Reason of Tyrannosaurus death...?...[ 436 ]

Tyrannosaurus Rex killed by a sore throat

The mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex may have succumbed to a fatal sore throat, scientists believe.

TELEGRAPH Co.UK, By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Published: 3:06PM BST 29 Sep 2009

The findings emerged after scientists re-examined holes in the jaws of one of the most famous T-Rex fosils known as Sue Photo: AP

Researchers have found that the undisputed king of the dinosaurs may have been ferocious killer, but it was susceptible to a bacterial infection that stopped it eating.

They believe the illness, which is similar to one that continues to affect eagles and hawks today, was so severe it would have led to a painful death from starvation.

The findings emerged after scientists re-examined holes in the jaws of one of the most famous dinosaur fossils ever unearthed, the 42 feet long, 13 feet high, T-Rex at the Field Museum in Chicago known as Sue.

Originally they thought the holes were battle scars from fights with rivals but the new investigation suggests she was felled by a lowly parasite that still afflicts modern birds.

The study, led by Dr Ewan Wolff of the University of Wisconsin and Dr Steven Salisbury of the University of Queensland, Australia, pins the demise of Sue – and other T-rex – on an infection called trichomonosis.

It is possible the infection in her throat and mouth may have been so acute that the seven-ton dinosaur starved to death, said Dr Wolff.

“We have evidence of several tyrannosaurs that were severely affected by the parasite,” he said.

“We hypothesise that severe cases of the disease would have made feeding and breathing very difficult. In the case of “Sue” this may well have led to her demise.”

“The disease could have been transmitted in a couple of different ways. First, it could have been transmitted by face-biting or snout-to-snout contact of tyrannosaurs via saliva. Second, it could have been transmitted by consumption of flesh from prey or its own species infected with the parasite.

“It would have been a rather pitiful drawn out death from starvation.”

The study was published in the journal Public Library of Science One.