Would it be plausible that some of the largest land predators to ever set foot on the earth’s surface hunted in groups? Analysis of the fossil bones and surrounding rock found in 2014 at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, USA, suggests that these dinosaurs died and were buried together, rather than being washed away from elsewhere. . This finding, according to paleontologists, shows that it is possible that this predator was not a solitary hunter as previously thought, but that they hunted their prey in packs, just as wolves do.
Although tyrannosaurs are one of the best-studied groups of dinosaurs, we still have a lot to learn about from the hoard of fossilized specimens found in Utah.
The ad, from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), focuses on the tyrannosaurus Teratophoneus, whose name roughly translates to “monstrous killer.” The group of Teratophoneus remains at the Rainbows and Unicorns quarry – named for the wide variety of fossils it contains – was discovered by BLM paleontologist Alan Titus and contains individuals of different ages ranging from juveniles to large adults.
A multidisciplinary approach
Using geochemical analysis of the bones and rock, paleontologists at the University of Arkansas determined that the dinosaurs died and were buried in the same location and were not the result of fossils from multiple areas.
“Traditional excavation techniques, complemented by the analysis of rare earth elements, stable isotopes and carbon concentrations convincingly show a synchronous death event at the Rainbows site of four or five tyrannosaurs,” says Philip Currie, world expert on dinosaurs “Without a doubt, this group died together, adding to a growing body of evidence that tyrannosaurids were capable of interacting as gregarious herds.”
Did they live in a social group?
It is clear that more evidence will be needed to make this claim. For the moment, it is a possibility. They could have lived in the same neighborhood but this does not mean that they lived and moved as a social group.
Along with the tyrannosaurus fossils, paleontologists working at the quarry have also discovered two other types of dinosaurs, the nearly complete skeleton of a juvenile crocodile, seven species of turtles, as well as multiple species of fish and rays. However, experts said that unlike the Tyrannosaurus rex specimens, the other animals did not appear to have died together.
“Taking the next step in understanding behavior and how animals behave requires really amazing evidence. I think this site, the spectacular collection of tyrannosaurs, but also the other pieces of evidence gathered, brings us to the point where we can show some evidence. behavior “, clarified the dinosaur curator of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Joseph Sertich, in a press conference.
Note:
The site of the find, the Grand Staircase-SEscalante National Monument, is one of two monuments that the Joe Biden administration is considering restoring to full size after former President Donald Trump reduced them.
