Latest news with #dinosaurs
The Independent
a day ago
- Science
- The Independent
Footprints shed new light on dinosaur social interactions
Fossil footprints discovered at Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, provide the first concrete evidence of mixed-species herding behaviour among dinosaurs. The tracks show different dinosaur species, including horned and armoured dinosaurs, travelled together, similar to modern wildebeest and zebra. Researchers also found tracks of two tyrannosaurs walking alongside the herd, suggesting multispecies herding may have been a defence strategy against apex predators. The findings, detailed in the journal PLOS One, shed new light on social interaction among prehistoric beasts. Further excavations at the site are expected to reveal more details about how dinosaurs of different species interacted and behaved in their natural environment.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Groundbreaking fossil footprints reveal dinosaurs of different species herded together
Fossil footprints discovered in Canada show that different dinosaur species sometimes herded together, shedding more light on social interaction among the prehistoric beasts. The footprints at the Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, is the first discovery of its kind. An analysis of the fossil site, detailed in the journal PLOS One, provides the first piece of concrete evidence of mixed species herding behaviour among dinosaurs, similar to how modern wildebeest and zebra travel together on the African plains. Researchers, including from the University of Reading in the UK, say they were surprised to find fossil tracks of a pair of tyrannosaurs walking side by side and perpendicular to the multi-species herd. Such multispecies herding could have been a defence strategy against common apex predators like T rexes, the researchers said. The researchers found 13 horned dinosaur tracks from at least five animals walking side by side on the 30 square meters of the fossil site unearthed so far. They also noticed tracks indicating that an armoured dinosaur like the ankylosaurus walked in the midst of the herd. The fossil track site, extending into a hillside at the park, also bore the footprint of what may have been a small meat-eating dinosaur. 'I've collected dinosaur bones in Dinosaur Provincial Park for nearly 20 years, but I'd never given footprints much thought. This rim of rock had the look of mud that had been squelched out between your toes and I was immediately intrigued,' Phil Bell, one of the study's authors from the University of New England, said. "The tyrannosaur tracks give the sense that they were eyeing up the herd, which is a pretty chilling thought, but we don't know for certain whether they crossed paths.' The researchers discovered several more track sites within the varied terrain of the park, which they said were still to be properly scrutinised. 'It was incredibly exciting to be walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs 76 million years after they laid them down,' said Brian Pickles, another study author from the University of Reading. Further digs at the site could unravel more details about how dinosaurs of different species interacted with each other and behaved in their natural environment, Dr Pickles said. 'Dinosaur Park is one of the best-understood dinosaur assemblages globally with more than a century of intense collection and study,' Caleb Brown, another author of the study, said, 'but it's only now that we are getting a sense for its full potential for dinosaur trackways.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Dinosaurs roamed in multi-species herds, fossilized footprints show
In Africa, wildebeest and zebra roam the plains in multi-species herds. The blended communities aren't random animal amalgamations–zoologists believe the populations coalesce for mutual defense against predators. But based on recently discovered footprints in Alberta, Canada, paleontologists now suspect the tactic isn't a modern evolutionary development—even dinosaurs may have participated in similar multi-species herding patterns. The findings made at the Dinosaur Provincial Park UNESCO World Heritage Site were detailed in a study published in the journal PLOS One. The environment of present-day Alberta is radically different from its Cretaceous Era past. Instead of windswept fields and rugged, snowy mountains, the region's lush, subtropical conditions of 76 million years ago provided ample resources for both terrestrial and flying dinosaurs. Species including the Tyrannosaurus rex walked beside eastward flowing rivers that emptied into a warm, inland sea populated by ancient fish, marine reptiles, and sharks. Since 1979, Dinosaur Provincial Park has provided paleontologists with troves of fossilized remains, mostly in the form of skeletons and bone fragments. But until recently, many researchers didn't dedicate much time to locating any potential footprints left behind by the various species. 'I've collected dinosaur bones in Dinosaur Provincial Park for nearly 20 years, but I'd never given footprints much thought,' University of New England paleontologist Phil Bell said in a statement. In July 2024, Bell and an international team of colleagues visited the park for a field course. While there, they discovered a set of at least 20 full and partial dinosaur footprints preserved in a roughly 312-square-foot section of sediment. But unlike past finds, the tracks didn't all belong to one type of dinosaur. Instead, paleontologists eventually matched them to multiple different species. A total of 13 prints were linked to at least five ceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs walking side-by-side, while another grouping likely indicates the presence of an ankylosaurid among them. One footprint also appears to belong to a small, unidentified carnivorous species. 'It was incredibly exciting to be walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs 76 million years after they laid them down,' recalled University of Reading paleontologist and study co-author Brian Pickles. But it was the discovery of two additional footprint sets perpendicular to the herd that potentially provide the best context to the Cretaceous era snapshot. Not far away, a duo of large tyrannosaurs appear to have been stalking the other dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the team's excavation work couldn't yield any evidence of an outcome to the tense moment. 'The tyrannosaur tracks give the sense that they were really eyeing up the herd, which is a pretty chilling thought, but we don't know for certain whether they actually crossed paths,' Bell explained. Regardless, the confirmation of mixed species dinosaur herding behavior represents a major moment in paleontology, one that could soon open up new possibilities and research opportunities. The team is already eyeing future locations to examine. 'Using the new search images for these footprints, we have been able to discover several more tracksites within the varied terrain of the Park,' Pickles said. 'I am sure [they] will tell us even more about how these fascinating creatures interacted with each other and behaved in their natural environment.' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Different dinosaur species may have really traveled together like in the movies
Across the African savanna, zebras and wildebeests travel together in massive herds often peppered with impalas and gazelles. The larger the herd, the safer its members are from predators like lions, hyenas and African wild dogs. Scientists have wondered whether dinosaurs similarly engaged in mixed-species herding behavior. Children's movies like 'The Land Before Time' series and 'Dinosaur' (2000) often depict motley crews of dinosaurs migrating together, like apatosaurs and triceratops or iguanodons and parasaurolophus (despite often living in different time periods). But evidence that different dinosaur species actually travelled with each other was lacking in the fossil record. (The Real Wisdom of the Crowds) Now, paleontologists working in the badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, have uncovered fossilized footprints they say provide the first evidence of different species of dinosaurs herding together—though not everyone is convinced. The finding was published Wednesday in PLOS One. The 76-million-year-old footprints tell the story of a small group of horned dinosaurs, called ceratopsians, that may have formed a Lord of the Rings-esque traveling party with an armored ankylosaurid and, perhaps, a small two-legged theropod. And like Tolkien's famous fellowship, this band of travelers may have been stalked by fearsome foes: a pair of large carnivorous tyrannosaurs. Following Footsteps In the summer of 2024, Brian Pickles, a paleontologist at the University of Reading in England and his colleague Phil Bell were searching for fossils in the park when they came across something strange sticking out of the ground. 'We'd gone out prospecting for bones and weren't having much luck,' says Pickles. But then Bell, a paleontologist from the University of New England in Australia, came across a raised rim of iron stone. 'He started poking around and realized that it was a dinosaur footprint.' The 48 hours that followed the find were a whirlwind of frantic excavation and profound discoveries that culminated in what he calls 'a revolution in dinosaur paleoecology at Dinosaur Provincial Park.' In a patch of land roughly the size of two parking spaces, the team was able to excavate over a dozen fossilized footprints. Unlike other dinosaur track sites where footprints often overlap, these tracks were evenly spaced and showed no signs of crowding. Based on their size, shape, and direction, the researchers concluded they were likely made by a mixed-species group of at least five dinosaurs walking together. The team also found the fossilized footprints of two large tyrannosaurs that may have been walking side-by-side near the herd. Were these apex predators working together to hunt? And was the herd formed as a way to defend against such predation? In the grasslands of Africa, lions will often follow mixed species herds of herbivores and work together to hunt them. Could these footprints have captured a similar situation unfolding? 'It's quite evocative to think of this situation as being similar to what we see on the African plains today,' says Pickles. 'We don't know the specific timing. The tyrannosaurs could have been there first.' 'Weak feet?' Some researchers not involved in the work questioned the team's conclusions. Anthony Romilio, a paleontologist at the University of Queensland in Australia, says that although some dinosaurs likely did form mixed-species herds, he disagrees with how the authors interpreted the footprints. 'As researchers, we're naturally drawn to the possibilities these fossils offer—but that excitement can sometimes lead to interpretive overreach,' Romilio says. In his view, the ceratopsian and ankylosaurid tracks look similar in shape, and he thinks they are more likely to be poorly preserved footprints of large-bodied hadrosaurs. 'That interpretation may not be as headline-grabbing, but it aligns better with what we know from both fossil footprints and trackways,' he says. Christian Meyer, a paleontologist from the University of Basel in Switzerland, is also skeptical, and calls the findings "speculative." "I find that the preservation of the tracks, including their taxonomic assignment, is on weak feet, as there are no complete trackways preserved that show also the walking pattern," he says. "Moreover, the interpretation of mixed herding is—given the facts—in my view a bit overstretched." Since the excavation that sparked this new study, Pickles and his colleagues say they have found over ten additional dinosaur trackways. With this many trackways, Pickles says, figuring out whether some dinosaurs formed mixed-species herds is just the beginning. 'There's potentially a lot more going on there than we've been able to expose so far,' he says. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Paleontologists Discover Prehistoric ‘Dance Floor' Where Dinosaurs Courted Mates
Dinosaurs may have ruled the prehistoric world with their size and strength, but apparently, they also had moves. A team of researchers in Colorado has uncovered one of the largest known dinosaur 'dance arenas,' an ancient mating ground where male theropods likely performed ritualistic displays to attract females. Using high-resolution drone photography and 3D modeling at Dinosaur Ridge near Denver, the team identified dozens of clustered scrape marks in the sandstone — a prehistoric 'dance floor' etched into the earth more than 100 million years ago. The site builds on previous discoveries of similar scrape marks called leks, where male animals gather to compete for female attention. But this newly analyzed area suggests a massive congregation, with markings that scientists believe show not just nest displays but physical courtship performances. 'These trace fossils, we interpret them to be evidence of dinosaur courtship activities,' study co-author Caldwell Buntin of Old Dominion University told ABC News. 'They likely built display nests and performed some kind of dance or scraping activity to impress mates, which are behaviors we still see in modern birds like plovers.' The scrape marks belong to theropod dinosaurs, a group that includes raptors and the infamous T. rex. Based on the impressions, these dinosaurs stood around three to four feet at the hip and stretched up to 16 feet long. The patterns vary from shallow toe marks to deep bowl-shaped scrapes—even circular patterns hinting at dance-like movements. The discovery, published in the latest research from Dinosaur Ridge, pushes our understanding of dinosaur behavior beyond hunting and migration. It also suggests that some mating rituals date back tens of millions of years and could be part of a deep evolutionary connection between dinosaurs and modern birds. Perhaps best of all, the site is open to the public, meaning visitors can stand right where these ancient creatures showed off their best moves. 'It's rare to find evidence of behavior, not just bones or tracks,' said co-author Neffra Matthews. 'And it's even rarer to find a site like this that people can actually go see for themselves.' Turns out, dinosaurs weren't just prehistoric predators. They may have been prehistoric showmen, Discover Prehistoric 'Dance Floor' Where Dinosaurs Courted Mates first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 21, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
