Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
the first studies to pull together all of these lines of evidence were not done until
the mid-1990s. This was when paleontologist Greg Erickson and a few of his col-
leagues decided it was time to start describing and interpreting what were likely
T.
rex
toothmarks in
Triceratops
bones.
What made them think these toothmarks belonged specifically to
T. rex
stemmed from a combination of size, shape, place, and time. Very simply, these
toothmarks were big, they matched the shapes of
T. rex
teeth, and this massive
theropod lived in the same places and times as
Triceratops
. Because some of the
toothmarks were deep punctures in
Triceratops
hipbones, the paleontologists were
able to identify the biter by stuffing putty into the holes, extracting the putty, and
presto: they had beautiful molds identical to the shapes and sizes of
T. rex
teeth.
Naturally,justidentifyingthetoothmarkmakerwasnotenoughtosatisfythese
curious paleontologists. They also wanted to answer a basic question: How much
force was generated by a
Tyrannosaurus
bite? This potentially could have been
answered through complicated computer models that took into account muscle at-
tachments, jaw mechanics, pivot points, and other factors. Yet the toothmarks were
an actual record of a tyrannosaur biting into bone, so all the paleontologists had to
do was try to replicate the toothmarks.
Disappointingly, they did not reanimate a long-dead
T. rex
, but instead set up
a “biting” mechanism with proxy tyrannosaur teeth, which were made of aluminum
and bronze. These artificial teeth were then used to imitate a tyrannosaur bite, but
oneinwhichtheforceexertedbyeach“bite”couldbemeasured.Forceismeasured
in newtons (named after Sir Isaac, not the confection), which is equal to a kilogram
(2.2 lbs) moving a meter (3.3 ft) per second squared. The formula for force is:
F = ma (Force = mass
3
acceleration)
However,forceforabitingtyrannosaurdiditnogoodifitjustbitair.Onceap-
pliedtoanareaonwhateveritwasbiting,thisforcethentranslatedintopressure.To
better understand the difference between force and pressure, gently place a heavy
