- Scotty, the largest T. rex skeleton, died from a rib injury in a dinosaur fight
- Scotty was found in 1991 in Saskatchewan, measuring 43 feet and weighing 19,500 pounds
- Neutron imaging created 3D images of Scotty's rib and preserved tissue without damage
Scotty, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered, has revealed a surprising detail about how the dinosaur met its end around 66 million years ago. An analysis of its remains found that the dinosaur died from a rib injury sustained during a battle with another dinosaur.
The impressive T Rex skeleton was found in 1991 in prehistoric Saskatchewan, Canada. Dubbed Scotty, the specimen reportedly measured 43 feet long and was estimated to have weighed around 19,500 pounds when alive, making it roughly the size of two elephants. However, the most unique feature of the fossil was that it still had literal meat on the bone, something that is almost never observed in palaeontology. Most specimens lose their tissue over time.
Because the remains were fragile, palaeontologists had to find a way to examine the preserved tissue without damaging the fossil. They used neutron imaging with the help of researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
Using the method, the palaeontologists created detailed 3D images of Scotty's rib and its remaining tissue. This allowed them to examine the fossil at a microscopic level.
Mauricio Barbi, professor of physics at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, described the discovery by saying it was like winning the lottery. He said Scotty's rib contained a vast network of mineralised blood vessels that had never before been observed in a fossil.
The prehistoric autopsy helped researchers determine that Scotty died from injuries suffered during a fight with another dinosaur.
When the apex predator's rib was cracked, tiny blood vessels formed around the wound to speed up the healing process. However, the injury proved too severe, as Scotty died in a Canadian salt marsh shortly afterwards.
Despite the dinosaur's tragic end, researchers hope to use neutron imaging and other new methods to investigate more prehistoric mysteries.
Jerit Mitchell, a University of Regina doctoral candidate in physics who heads the project under Barbi's direction, said there are more fossils than people might think sitting in collections and hiding secrets from millions of years ago.
Mitchell said such techniques allow researchers to make new discoveries about ancient life like never before.
