Tyrannosaurus rex Caught Bird Disease

A 2009 study found that some tyrannosaur fossils carried a strange set of holes in the jawbone that looked a lot like the damage caused by trichomonosis in living birds. When researchers surveyed tyrannosaurid specimens, they found these lesions in nearly 15% of the individuals they examined. The infection likely attacked the mouth and throat, and in severe cases it may have left the animals unable to eat and slowly starved them. Modern birds of prey, including falcons and hawks, can suffer similar trichomonosis infections, which is why scientists think the disease has very deep roots in the dinosaur-bird family line.

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