Paleontologists have measured the strength of the jaws of a Tyrannosaurus Rex
A group of researchers estimated how much force had to have the jaws of predatory dinosaurs to destroy the bones of their victims and get at the marrow. The results of a study they reported in the journal Scientific Reports.
Scientists are interested in, could the dinosaurs to chew the bones of animals. From modern predators it can only do mammals, for example, wolves and hyenas, but not reptiles. The authors studied the structure of the jaws and muscles of modern crocodiles and birds — the heirs of the dinosaurs — and built a model that allowed to calculate the force of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
The authors found that the strength of the jaws of the dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex, could be twice the strength of crocs and the record for this indicator among modern animals. Dinosaurs could squeeze the prey with a force of 34,500 N. While the pointed tips of their teeth could create pressure up to 30 tons per cm2.
According to researchers, this jaw strength allowed the carnivorous dinosaurs to chew mineral rich bones of larger animals that have become their victims.