The Tyrannosaurus Rex Was Ready To Hunt Prey Since They Were Born

Ilustrasi T-Rex. (Wikimedia Commons/Ian Juby)

JAKARTA - A group of researchers from the University of Edinburgh for the first time found the remains of embryos from flesh-eating dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex (T-rex).

The fossils consist of jaw and claw bones. According to Reuters, the size is like an adult. According to scientists, the fossils are relatives of Tyrannosaurus, representing two species of apex predators in Asia and North America in the Cretaceous Period near the end of the dinosaur era.

The results of the scientists' analysis showed that these bones were larger than the bones of a typical baby dinosaur. A jaw bone estimated to be 77 million years old at 3 cm long was found in Montana and is thought to belong to a species called Daspletosaurus.

Meanwhile, the wedge-shaped claws are known to be 72 million years old from the Province of Alberta, Canada which is thought to belong to the Albertosaurus species. In general, it reaches 1 meter in length or about the size of a medium dog. And hatch from a very large egg, exceeding the largest egg today which reaches 43 cm.

These two are the slightly smaller cousins of Tyrannosaurus rex. The largest known tyrannosaurus was 40 feet (12 meters) long and weighed 8 tons. Its jaw has Tyrannosaurus features, including a deep groove and a protruding chin.

University of Edinburgh paleontologist Greg Funston, who is also the lead author of the study published in the 'Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences', said researchers were amazed by the resemblance of the embryo's bones to juvenile and older adult Tyrannosaurs.

In his report, Funston also revealed that the jaw that baby Tyrannosaurus had functional teeth.

"So, even though we couldn't get the complete picture, what we saw looked a lot like adults", said Funston.

Even more astonishingly, there are a number of key adaptation findings that suggest Tyrannosaurs were able to hunt shortly from birth. Namely, the strength of the jaw which affects the strength of the bite.

"Baby Tyrannosaurs have a strong bite. So, it's possible they could hunt shortly after birth. However, we still need more fossils to know exactly how fast they (Tyrannosaurus babies) could hunt", he concluded.