Tyrannosaurus Rex is the monster dinosaur that ruled the Earth around 60 million years ago. Its gigantic size was also paired with T-Rex powerful jaw that could crush and explode the bone of its prey.
Joint research from the Florida State University and Oklahoma State University have recently discovered that the T-Rex powerful jaw was able to deliver a crushing 800 pounds of powerful bites. According to the press release from the Florida State University, researchers found the power of the bone crushing bite from T-Rex powerful jaw was a world record in tooth pressures.
The Professor of Biological Science at Florida State University, Gregory Erickson and his colleague, the assistant professor of Anatomy and Vertebrate Paleontology at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Paul Gignac explained how the T-Rex powerful jaw has the bone crushing capability similar to that of modern mammals, known as extreme osteophagy. Such capability is no longer available in modern reptiles because their teeth were not able to chew bones.
From their research, Professor Erickson and Gignac have discovered that such pressure from T-Rex powerful jaw of 8,000 pounds biting force was equal to the incredible powerful 431,000 psi. With such powerful jaw, practically, there was nothing that T-Rex would not be able to eat, as reported by BGR.
Professor Erickson and Gignac use a complex and extensive modeling for the relationship of the musculature and the bite forces of the present day crocodilians, close relatives of the T-Rex. They found that bite forces in modern day reptiles are unlike the T-Rex powerful jaw. It is because the modern day reptiles need balance the bite forces with the transfer of the power to the teeth with a more specific measurement called teeth pressure.
“Having high bite force doesn’t necessarily mean an animal can puncture hide or pulverize bone," Professor Erickson explained the different between T-Rex powerful jaw and the modern reptiles. “It is like assuming a 600 horsepower engine guarantees speed. In a Ferrari, sure, but not for a dump truck.”
