Little Red Riding Hood would have met T. Rex (Tyrannosaurus Rex), which had a huge jaw that opened wide and razor-sharp teeth centimeters (5.9 in) long, making it ideal to crush her bones and eat her. T. Rex’s jaw features are typical of theropod dinosaurs that eat meat. The University of Bristol, England has just published a new study that found the size of dinosaurs’ jaws was directly related to their diet. Stephan Lautenschlager from Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences studied muscle strain during the opening of the jaws of three theropod dinosaurs. He compared these results to their diet habits using digital models and computer analysis. Allosaurus fragileis’s optimal and maximal tension limits for gape angles. Image: Royal Society Publishing. Theropods are carnivorous dinosaurs that ranged in size from very small to exceptionally large. The Greek word for “beast-footed” is Theropod. These were some of the most prolific meat-eaters to ever walk the Earth. Relationship between jaw gape, feeding style and jaw gape Dr. Lautenschlager stated: “Theropod dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus Rex or Allosaurus are frequently depicted having wide-open jaws to emphasize their carnivorous nature. However, there have been no studies that examined the relationship between jaw muscle, eating style, and maximum jaw gape. The Study focused on three dinosaurs. Allosaurus fragilis: A theropod slightly smaller than T. Rex but still predatory and meat-eating. Erlikosaurus Andrewsi is closely related to both theropods, but it’s a plant-eating creature. T. rex was an even more dangerous predator than Big Bad Wolf. Lautenschlager stated that all muscles (including those for opening and closing the jaw) can stretch only a limited amount before breaking. To understand how jaw opening can be restricted and how much an animal can eat, Dr. Lautenschlager used computer modeling to create detailed models of jaw opening and closing. He also measured length changes in digital muscles. Lautenschlager compared modern-day birds and crocodiles to the jaw opening and closing of T. rex, Erlikosaurus andrewsi and Allosaurus fragileis in terms of muscle strain. T. rex skull model and life reconstruction showing jaw gape in optimal positions to generate muscle force and maximum jaw gape. Image: University of Bristol. Credit to Stephan Lautenschlager. Carnivores have a larger gape than herbivores. He discovered that Tyrannosaurus (both carnivores) had an even wider gape, up to 90degrees. This was in contrast to the gape of Erlikosaurus who only reached 45 degree. T. Rex was capable of producing a high level of sustained muscle power that could be used to break down bone and cut through skin and meat. Lautenschlager stated: “We know that carnivores can have larger jaw gaps than herbivores. It is also interesting to note that T. Rex could do this.” Citation: Stephan Lautenschlager, ‘Estimating the cranial muscleskeletal constraints in dinosaurs. Royal Society Open Science. Published 4 November 2015.DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150495. Video: Jaw gape cycles and strains This video compares Allosaurus fragilis with Tyrannosaurus Rex, Erlikosaurus andrewsi.
T. Rex’s jaw was super large and featured 15cm-long teeth
