Tooth Of T. Rex Found At Triceratops Dig Site In Thornton
THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) - The digging continues at the site of the big triceratops discovery in Thornton, and this week evidence of another dinosaur was found.
Dr. Joe Sertich, paleontologist for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, announced on Friday at a public unveiling of part of the triceratops that his team found a Tyrannosaurus rex tooth on Thursday.
"It just keeps getting better. At this site, we found our first bit of T-Rex yesterday. We found a tooth," Sertich said.
Sertich said it's fairly common to find such teeth at locations where other dinosaurs are discovered.
"I don't think there's going to be a complete T. Rex at the site," he said. "They come in and they chew on these old carcasses as they are laying out and pop out a few teeth."
A Tyrannosaurus rex tooth can be as much as 9 inches long. The animals could grow a new tooth in less than two years when it lost one, according to Scholastic.com.
It's believed a T. rex would feed on many animals that were already dead, including triceratops.
"We have our first evidence (at this site) of some of those really neat interactions," Sertich said.
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CBS4 is a proud partner of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on the Thornton triceratops discovery. Watch CBS4 News for exclusive stories from reporter Stan Bush and photojournalist Mark Neitro at the dig site and in the museum's lab.
