Baby dinosaur fossils reveal T-rex diet

Two baby dinosaurs were found embedded in the fossil of a 75-million-year-old tyrannosaur.
Low-angle photo of dinosaur eating baby dinosaur. — Pexels
Low-angle photo of dinosaur eating baby dinosaur. — Pexels

New revelations have surfaced within the ancient world of dinosaurs as the remains of two baby dinosaurs were found embedded in the fossil of a 75-million-year-old tyrannosaur. This discovery, detailed in a study published by Science Advances, illuminates the dietary habits of these ancient predators.

The fossil, belonging to a juvenile gorgosaurus, a close relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex, contained the hind limbs of two small bird-like dinosaurs known as citipes. This finding suggests that the young gorgosaurus hunted smaller, juvenile dinosaurs, deviating from the dietary patterns observed in adult gorgosaurus, which primarily targeted large plant-eating dinosaurs living in herds, according to earlier fossil records.

Dr Darla Zelenitsky, one of the study's lead researchers, expressed that this discovery provides "solid evidence that tyrannosaurs drastically changed their diet as they grew up." She further emphasised that teenage tyrannosaurs likely preyed on smaller, immature dinosaurs, lacking readiness to confront the massive, adult horned dinosaurs that weighed thousands of kilograms.

Initially unearthed in Canada's Alberta Badlands in 2009, the fossil remained encased in rock for years before being meticulously prepared for scientific examination. Staff at Alberta's Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology made the initial discovery after spotting small toe bones protruding from the rib cage of the gorgosaurus fossil. 

Dr Francois Therrien, another lead scientist involved in the study, revealed that the rock encasing the ribcage was painstakingly removed, revealing the intact hind legs of two baby dinosaurs, both estimated to be under a year old.