🦖 A tyrannosaur tooth embedded in the skull of a large herbivore

A fossil skull of Edmontosaurus, unearthed in Montana, has given scientists direct evidence of a prehistoric attack: a tyrannosaur (Tyrannosaurus) tooth firmly lodged in the bone. This exceptional fossil captures a brutal moment that occurred about 66 million years ago, during the Cretaceous.

This specimen, a nearly complete element, was excavated in 2005 from the Hell Creek Formation. The presence of a broken tooth wedged into the facial bone is an unusual observation, as it creates a tangible link between a carnivore and its victim, far beyond isolated bite marks. Such evidence is rare and helps reconstruct behaviors within long-gone ecosystems.


The study of this fossil, led by researchers from the University of Alberta and the Museum of the Rockies, was published in PeerJ. The scientists explain that the embedded tooth directly reveals the predator's identity, a rare advantage compared to usual bite marks. This approach allows building a detailed scenario of the event, akin to an investigation of a very ancient crime scene.

To identify the tooth's origin, the team compared it to those of other carnivores from the same region, confirming it belonged to Tyrannosaurus. Medical scans performed at a local hospital then clarified its penetration into the bone, revealing a very high impact force, likely fatal for the Edmontosaurus.

The analyses place the tooth in the nasal region of the skull, indicating a direct confrontation, characteristic of a predatory attack. No signs of healing are visible around the lesion, so the blow was presumably fatal. These details help better understand how Tyrannosaurus used its power when facing large herbivores.

Currently, this find fuels discussions about the hunting techniques of Tyrannosaurus, one of the largest terrestrial predators.