A groundbreaking discovery: uncovering how dinosaurs healed themselves thanks to a T. rex’s broken rib
For decades, we have imagined how dinosaurs lived, hunted, and died. But how did they heal after a brutal fight? Did they have a healing system as efficient as modern reptiles? A unique discovery in the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex sheds new light on their internal biology and brings us closer than ever to the healing process of these titanic creatures.
Scotty: the largest and most injured T. rex
In 1991, the remains of Scotty, a T. rex weighing over 8,800 kilograms and living 66 million years ago, were found. Currently exhibited at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (Canada), this upper Cretaceous creature has fascinated for years due to its size… and its wounds. Some of its ribs and vertebrae show signs of fractures, suggesting a violent confrontation, perhaps with another T. rex.
But one of those broken ribs held a millennia-old surprise.
A microscopic glimpse into the past
Paleontologist Jerit Mitchell from the University of Regina used a synchrotron to study Scotty’s broken rib. The result was extraordinary: fossilized blood vessels and traces of collagen were revealed. This is an unprecedented find in the world of paleontology.
Chemical analysis showed high concentrations of iron and manganese, key elements for soft tissue preservation. These remains not only confirm that Scotty survived for a while after the injury but that his body was already in the process of regeneration when he died.
What does this tell us about dinosaur biology?
The discovery suggests that dinosaurs had a surprisingly complex healing system, perhaps similar to that of present-day birds and reptiles. While signs of fused bones or post-traumatic arthritis had been detected in fossils before, this is the first time that real structures involved in regeneration have been observed.
These clues open a new line of research into how dinosaurs, like crocodiles or birds, their closest evolutionary relatives, healed.
A field of study that is just beginning
The discovery of fossilized soft tissues marks the beginning of a new era in paleobiology. It not only allows us to reconstruct how dinosaurs lived and died but also how their bodies tried to heal after a battle. In Scotty’s case, that attempt was not enough.
However, his remains have left a revealing scar in time… and a scientific legacy that is just beginning to be explored.
