Chilean paleontologists discover an unknown dinosaur called Arackar Licanantay in the Atacama Desert
6 hours ago An artist s impression of the plant-eating dinosaur.
Ferocious tyrannosaur dinosaurs may not have been solitary predators as long envisioned, but more like social carnivores such as wolves, new research unveiled on Monday found.
Paleontologists developed the theory while studying a mass tyrannosaur death site found seven years ago in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, one of two monuments that the Biden administration is considering restoring to their full size after former President Donald Trump shrunk them.
Using geochemical analysis of the bones and rock, a team of researchers with the University of Arkansas determined that the dinosaurs died and were buried in the same place and were not the result of fossils washing in from multiple areas.
Alerts
Artist’s impression of the tyrannosaurs shortly after being killed in a flood and washed into a nearby lake. A
Deinosuchus alligator is shown n in the background.
Image: Victor Leshyk
A remarkable fossil site in Utah, in which several tyrannosaurs were found buried together, strengthens a burgeoning theory that these fearsome creatures hunted in packs, similar to wolves.
Advertisement
That tyrannosaurs were social hunters is a possibility paleontologists have been considering for more than 20 years. Back in 1910, paleontologists working in Alberta, Canada, discovered the remains of 12 tyrannosaurs that appeared to have died together. This discovery was largely forgotten until Canadian paleontologist Philip Currie, now with the University of Alberta, revisited the old finding in 1998, arguing that it was evidence for “gregarious behavior” in tyrannosaurs and that these animals were pack hunters.
Pet-friendly vacations, hot air balloons, and a luxury bike trip
Travel news you can use
By Kari Bodnarchuk Globe correspondent,Updated April 21, 2021, 2:00 p.m.
Email to a Friend
HERE
Enjoy a local paddle
After a winter â and year â cooped up at home, get out and explore the local waterways. North Shore-based Coast to Coast Paddle, which offers kayak and standup paddleboard rentals in Beverly and Salem, opens its new Woburn location starting this Memorial Day weekend. Rent a single or tandem sit-on-top Ocean Kayak at its Horn Pond kiosk â located by the 500-acre Horn Pond Conservation Area â and explore little coves, a submerged island grove, and the scenic shoreline. The calm waters make this an ideal location for paddlers of all ages and skill levels. Or head to Coast to Coast Paddleâs locations at Independence Park in Beverly or Salem Willows Park in Salem for kayak and SUP rentals, lessons, and tours. Rentals offered daily through Labor Day weekend
Mass fossil site may prove tyrannosaurs lived and hunted in packs like wolves
New Utah site, third mass grave found, bolsters theory ferocious dinosaurs may not have been solitary predators
Tyrannosaur dinosaurs may not have been solitary predators as long envisioned
Ferocious tyrannosaur dinosaurs may not have been solitary predators as long envisioned, but more like social carnivores such as wolves, new research unveiled Monday found.
Paleontologists developed the theory while studying a mass tyrannosaur death site found seven years ago in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, one of two monuments that the Biden administration is considering restoring to their full size after former President Donald Trump shrunk them.
| Updated: 9:50 p.m.
Did the dinosaur age’s most fearsome predators hunt by themselves, or did tyrannosaurs live cooperatively in groups?
A surprising discovery in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument provides compelling evidence of the latter.
Scientists recovered several tyrannosaur specimens, representing animals of varying ages, that apparently died together in the Kaiparowits Plateau, suggesting complex social behavior akin to that seen today in lions and wolves, according to Alan Titus, a paleontologist with the Bureau of Land Management.
“Most predators are solitary. The reason for that is you have to have a very special purpose as a predator to want to get together and cooperate with what were originally your competitors for prey,” Titus said Monday in a news conference announcing the discovery. “And that involves guaranteeing success of taking down larger animals.”