The feeding behaviour of Tyrannosaurus rex has been studied extensively. The well known attributes of T. rex (its jaws, legs and overall body design) are often interpreted to be indicative of either a predatory or scavenging lifestyle, and as such the biomechanics, feeding strategies and diet of Tyrannosaurus have been subject to much research and debate. Feeding Like other tyrannosaurids, Tyrannosaurus rex is known to have been carnivorous due primarily to the shape of the teeth. A study conducted by Miriam Reichel of the University of Alberta found that the tyrannosaurs' dissimilar teeth had different uses depending on their size, placement, serrated edge and angle in the mouth. While the teeth at the front were specially designed for gripping and pulling, the teeth at the side of the jaw were meant to puncture and the teeth at the back were specialized to both slice pieces from its prey and force it to its throat. She also proposed that the banana-shaped teeth of Tyrannosaurus rex were designed to withstand the strain of violently struggling prey which would otherwise snap teeth that were sharp, flat and knife-like. In a study made by Stephan Lautenschlager and colleagues comparing Tyrannosaurus to fellow theropods Allosaurus and Erlikosaurus, it was calculated that Tyrannosaurus was capable of a maximum jaw gape of around 80 degrees; this enormous jaw gape was a necessary adaptation for a wide range of jaw angles to power the creature's strong bite. A study by Emily J. Rayfield from the University of Bristol further supported that Tyrannosaurus used the puncture and pull feeding strategy, where the Tyrannosaurus would startle its prey with a powerful bite and then drag its teeth back through its prey's flesh and bone. The study found that Tyrannosaurus had a bony skull that was well-adapted to withstand biting and shearing forces, with strong nasal bones that helped it withstand compression and shearing stresses and lacrimal bones that enabled the skull to withstand a variety of stresses. Her study also found that the maxilla jugal sutures found in Tyrannosaurus cheeks acted as shock absorbers. These joints had soft tissue that absorbed some of the stresses encountered when biting. This traded some of the skull's durability in return for enabling it to better protect the surrounding bones from damage when biting. The study also found that the skull redirected much of the strain from biting to the Tyrannosaurus skull's robust nasal