The Dentary of Tyrannosaurus Rex
Late Cretaceous Period, Maastrichtian Stage (approx. 67 million years ago) Hell C💝rไeek Formation, Dawson County, Montana
Live auction begins on:
July 16, 02:00 PM GMT
Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
Bid
160,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
The Dentary of a Tyrannosaurus Rex
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Late Cretaceous Period, Maastrichtian Stage (approx. 67 million years ago)
Hell Creek Formation, Dawson County, Montana, USA
Complete dentary of a fully-grown Tyrannosaurus rex with 5 erupted teeth. Dentary measures 20.5 inches long by 9 inches high fr𒁃om the tip of the ta♌llest tooth to the bottom of the jaw. 15 inches high on custom metal armature.
Judging from the overall size and degree of the bone development, it can be determined that this mandible belonged to a large, mature individual. The bones are preserved in exquisite detail, exhibiting little distortion, and retaining much of their originꦑal shape and surface characteristics. The fossilization is superb, with normal foramina and nutrient grooves visible.
The five teeth emerging from the bone are well-preserved and measure approximately 4.75 inches, 4.25 inches, 2.5 inches, 2.75 inches,ไ and 1 inch respectively. All have complete crowns and intact enamel, serrations, and tips without repair or restoration. The enamel exhibits a walnut brown patina.
Excavated in 2024 on privately owned land in the😼 Hell Creek Formation, Dawson County, Montana
THE EXCEPܫTION💛AL COMPLETE RIGHT DENTARY OF A FULLY GROWN TYRANNOSAURUS REX, WITH FIVE ERUPTED TEETH
T. rex's five-foot-long skull was packed with 60 teeth and featured a bone-crushing bite force of nearly 13,000 pounds per square inch, the strongest of any terrestrial animal other than its ancestor, Gorgosaurus. The preಞsent lot demonstrates the secret behi🌟nd that terrifying force.
This mandible displays the elegant structures that transformed the T. rex’s incredible bite. The dentary features five lethal teeth in various stages of growth. Like Great White Sharks, Tyrannosaurus rex constantly shed and grew new teeth. This process is apparent in the present lot, with five teeth in various stages of eওruption.
In comparison to other carnivorous theropods, Tyrannosaurus rex teeth are proportionately huge. Robust and thickly-enameled crowns strengthened dozens of teeth, with serrations on both the posterior and anterior edges. The almost unrivaled power of this 40-foot-long (12.2 m) apex predator allowed it to hunt virtually every large dinosaur in its environment, including Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, Ornithomimus, Pachycepahlosaurus, Edmontosaurus, and even other tyrannosaurs.
Tyrannosaurus rex had an intramandibular joint (IMJ) in its lower jaw. Previously, scientists believed this joint was flexible like those of snakes or monitor li🎐zards, which would help the predators keep struggling prey in their grasp. Recent research using CT scans and 3D modelling suggests that this IMJ was firm, helping to steady the jaw, and that this joint’s structure was exactly what enabled the stagꦿgering bite force for which the King Tyrant is known. The prearticular bone, which runs along the inside of the jaw, counteracted the strain on the joint (Fortner et al).
LITERATURE
Fortner, John et al. “The Role of the Intermandibular Joint, Symphyseal Tissues, and Wrapping Muscles on Theropod D🅷inosaur Mandibular Funct🐭ion.” The FASEB Journal. 14 May 2021.
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