[ad_1]
The giant dinosaur Spinosaurus acted like modern herons or storks, taking fish and other aquatic prey at the water’s edge or in shallow water, but also searching for terrestrial prey and occasionally scavenging, according to new research by paleontologists from Queen Mary University of London, the University of Maryland and the National Museum of Natural History in Washington.
Able to capture both aquatic and terrestrial prey, and possibly an opportunistic, adult scavenger Spinosaurus probably caught aquatic prey while standing in shallow water or at the edge of water bodies. Image credit: Robert Nicholls.
Spinosaurus is a giant theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now North Africa around 95 million years ago (Cretaceous Period).
Since its discovery in 1915, the biology and behavior of this ancient creature has intrigued paleontologists around the world.
It has recently been argued that Spinosaurus was largely a predator of aquatic prey pursuit, using its large tail to swim and actively pursue fish in the water.
The new study challenges this view, suggesting that while it likely fed on water and may have swam, it was not well adapted to the life of an aquatic chasing predator.
“The biology and ecology of Spinosaurus has been troubling paleontologists for decades, ”said lead author Dr David Hone, paleontologist at Queen Mary University in London.
“Some recent studies have suggested that he actively hunted fish in the water, but if they could swim, they wouldn’t have been fast or efficient enough to do so effectively.”
“Our results suggest that the idea of wading is much better supported, although it is slightly less exciting.”
Dr Hone and his colleague Dr Tom Holtz compared the characteristics of Spinosaurus along with the skulls and skeletons of other dinosaurs and various living and extinct reptiles that lived on land, in water, or both.
They found that while there was several pieces of evidence that contradicted the concept of a water pursuit predator, none contradicted the heron-like paddling model, and various sources of evidence actively supported it.
“Spinosaurus was a bizarre animal, even by dinosaur standards, and unlike anything alive today, so it will always be difficult to understand its ecology, ”said Dr Holtz.
“We tried to use the evidence we have to better understand his way of life. And what we found did not match the attributes one would expect in a water pursuit predator such as an otter, sea lion, or short-necked plesiosaur.
Spinosaurus had less tail muscles than a crocodile and, due to its size, would have a lot more drag in the water.
“Crocodiles are excellent in water compared to land animals, but are not very specialized for aquatic life and are not able to actively hunt fish,” said Dr Hone.
“Yes Spinosaurus had less muscle on the tail, less efficiency, and more drag, so it’s hard to see how these dinosaurs could hunt fish in a way crocodiles can’t.
“While our study provides us with a clearer picture of the ecology and behavior of SpinosaurusThere are still many outstanding questions and details to consider for future study and we must continue to revisit our ideas as we accumulate more evidence and data on these unique dinosaurs. It won’t be the last word on the biology of these amazing animals.
The team’s article was published online in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica.
_____
David WE Hone and Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. 2021. Assess the ecology of Spinosaurus: Coastal generalist or specialist in aquatic pursuit? Palaeontologia Electronica 24 (1): a03; doi: 10.26879 / 1110
[ad_2]
Source link