Explanation
The passage presents evidence of tooth marks on Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons that could only have been made by a large carnivore. Since T. rex was the only large carnivore in North America at the time, and such tooth marks on a living animal would have been nearly impossible, the passage implies that these tooth marks resulted from combat or cannibalism after death.
A. The passage does not provide information on whether T. rex engaged in regular combat with smaller carnivores.
B. There is no mention of the commonality of carnivores feeding on other carnivores during the time of T. rex, nor is it relevant to the specific evidence presented.
C. (Correct Response) If T. rex was the only large carnivore present and the tooth marks on the skeletons could only have been made by a large carnivore, the most logical explanation supported by the information would be that T. rex sometimes engaged in cannibalism.
D. While intraspecies combat is a possibility, the statement about the marks being almost impossible to inflict on a live animal suggests that the marks were made after death, which is more consistent with cannibalism rather than combat.
E. The presence of large carnivores on other continents does not support the explanation for the tooth marks on T. rex skeletons found in North America.
The statement that most strongly supports the given information is option C, which accounts for the presence of tooth marks made by a large carnivore on the skeletons.