Hello all, I'm just curious to hear opinions on the matter. I believe T-Rex would have been both, scavenger and hunter, like most carnivores. As to the ratio of when he hunted or scavenged, to me, is up for debate. I will leave it there..

Kyle

This is a classic debate! I have been discussing this topic on another forum. I have heard that T-Rex teeth are more robust than those of other Theropods and that some wounds on T-rex fossils may have come from triceratops. Some say that TR was a predator for sure but one fellow who was a real paleontologist (as opposed to me) said that he believed the scavenger theory (he said the teeth weren't great for a huge predator). Personally, I think that the fantastic sense of smell would make it a great scavenger and when you have huge animals expiring you probably need huge things to eat them up.

Survival in a dinosaur eat dinosaur world was unforgiving and serious state to be in so I would think that a carnivore who wasn't interested in eating his broccoli was up for whatever presented itself. If you are strong and hungry, killing a weaker species isn't an obstacle and T. rex appears to be up to the task but it might not pass up a free meal or dine on someone else's leftovers. Opportunity might modify a predator's normal strategy when environmental and/or hunting conditions change.  

Stego said

 …and when you have huge animals expiring you probably need huge things to eat them up.

This brings up and interesting thought. How many dinosaurs 'expired' naturally? I am meaning dying of old age vs. being killed in battle or ending up on a predator's dining table.

Well, T-Rex was certainly big enough and armed well enough to take on any other creature in his habitat. However, I think that, like modern predators, TR wouldn't attack something too close to his equal (like a live triceratops) if he didn't have to. TR could probably live off of carcasses he took away from smaller predators besides those of already dead animals and those that T-Rex sped on their way.