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For decades, many paleontologists, filmmakers, and illustrators depicted Tyrannosaurus’s teeth as similar to those of crocodiles, but recent research questions this interpretation, suggesting that the giant’s teeth were more similar modern kirfor those in the mouth, says National Geographic.
Recent research also reveals how tyrannosaurs, hairy mammoths, fearsome saber-toothed tigers, ancient sea monsters like megalodons and other giants evolved to conquer the planet, how they grew so big, how they hunted, what they ate, how they fought and what caused their extinction.
The Secrets of the Tyrannosaurus Rex Jaw
Humans and dinosaurs never coexisted because these animals, whose closest modern “relatives” are chickens, parrots and other birds, dominated the Earth more than 230 million years ago and became extinct about 65 million years ago.
Paleontologists have identified more than 900 different genera and more than 1,000 different species of dinosaurs. The largest predatory dinosaur that ever lived on land is the Tyrannosaurus Rex, or “Tyrannosaurus Rex”. The massive body, which reached 13 meters in length, sharp vision and powerful jaws allowed tyrannosaurs to dominate the forested river valleys of western North America.
Studying an animal’s teeth can provide a lot of information about how it lived, especially if the animal is long extinct. Several species of dinosaurs, such as Cardiodon, Trachodon, and Deinodon, are known to have existed only because their fossilized teeth were found.
Tyrannosaurus regal had sharp, knife-like teeth. He used them to tear the flesh from the bones of his victim and swallow them whole. It was long believed that Tyrannosaurus teeth were the same as those of crocodiles, but a team of palaeontologists from the University of Toronto says that Tyrannosaurus teeth were more similar to modern lizard teeth. However, many other scientists disagree with this new version and insist that the jaw of the tyrannosaurus was really like that of crocodiles.
It should be noted that for many years it was also believed that the dinosaurs disappeared due to a natural disaster caused by a large meteorite, but in recent years another version has appeared. Namely, it could have happened due to a volcanic eruption.
The sad fate of Tasmanian tigers
In the 1920s, the population of Tasmanian tigers in mainland Australia suddenly declined rapidly. One of the reasons was uncontrolled hunting. They could still be found on the island of Tasmania, but even there they were extremely rare. The last tiger left in the wild was shot in 1930.
Scientists tried to breed these animals in captivity, but failed. Notably, the last officially known Tasmanian tiger named Benjamin died at Hobart Zoo, Tasmania, in September 1936. The autopsy concluded that the death was caused by gross negligence on the part of the zoo.
Significantly, Benjamin died less than two months after the Australian government finally granted the Tasmanian tiger protected species status. It should be noted that the bones and skin of the last known Tasmanian tiger were found only in 2022 in a cupboard in an Australian museum. They were not listed and for 85 years it was assumed that they were simply thrown away.
Saber-toothed tigers were not like their modern siblings
Another large, extinct feline mammal with huge upper fangs protruding from its mouth was the saber-toothed tiger. It should be noted that, despite the similar name, these animals had very little in common with modern tigers and cats.
Saber-toothed tigers lived in North and South America between 1.6 million and 11 thousand years ago. 12 thousand years ago, at least one saber-toothed tiger lived in the territory of modern America. In total, about 2,000 saber-toothed tiger skeletons are currently known. For example, well-preserved saber-toothed tiger fossils were found in California, near Los Angeles.
Research shows that this tiger had a powerfully built body, but relatively short legs. Scientists believe that he was not a good runner, but thanks to his sharp fangs, he was able to attack and kill animals much larger than him.
One of the versions of the extinction of saber-toothed tigers is related to the lack of food, that is, the extinction of other animals that these prehistoric cats hunted.
The fear of the ocean depths – megalodon
About 15.9 to 2.6 million years ago, when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, megalodon could be encountered in the depths of the ocean. It was the largest shark that ever lived on our planet and also one of the largest predators in history.
The length of this giant reached 16 meters, and the weight was 47 tons. He had a head 4.65 meters long, while the size of the tail is estimated to be around 3.85 meters. The dorsal fins were also impressive – they reached around 1.6 meters in length. For comparison, today’s great white sharks can only reach a length of six meters.
But the main “weapon” that made other creatures flee in panic were the megalodon’s teeth, which reached 180 millimeters in length. This giant had 250 such teeth, and they were arranged in five rows. It should be noted that the length of the teeth gave the species its name – “mega” means “big” or “mighty” in ancient Greek, and “dontia” means tooth.
Megalodon was similar in structure to the great white shark. The jaws were probably blunter and wider than those of its modern relatives, and the fins were probably similar in shape, but thicker due to their large size. It had deep set and relatively small eyes.
Researchers still do not agree on why these giants became extinct. One of the versions is that when the temperature of the Earth changed, the ocean also changed, that is, the water temperature decreased, which made the survival of the megalodon impossible. On the other hand, another version is that they had too many competitors that ate the same food. It is possible that both of these factors – both lowering of ocean temperatures and competition for food – resulted in the extinction of these giants.
Mammoths are distant relatives of elephants
4500 BC mammoths, whose modern “relatives” are the Indian elephants, still roamed the steppe landscapes of the northern hemisphere. There are currently 13 known species of mammoth. Representations of mammoths can also be seen in caveman drawings.
It should be noted that approximately 30 mammoth bones, two tusks and three teeth were also found on the territory of Latvia. Individual specimens are as old as 32,000 to 34,000 years. They are currently in the collections of Nature and other museums.
In October 2020, paleontologists managed to discover more than 200 bones of different mammoths, which were about 10,000 to 20,000 years old, near Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. This find became the largest exhibit of mammoth bones found at one time in the history of paleontology.
The exact reasons for the extinction of mammoths have not been known for hundreds of years, but the latest archaeological finds may help researchers finally discover why these giants disappeared from the face of the Earth.
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