Mightiest bite Other dino giants 'lacked crushing T. rex jaws'

REX may have been one of the few fearsome dinosaurs to pack a mighty bite, suggests new research from Bristol University.

- Stephen BEECH

A study of 18 dino species showed that the jaws of many of the prehistoric predators were much weaker than previously thought.

While the tyrannosaurus skull was optimised for quick, strong bites like a crocodile, other giant dinosaurs that walked on two legs - including spinosaurs and allosaurs - had much weaker bites and instead specialised in slashing and ripping flesh.

Scientists say their findings, published in the journal Current Biology, show that meat-eating dinosaurs followed "different evolutionary paths" in terms of skull design and feeding style despite their similarly gigantic sizes.

Study coauthor Dr Andrew Rowe, a palaeontologist at the University of Bristol, said: "Carnivorous dinosaurs took very different paths as they evolved into giants in terms of feeding biomechanics and possible behaviours.