Bitemarks on the fossilized jaw of a tyrannosaur called Albertosaurus appear to illustrate the first known example of scavenging raptors feasting on a much larger dinosaur The prehistoric snack scene is detailed in a recent study in the Journal of Paleontology. However, researchers, one alternative theory may point to an even darker fate.
A close relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, Albertosaurus roamed its present-day namesake Canadian territory about 73 to 67 million years ago (Late Cretaceous period). It was the region’s undisputed apex predator,and regularly grew upwards of 30 feet long while weighing around 6,000 pounds. But even a fearsome dinosaur like Albertosaurus ultimately succumbed to injury, illness, and old age. In this case, paleontologists analyzed fragments of an immature specimen who died when it was 8 to 10 years old. Despite only being a “teenager” at the time of death, the Albertosaurus was already over 19 feet long and weighed about 1,170 pounds.
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