The FRIENDLY dinosaurs: Huge cache of bones suggests bird-like creatures flocked together in social groups
Dinosaurs may not have been the solitary predators that they are often assumed to be.
According to a new study, they were social creatures that flocked together in groups like modern animals.
The research is based on bones from bird-like Avimimus dinosaurs that were found a decade ago.
The common mythology of dinosaurs depicts solitary, vicious monsters running around eating everything,’ explains Gregory Funston, PhD student.
‘Our discovery demonstrates that dinosaurs are more similar to modern animals than people appreciate.
The large cache of bones was first discovered in 2006 at the Nemegt Formation in Mongolia.
The area is well known for an abundance of fossils.
Further excavations in 2007 and 2016 uncovered a bonebed of Avimimus bones, which is thought to be the first containing oviraptorosaur remains.
The feathered dinosaurs lived during the Cretaceous Period, which spans the period from 79 to 145 million years ago.
The lack of juvenile dinosaur bones found suggests that the creatures were gathered in a social group, away from the ‘nest’, say the researchers.
‘There are groups of dinosaurs that become social towards the end of the Cretaceous,’ said Mr Funston.
‘What still remains to be solved is whether this increasing trend is based on dinosaur behavior or it if it’s because of how the fossils were preserved.’ The researchers were unable to determine how the dinosaur herd may have died, but suggested that their demise was the result of a ‘catastrophic mass death event’.
‘With an assemblage like this, you can’t really understand why the dinosaurs died together unless you see the field site,’ said Mr Funston.
‘We can tell that they were living together around the time of death, but the mystery still remains as to why.’
The researchers said the study highlighted the need for more focus on increasing levels of fossil poaching and how this affects scientific understanding.
Source: Daily mail
N.H.Kh