A fossilized Edmontosaurus skull with a Tyrannosaurus tooth still lodged in its face provides rare evidence of a predator-prey encounter from 66 million years ago. Researchers analyzed the specimen at Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies. The study was published in the journal PeerJ.
The nearly complete skull was uncovered in 2005 in the Hell Creek Formation of eastern Montana. A broken tyrannosaur tooth remains embedded in the dinosaur's face, offering direct clues about the attack.
CT scans and comparisons with other fossils confirmed the tooth belonged to a Tyrannosaurus. Researchers noted no signs of healing around the wound, suggesting the bite may have been fatal.
"The position of the tooth suggests that it met its attacker face-to-face," said Taia Wyenberg-Henzler of the University of Alberta. John Scannella, curator at the museum, added that the fossil captures a behavior in the moment of the bite.
The findings provide new details on how Tyrannosaurus hunted its prey in the region that is now Montana.