© Chris Glen, University of Queensland
The terror of the Tyrannosaurus rex was not another large Cretaceous reptile but a small parasite whose infection could even lead to death , according to a new study by American paleontologists published in the journal PLoS One .
Ewan DS Wolff of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his colleagues came to this conclusion after analyzing a series of marks on Sue's jaw , the largest and best-preserved fossil of a tyrannosaurus, on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. The injuries of nine more specimens, so far attributed to bites in the confrontation with other dinosaurs, seem to confirm the frequent attacks of Trichomonas gallinae , a protozoan that currently infects birds of prey , such as falcons, causing serious injuries in bottom of their beaks.
Regarding the contagion between Tyrannosaurus rex , Woldd suggests that it was produced by salivary contact or cannibalism , very common in these large reptiles. In fact, there is no evidence that other dinosaurs of the time suffered from the same disease.
