A remarkably preserved fossil discovery at the Museum of the Rockies in Montana provides direct evidence of a violent encounter between a Tyrannosaurus rex and an Edmontosaurus, a large plant-eating dinosaur. The fossil, an Edmontosaurus skull, contains a Tyrannosaurus tooth lodged firmly within it – a rare find that sheds light on the predatory behavior of the apex predator.
The Discovery and Context
The Hell Creek Formation in eastern Montana, where the fossil was unearthed in 2005, is renowned for its rich dinosaur remains. This region was once stomped by Tyrannosaurus rex and other members of the Tyrannosauridae family approximately 66 million years ago, alongside herbivores like Triceratops and Edmontosaurus. While bite marks are common on dinosaur bones, the discovery of an embedded tooth is exceptionally rare.
What the Fossil Reveals
Researchers re-examined the Edmontosaurus skull and published their findings in the journal PeerJ. The embedded tooth matched Tyrannosaurus teeth in size and structure, confirmed by CT scans. The absence of healing around the tooth suggests either the Edmontosaurus died immediately from the bite or was already deceased when attacked.
“This allows us to paint a picture of what happened to this Edmontosaurus, kind of like Cretaceous crime scene investigators,” explains Taia Wyenberg-Henzler, a study co-author from the University of Alberta.
The tooth’s position, lodged in the duck-billed dinosaur’s nose, indicates a direct confrontation. This suggests the Edmontosaurus did not die from illness or starvation but from a head-on attack. The force required to break off a tooth inside bone confirms the attack was lethal.
Why This Matters
The discovery offers a rare snapshot into the feeding habits of Tyrannosaurus rex. Paleontologists have long studied these dinosaurs, but concrete evidence like this is rare. This fossil demonstrates the raw power of Tyrannosaurus and the brutal reality of predation in the Late Cretaceous period. The tooth’s presence doesn’t just show how Tyrannosaurus fed, but why it was so dominant.
The find underscores that Tyrannosaurus rex was not just large; it was a ruthless, efficient killer. The tooth, stuck fast in the skull, is a gruesome yet compelling reminder of the violent world dinosaurs inhabited.
