Thomson Reuters
The dinosaur remains were found in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.
Scientists had previously thought that the tyrannosaurs brains were too small for this kind of complex behavior.
Tyrannosaurs were probably social animals who hunted in packs, according to research from the University of Arkansas published Monday.
The research challenges a common theory that the huge lizards were solitary hunters who chased down prey alone, perhaps because they were too stupid to cooperate.
The tyrannosaur category includes the famous Tyrannosaurus rex as well as similar-looking carnivores likes the Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus. A lot of researchers feel like these animals simply didn t have the brain power to engage in such complex behavior, Alan Titus, a paleontologist for the Bureau of Land Management who led the research, told reporters in an online briefing, The Washington Post reported.
Deseret News
Rainbows & Unicorns site in southern Utah reveals sophisticated family units
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Alan Titus, Bureau of Land Management
Researchers discovered a pile of dinosaurs at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument a family of the giant Tyrannosaurus rex that leads them to conclude they all died at the same time in the same flood event and were hanging out together in a “gregarious” social unit.
The Rainbows & Unicorns Quarry at the southern Utah site is groundbreaking because the mainstream narrative around these dinosaurs that roamed the Earth 76.4 million years ago is that they were solitary prey animals that lacked the sophistication to carry out a coordinated attack to deliver their next meal.
Flickr A new study released Monday suggests the tyrannosaurus rex may have socialized in packs, much like wolves. Researchers made their finding at the Rainbows and Unicorns Quarry fossil site, located inside Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This story and more in Monday evening s news brief.
Monday evening, April 19, 2021
State
Recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Caregivers at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital are marking the occasion by planting blue and silver pinwheels on the hospital’s lawn and looking back on how the pandemic has impacted victims. Reports of child abuse and calls for service fell dramatically last year, according to Dr. Antoinette Laskey. Children were not at school, where abuse reports come from most often. They also weren’t seeing friends or other community members. Laskey said it is more important than ever that adults report situations where they suspect children are in danger.