Large Dinosaur Predators – Such As T. rex – Evolved Different Eye Socket Shapes To Allow Stronger Bites



According to recent findings, huge dinosaur predators changed the structure of their eye sockets to better withstand strong bite forces.

New research suggests that in order to better withstand strong bite forces, huge dinosaur predators like Tyrannosaurus rex evolved various forms of eye sockets.

The eye socket in many animals, including the majority of dinosaurs, is just a circular opening in the skull that houses the eyeball; however, this is not the case in huge carnivores.

According to a recent study, these predators' distinctive circular or oval eye sockets may have developed to lessen the impact on their skulls as they pounced on prey. Today, August 11, 2022, the results of this study by University of Birmingham researchers were published in Communications Biology.

Tyrannosaurus rex skull and life reconstruction with original eye socket and eye (on the left), and fictitious reconstruction with circular eye socket and enlarged eye (on the right) (right). Dr. Stephan Lautenschlager of the University of Birmingham is to be credited.

The new study's author, Dr. Stephan Lautenschlager, Senior Lecturer for Palaeobiology at the University of Birmingham, examined the eye socket shapes of about 500 distinct dinosaurs and related taxa.

Dr. Stephan Lautenschlager stated that the findings "suggest that only some dinosaurs had eye sockets that were elliptical or keyhole-shaped." But each of them had a massive, carnivorous skull that measured at least one meter.

Dr. Lautenschlager used computer simulations and stress analysis to investigate the potential function of these peculiar eye socket forms.

The findings showed that a circular eye socket made a skull more vulnerable to severe shocks during biting. However, strains were dramatically reduced if these were swapped out for different eye socket forms. Because of this, top predators like Tyrannosaurus rex were able to develop strong bites without sacrificing skull stability.

The research also revealed that the majority of organisms that consume plants and young people still have round eye sockets. Other morphologies, such as elliptical, keyhole- or figure-of-eight-shaped eye sockets, were only adopted by huge carnivores.

Dr. Lautenschlager continued, "In these animals, the eyeball truly occupied only the upper portion of the eye socket. Additionally, this resulted in a relative decrease in eye size in relation to skull size.

The researchers also looked into what may have happened if the growth of the skull and the size of the eyes had occurred simultaneously. If so, Tyrannosaurus rex's eyes would have measured up to 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter and weighed almost 20 kg (44 pounds). An estimated 13 cm (5 inches) and 2 kilograms are replaced by this (4.4 pounds).

Reference: Stephan Lautenschlager, "Body size and food drive functional and ecomorphological evolution of orbit shape in mesozoic archosaurs," Communications Biology, 11 August 2022.

by BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY 

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