tyrannosaurids, including the giant (13 metres [m]) theropod dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex stand out for habitually biting deeply into bones, pulverizing and digesting them. How this mammal-like capacity was possible, absent dental occlusion, is unknown. Here we analyzed T. rex feeding behaviour from trace evidence, estimated bite forces and tooth pressures, and studied tooth-bone contacts to provide the answer. We show that bone pulverization was made possible through a combination of: (1) prodigious bite forces (8,526–34,522 newtons [N]) and tooth pressures (718–2,974 megapascals [MPa]) promoting crack propagation in bones, (2) tooth form and dental arcade configurations that concentrated shear stresses, and (3) repetitive, localized biting. Collectively, these capacities and behaviors allowed T. rex to finely fragment bones and more fully exploit large dinosaur carcasses for sustenance relative to competing carnivores.Paul M. GignacGregory M. EricksonNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2017)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Medicine
R
Science
Q
spellingShingle Medicine
R
Science
Q
Paul M. Gignac
Gregory M. Erickson
The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex
description Abstract Most carnivorous mammals can pulverize skeletal elements by generating tooth pressures between occluding teeth that exceed cortical bone shear strength, thereby permitting access to marrow and phosphatic salts. Conversely, carnivorous reptiles have non-occluding dentitions that engender negligible bone damage during feeding. As a result, most reptilian predators can only consume bones in their entirety. Nevertheless, North American tyrannosaurids, including the giant (13 metres [m]) theropod dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex stand out for habitually biting deeply into bones, pulverizing and digesting them. How this mammal-like capacity was possible, absent dental occlusion, is unknown. Here we analyzed T. rex feeding behaviour from trace evidence, estimated bite forces and tooth pressures, and studied tooth-bone contacts to provide the answer. We show that bone pulverization was made possible through a combination of: (1) prodigious bite forces (8,526–34,522 newtons [N]) and tooth pressures (718–2,974 megapascals [MPa]) promoting crack propagation in bones, (2) tooth form and dental arcade configurations that concentrated shear stresses, and (3) repetitive, localized biting. Collectively, these capacities and behaviors allowed T. rex to finely fragment bones and more fully exploit large dinosaur carcasses for sustenance relative to competing carnivores.
format article
author Paul M. Gignac
Gregory M. Erickson
author_facet Paul M. Gignac
Gregory M. Erickson
author_sort Paul M. Gignac
title The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex
title_short The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex
title_full The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex
title_fullStr The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex
title_full_unstemmed The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex
title_sort biomechanics behind extreme osteophagy in tyrannosaurus rex
publisher Nature Portfolio
publishDate 2017
url https://doaj.org/article/63a788a5446a41508a8273ab1925cc94
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