New research has revealed that not all giant predatory dinosaurs had bone-crushing bites like the Tyrannosaurus rex, with some species specialising in slashing and ripping flesh instead.
A comprehensive analysis of 18 dinosaur species, including the University of Bristol, found that while T. rex was optimised for quick, strong bites similar to a crocodile, others such as Spinosaurus and Allosaurus had much weaker bite forces. The study, published in Current Biology, shows that meat-eating dinosaurs followed different evolutionary paths in skull design and feeding style despite similar gigantic sizes.
“Tyrannosaurs evolved skulls built for strength and crushing bites while other lineages had comparatively weaker but more specialised skulls, suggesting a diversity of feeding strategies even at massive sizes,” said Andrew Rowe, an author of the study.
Using 3D X-ray scanning, researchers analysed skull mechanics and bite strength across 18 two-legged carnivorous dinosaurs. They found that some smaller dinosaurs experienced greater skull stress than larger species due to increased muscle volume and bite force, while giants like Giganotosaurus had lighter bites.
“Large tyrannosaur skulls were optimised like modern crocodiles with high bite forces that crushed prey,” Dr Rowe explained. “I tend to compare Allosaurus to a modern Komodo dragon in terms of feeding style.” He added that this biomechanical diversity suggests dinosaur ecosystems supported a wider range of giant carnivore ecologies than often assumed.
