Fossils: T. rex had complex nerve sensors in the tips of its jaws, study finds

Tyrannosaurus rex — the oft-dubbed 'king of the dinosaurs' had nerves in its jaw that would have allowed it to recognise varied parts of its prey and eat them differently. Tyrannosaurus rex — the oft-dubbed 'king of the dinosaurs' had nerves in its jaw that allowed it to recognise varied parts of its prey and eat them differently The fearsome reptiles may have been adept enough with their mouths to use them to make nests, care for their young and even communicate WHAT WAS T. REX? Dr Kawabe and colleagues used computed tomography scans to reconstruct the 'neurovascular canal' of blood vessels and nerves running through the fossil low jaw of a T. rex unearthed from the Hell Creek rock formation in Montana. Researchers from the Fukui Prefectural University scanned the fossilised lower jaw of a Tyrannosaurus rex and reconstructed the nerve pattern within 'It must be noted that the sensitivity of the snout in Tyrannosaurus may not have been as enhanced as that of the crocodilians, because Tyrannosaurus lacks thick neural tissue the neurovascular canal, unlike extant crocodiles,' said Dr Hattori.