Was T. rex a carnivore or scavenger?
AThis is something scientists have been debating for a long time – almost since the first official T. rex was discovered in Montana in 1902. Given how difficult it is to distinguish predatory from scavenging features using fossil remains – both on an animal itself and on the bite-marks on its prey – it’s always been assumed that, like most modern hunters, the species would have engaged in both. T. rex was even known to cannibalise its own kin.
T. rex’s features do point strongly to active hunting. Its blade-like teeth could punch through the toughest dinosaur armour with an incredibly powerful bite-force, and it could sprint for short bursts to ambush its prey. On the flipside, its large nasal passages would have quickly picked up the scent of fresh carrion, even from miles away, and those teeth could easily crunch through discarded bone remains.
Despite its weaponry, T. rex lived alongside many other predators, including the nimble Dakotaraptor. It would have had to fight for carcasses – just as animals on the African savannah do today.