The perfectly preserved fossil remains of Gorgosaurus were found in 2009 at Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta, Canada. The fossils belong to the species Gorgosaurus libratus. It is a representative of the dinosaur family. These creatures roamed western North America about 76 million years ago. From its teeth to the tip of its tail, it can reach nine meters in length and can weigh around three tons.
However, the bones found belonged to a much younger individual. Scientists estimate that he may have weighed around 350 kg and was probably between five and seven years old at the time of his death. This corresponds to adolescence in humans, says Darla Zelenitsky of the University of Calgary, lead author of the study that appears in the journal Science Advances (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi0505).
In the gut of Gorgosaurus, researchers discovered the four hind legs of a small dinosaur. This is the first fossil of a representative of the dinosaur family that has been found with preserved stomach contents.
While analyzing the fossils, scientists noticed toes protruding from the chest bones of gorgosaurs. Upon closer inspection, they discovered two pairs of small hind legs where the predator’s stomach had long been. The legs belonged to Citipes elegans, a bird-like dinosaur about the size of a turkey.
It is true that fossilized remains of victims have previously been discovered in the stomachs of other carnivorous dinosaurs. Fossilized stomach contents of herbivorous dinosaurs have also been found. But this is the first time that the remains of victims of predatory animals from the dinosaur family have been found, Zelenitsky admits.
“The new fossil gives researchers the first idea of what was on the menu of small dinosaurs,” Zelenitsky says. He adds: Until now, we could only speculate.
The discovery also revealed new information about Gorgosaurus’ victims. Until now, C. elegans was known only from foot bones. Scientists have not gained much from the leg bones of this species. But it’s always something. Zelenitsky speculates that the young Gorgosaurus was picky and only ate the legs of young dinosaurs because they were the meatiest and most nutritious parts of its prey. – Adolescent gorgosaurs appear to have had an appetite for drumsticks, says the researcher.
Scientists noticed that both pairs of legs were in various states of decomposition. “One pair was in the belly and the other was in the front,” Zelenitsky says. By analyzing the distribution of prey bones in the stomachs of modern reptiles, scientists estimate that meals were eaten hours or days apart.
– Classify C. elegans It may have been large prey at the time, but the small predator could have eaten other small dinosaurs as well. It’s also possible that smaller gorgosaurs hunted larger prey, Zelenitsky says. Researchers also determined that the young gorgosaurus died within a week of being eaten C. elegansBut it is not clear what killed him.
The discovery of the feeding habits of small tyrannosaurid dinosaurs provides insight into how these animals were able to dominate specific ecosystems. Scientists say that instead of adhering to one eating behavior throughout their lives, the diet of these animals changed as they grew older, meaning that although they represented only one group of animals, they occupied many positions in the food chain.
From bite marks on fossilized bones, it is known that adults have a tendency to kill large herbivores. – We now have evidence that dinosaur cubs had a different diet than adults. We want to try to determine if we can say something more about it, for example, what kind of prey they were interested in or at exactly what age did they change their diet and how – says François Therrien of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, co-author of the publication. .
– The fact that tyrannosaurs were able to occupy different environmental niches throughout their lives may have been one of the factors for their success. They can control their ecosystems, leaving no room for other theropod species. Occupying different ecological niches would have had the advantage of not competing for resources with their older and younger companions, which may have contributed to them eventually becoming some of the largest predatory dinosaurs in Earth’s history, Therrien adds.
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