A groundbreaking study published in Current Biology, titled “Carnivorous dinosaur lineages adopt different skull performances at gigantic size”, has revealed striking differences in the hunting strategies of the world’s largest predatory dinosaurs. By analyzing fossilized skulls, researchers found that while some species were adept at slicing through massive slabs of flesh, others had evolved jaws capable of delivering formidable, bone-crushing bites.
Different Hunters, Different Weapons
Researchers Andre Rowe and Emily Rayfield from the University of Bristol studied the skulls of 18 species of theropods, a group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex, Giganotosaurus, and Spinosaurus. All of these predators walked on two legs, had large heads, and bore fearsome teeth — but their hunting methods were far from identical.
According to Eric Snively of Oklahoma State University, the Giganotosaurus possessed thin, serrated teeth “like a cross between a great white shark and a Komodo dragon,” perfectly suited for slicing through flesh. In contrast, the semi-aquatic Spinosaurus — described as “like a fin-backed heron with the body of a Wiener dog, and teeth like a crocodile” — was built for catching enormous fish rather than tackling land-dwelling prey.
3D Scans Reveal Jaw Power Differences
The team used high-resolution 3D scans of the skull surfaces and applied engineering techniques normally used for analyzing bridge stress to study bite mechanics. By comparing how jaw muscles attached to skull bones in these dinosaurs with those of their modern relatives, such as birds and crocodiles, they discovered that Tyrannosaurus had a strikingly different feeding strategy.
Both Giganotosaurus and Spinosaurus exhibited relatively weaker bite forces. The T. rex, with its shorter and thicker skull, attacked prey with an incredible, “bone-crunching” force — so powerful that it placed more stress on its own skull than researchers had predicted. This immense strength may have allowed it to crush the bones of large prey, giving it access to nutrient-rich marrow.
“The feeding strategies of these top predators are more complex than we thought in the past, ” explained Fion Waisum Ma at Beipiao Pterosaur Museum of China. The vertebrate palaeontologist from Hong Kong added that “T-Rex lived later during the Late Cretaceous Period, when hunting was highly competitive”, she says, which could have inspired its “unique feeding strategy”.
Evolution Of A Predator
Paleontologist Fion Waisum Ma from the Beipiao Pterosaur Museum of China noted that Tyrannosaurus lived in the Late Cretaceous Period, a time when hunting was fiercely competitive. This environment may have driven the evolution of its “unique feeding strategy,” which allowed it to dominate other predators.
The findings underscore that even among apex predators, feeding behaviors varied widely across species and time periods. These differences shaped not only their skull structures but also their roles within prehistoric ecosystems.
