Flu, parasites, cancer...you heard it right, dinosaurs can get sick too!

The weather is getting colder

Everyone must keep warm

Tadpole, I have been hit by the flu.

Who can understand the pain of being sick in winter?

As the saying goes, "When illness strikes, it's like a mountain falling."

Let's chat with you today

Dinosaurs also got sick!

Although dinosaurs have become fossils

But some traces left on the bones

Showing that they too have suffered from illness

Today we will take a look at these " dinosaur patients "

01

A Tyrannosaurus Rex killed by a "bug"?

Speaking of the sick dinosaurs, the first one to be reported is naturally the dinosaur tyrant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Field Museum in the United States preserves a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil nicknamed "Sue", which is the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil preserved to date . When scientists studied Sue, they found that there were many "craters" the size of golf balls on its lower jaw.

These holes do not match the bite marks of other Tyrannosaurus teeth, and no other animal at the time could have bitten it like this. What was going on?

By comparing it with the Tyrannosaurus Rex's relatives, birds, scientists discovered that the holes were caused by a group of microorganisms similar to Trichomonas - in other words, the Tyrannosaurus Rex's jaw was infected with " trichomoniasis " caused by parasites, which caused it to become so bumpy.

Paleontologists have discovered some circular holes in the mandible of the Tyrannosaurus Rex Sue. The culprits behind these holes may be some inconspicuous little guys - Trichomonas.

The reason why Tyrannosaurus Rex was infected with trichomoniasis may be because it ate animals with the same disease or fought with infected animals. Previously, it was believed that too many pits on the chin affected the Tyrannosaurus Rex's eating, causing it to starve to death, but later it was found that some of these pits had shown signs of repair.

In addition, Sue is also the second longest-lived individual known among Tyrannosaurus Rex, which shows that this disease did not have much impact on it. The tenacious vitality of the king of dinosaurs is evident!

The Tyrannosaurus Rex specimen, nicknamed "Sue," may have lived to be 28 years old, making it the second-longest-lived Tyrannosaurus Rex known.

02

Osteomyelitis of "China's First Dragon" and the gluttonous murderer

In 1941, Lufengosaurus became famous because it was excavated and named by the Chinese, and earned the reputation of " the first dragon in China ". However, Lufengosaurus itself did not feel good at all - because it was a "patient".

In 2018, scientists discovered a large rectangular hole on a Lufengosaurus rib while studying it. A CT scan of the rib showed that a cavity had formed inside the bone, which was very similar to the symptoms of osteomyelitis. It was obvious that this Lufengosaurus had osteomyelitis caused by bacterial infection.

However, fossil records show that after suffering from osteomyelitis, this Lufengosaurus still survived for many years with a weak body and loss of appetite.

The rib fossil of Lufengosaurus was found with a wound

CT scan of the injured Lufengosaurus rib

So what exactly caused Lufengosaurus' osteomyelitis?

Scientists speculate that the wounds may have been infected by bacteria after being attacked by a carnivorous dinosaur. There was a large carnivorous dinosaur called Sinosaurus living next to Lufengosaurus. The "poisonous sores" on this Lufengosaurus may have been formed after the wounds were infected by bacteria after being attacked and bitten by Sinosaurus.

Reconstruction of the scene of the injured Lufengosaurus

Reconstruction of Chinese dragon attacking Lufeng dragon

Interestingly, the Chinese dragon, which is the natural enemy of the Lufeng dragon, was also found to be suffering from the disease. On the mandible of a Chinese dragon, scientists found closed tooth sockets, which are the signs of dental disease.

It can be seen that this Chinese dragon broke its teeth because of its greed and biting hard objects, and then the new teeth could not grow normally due to the infection of the alveolar socket. Considering the cause of the osteomyelitis wound of Lufengosaurus mentioned above, could this Chinese dragon be the "murderer" who attacked Lufengosaurus?

Chinese dragon with dental disease restored

03

Did dinosaurs get the flu?

In addition to parasites and osteomyelitis, dinosaurs could also get the flu or pneumonia we commonly talk about!

In 2022, scientists performed a CT scan on the cervical vertebrae of a Diplodocus and found bone protrusions that were different from those of other Diplodocus. These bone protrusions may have been formed after an infection, and it was found that the protruding bones were once connected to the Diplodocus's air sacs (part of its respiratory system).

Therefore, scientists believe that the place where the disease occurred was the dinosaur's respiratory system . These protrusions were first formed after the respiratory system was infected, and then spread to its neck bones.

By comparing it with modern birds and reptiles, scientists believe that this diplodocus should have been infected with aspergillosis, a disease caused by fungal infection, which is common in birds and reptiles today.

If this speculation is true, then this Diplodocus had symptoms similar to flu or pneumonia, such as weight loss, coughing, fever, and difficulty breathing. Today, birds, which are the same family as dinosaurs, are in danger of death if they are infected with Aspergillus without treatment, so this Diplodocus may have died of a respiratory infection caused by Aspergillus, and finally presented its fossil suffering from the disease to us...

Reconstruction of Diplodocus

Abnormal bone growth in a diseased Diplodocus (a) Schematic diagram of the Diplodocus neck, with abnormal bone growth indicated in red (b) Neck vertebrae of MOR 7029, with the protruding abnormal structure framed in red; close-up in (c) and explanatory diagram in (d) (abnormal structure in red)

04

Dinosaur with cancer

Among many diseases, cancer is undoubtedly the most dreaded one. This dreaded disease also left its mark in the dinosaur world.

In 2020, scientists in Alberta, Canada, unearthed a fossil of a centrosaurus leg bone, which attracted widespread attention for its severe deformity. Initially, people speculated that the deformity might have been caused by a fierce fight with other animals.

However, as scientists studied the fossil using microscopes and human cancer treatment techniques, they were surprised to find that the deformity was actually caused by a malignant tumor called osteosarcoma . This discovery is the first time that humans have confirmed that dinosaurs can also be attacked by malignant cancer.

The outer tibia (fibula) of a ceratopsian Centrosaurus with malignant bone cancer (osteosarcoma)

Scientists involved in the study said that this groundbreaking discovery makes the image of dinosaurs more vivid and real. We once thought that dinosaurs were as powerful and invincible as the giant dragons in myths.

But now, we realize that they are at risk of disease just like us... This discovery not only enriches our knowledge of the physiological characteristics of dinosaurs, but also gives us a deeper understanding of these prehistoric giants.

Author: Qianxi Jun

Editor: Dong Xiaoxian

Reviewer: Liu Kun and Li Peiyuan