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Pigeon 1 -0 T.rex

Galvasean

It seems that the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex was a victim of the parasitic disease thricomonosis which effects many kinds of modern day birds. In a twist of cruel irony, the meek and comparatively uninteresting modern day pigeon has an immunity to the disease which could fell even one of the most powerful predators ever to walk the Earth.
The disease may well have been spread from one tyrannosaur to another by means of face biting.

The disease appeared to be quite common in tyrannosaurs and could have been deadly to those that were infected.

'As the parasites take hold in serious infections, lesions form around the jaw and inside the throat, eventually eating away the bone. As the lesions grow, the animal has trouble swallowing food and may eventually starve to death,' said Dr Salisbury.

Tyrannosaurs are thus far the only dinosaurs that appear to have had this disease. The researchers therefore faced the problem of explaining how it was spread.

Full article here.

Image by Chris Glen, University of Queensland.

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Comments

Kess73

Interesting topic, and one that strengthens even further the premise that birds evolved directly from dinosaurs.

Nasty way to die though, and them another Rex who ate the dead one would catch it and so on.

Face biting would not be the only way to catch it though. With modern birds, Greenfinches and house sparrows as the two most common to get it in Ireland, Trichomonas can be passed on in many other ways other than direct beak to beak contact.

Birds rub their beaks on branches to clean them, leaving behind traces of trichomonas for the next bird who cleans their beak on that branch. Drinking areas can be rife with it, and feeding areas are probably the easiest way for it to spread bird to bird.

The bird of prey comment is a very accurate one as I have seen sparrowhawks contract it, no doubt after catching and eating an infected bird.

It can literally wipe out entire flocks in a matter of weeks if it gets a grip, so it must have been devasting in the world of the T Rex.

Galvasean

I wonder if it played a part in their eventual extinction. The tazmanian devil suffers from a similarly contagious tumourous condition which is spread when they bite each other. As a result tehy are on the verge of extinction. It would be a sad irony if T.rex met it's end to a lowly parasite.
Although it is curious that it has not been noted in any dinosaurs other than tyrannosaurs. I wonder if it is possible that the disease originated in tyrannosaurs?

Jako8

It looks like there is a smiley face on the jaw of the second T - Rex.

Anywho back on topic, this is actually quite interesting and yes Galvasean it would be sad if the mighty T-rex became extinct because of this.

Galvasean

Jako8 wrote: »

It looks like there is a smiley face on the jaw of the second T - Rex..

Oh dear, see it now. That's actually quite freaky!

Alvin T. Grey

Pidgies suffer from it too. It's called canker. And it's rather unpleasent.

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

I wonder if it played a part in their eventual extinction. The tazmanian devil suffers from a similarly contagious tumourous condition which is spread when they bite each other. As a result tehy are on the verge of extinction. It would be a sad irony if T.rex met it's end to a lowly parasite.
Although it is curious that it has not been noted in any dinosaurs other than tyrannosaurs. I wonder if it is possible that the disease originated in tyrannosaurs?

Its funny that you mention the Tasmanian devil, because this mammal has often been compared to T-Rex (because of its voraciousness, strong bite, huge jaws compared to body size etc).
Also, the fossil record shows that T-Rex was cannibalistic and some specimens have bite marks from other T-Rex on their bones, showing that they survived the attack. Maybe this allowed the disease to spread and eventually spelled doom for T-Rex... (Kids, don´t eat your same species!)

Now, I know dinosaur diversity was already being lost at the end of the Cretaceous or so they say, but, stretching imagination, what if T-Rex went extinct first due to disease, and then without a top predator, the whole ecosystem just collapsed? We are often told that T-Rex went extinct AFTER herbivores declined, but, if it was the other way around? This would make sense since there weren´t any other large predators to control the herbivore population...

But of course that wouldn´t explain the extinction of dinosaurs and other animals all over the world... unless the disease was not unique to tyrannosaurs and all predatory dinos fell victims to it. Ah, never mind, just a thought

Galvasean

Alvin T. Grey wrote: »

Pidgies suffer from it too. It's called canker. And it's rather unpleasent.

Saw a pigeon in the train station today with a canker sore on it's leg so big that it couldn't use that leg. Hardy bugger had to hop around on one leg. In fact the sore was so massive that it appeared to have stopped blood flow to the foot which had turned pale pink, almost white (as opposed to red like his working foot). Imagine if a T. rex had something like that...

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

Saw a pigeon in the train station today with a canker sore on it's leg so big that it couldn't use that leg. Hardy bugger had to hop around on one leg. In fact the sore was so massive that it appeared to have stopped blood flow to the foot which had turned pale pink, almost white (as opposed to red like his working foot). Imagine if a T. rex had something like that...

Could this possibly explain the city pigeons I've seen missing one leg? I always assumed they had been attacked by a cat or something...

Galvasean

Adam Khor wrote: »

Could this possibly explain the city pigeons I've seen missing one leg? I always assumed they had been attacked by a cat or something...

I think it's the disease TBH. Far too many one legged pigeons popping around for it to be predation escapees. That would indicate some seriously woeful predators.
In fact, their tendency to carry disease is why they are listed as vermin (along with rats and mice) in Dublin. There is no legal reprimand for killing tem. In fact I believe the eradication of vermin where possible is seen as a form of community service / civil duty (glad it's pigeons, not tyrannosaurs now huh?)
Filthy critters, If they crap on you scald yourself with acid to avoid contamination. They're practically zombies.
Lots of them have canker sores on their faces too....
CRETINS! :mad:

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

I think it's the disease TBH. Far too many one legged pigeons popping around for it to be predation escapees. That would indicate some seriously woeful predators.
In fact, their tendency to carry disease is why they are listed as vermin (along with rats and mice) in Dublin. There is no legal reprimand for killing tem. In fact I believe the eradication of vermin where possible is seen as a form of community service / civil duty (glad it's pigeons, not tyrannosaurs now huh?)
Filthy critters, If they crap on you scald yourself with acid to avoid contamination. They're practically zombies.
Lots of them have canker sores on their faces too....
CRETINS! :mad:

Ironically, laws on pest eradication are written by the most insidious of all vermin...;)

Galvasean

Adam Khor wrote: »

Ironically, laws on pest eradication are written by the most insidious of all vermin...;)

Mole rats?

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Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

Mole rats?

Mole rats no vermin. Mole rats cool.

Alvin T. Grey

Adam Khor wrote: »

Could this possibly explain the city pigeons I've seen missing one leg? I always assumed they had been attacked by a cat or something...

Galvasean wrote: »

Saw a pigeon in the train station today with a canker sore on it's leg so big that it couldn't use that leg. Hardy bugger had to hop around on one leg. In fact the sore was so massive that it appeared to have stopped blood flow to the foot which had turned pale pink, almost white (as opposed to red like his working foot). Imagine if a T. rex had something like that...

Thats usually down to string, thread, etc becoming wrapped around the toes constricting blood flow. The apendage becomes necrotic and either falls off, or becomes knotted in the twine collecting detritius like glue.
A friend of mine used to rehab wild birds. I helped out for a while.

Canker like T-Rex had showes up a big cheesy lumps attached to the sides of the throat. It blocks the asophagus and trachea (birds throats are not as developed as mamals so the difference between breating and eating is a simple hole at the back of the tongue) the animal can't get enough food or oxygen leaving them earth bound, rundown, unable to preen, and likely dinner for preditors. - Hence the dirty puffed up look, and the lethargy.

Alvin T. Grey

In birds this is usually picked up through contaminated water, food (feces) or by brooding young. Funnily enough the condition seems (AFIK) a lot like herpes or coldsores. Normally the body can keep the parasite under control, but if the individual becomes immunosurpressed it flares like hell.

I wonder if there are other dino species that exhibit the same pathology that could support a vector like todays birds.
Heck as far as we know it could have been contracted by eating other dinos who carried the pest.

Might be worth a reserch paper or two for someone...