Not that anyone was really wondering, but scientists from the University of Manchester have discovered that earlier estimates of the biting power of Tyrannosaurus Rex were incorrect.
Previously the bite strength was compared to the same pressure an alligator places on its prey, but Dr. Karl Bates and Peter Falkingham created a 3D model that would allow them to measure the actual force the gigantic dinosaur was capable of. Their findings show that getting bit by an adult T. rex would feel the same as having a full sized elephant sit on you.
The 3D model was created using a laser scan of an actual T. rex skull located at the Manchester Museum. Once there was a 3D model to work with, the team were able to place muscles and flesh on the jaws, making it possible to reproduce what a full-force bite would generate in terms of power.
The results are astonishing, indicating that a victim of the king of the dinosaurs would experience 13,500 pounds of force when bitten. That is by far and away the world’s strongest bite.
The research team also discovered that as a T. rex matured and grew in size, their bites actually got more powerful. While this is to be expected since adults are almost always stronger than children, the point here is that instead of a linear progression of strength through said growth, it was actually an exponential explosion of power. The finding leads the team to believe that only a fully grown adult T. rex would be capable of biting clean through another animal.
Read more at BBC Nature