Adjacent track ways of tyrannosaurus footprints have been discovered (full text) that suggest that tyrannosaurids hunted in packs. The fossilised footprints show clear evidence that the animals travelled together, with all three tracks going in the same direction around the same time, suggesting that these dinosaurs may have been social, and not solitary, animals.
The skeletal record of tyrannosaurids is well-documented, whereas their footprint record is surprisingly sparse. There are only a few isolated footprints attributed to tyrannosaurids and, hitherto, no reported trackways. We report the world's first trackways attributable to tyrannosaurids, and describe a new ichnotaxon attributable to tyrannosaurids. These trackways are from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian Maastrichtian) of northeastern British Columbia, Canada. One trackway consists of three tridactyl footprints, and two adjacent trackways consist of two footprints each. All three trackways show animals bearing southeast within an 8.5 meter-wide corridor. Similarities in depth and preservation of the tyrannosaurid tracks indicate that these three trackways were made by track-makers walking concurrently in the same direction. These trackways add significantly to previous osteology-based hypotheses of locomotion and behavior in Tyrannosauridae by providing ichnologic support for gregariousness in tyrannosaurids, and the first record of the walking gait of tyrannosaurids.
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Following up on our story "Fossilised Footprints Suggest Tyrannosaurus Hunted in Packs", we have this report on the natural result of that hunting and feeding.
Squeeze out a bid for colossal coprolite at this weekend's auction
Auction house I.M. Chait has listed what it describes as an "Enormous and rare coprolite" said to measure 40 inches 101.6cm from end to end. The object is believed to have been the result of a meal consumed during the Miocene-Oligocene epoch, some 23 million years ago.
Here's the auctioneer's blurb about the miocene motion:"This truly spectacular specimen is possibly the longest example of coprolite ever to be offered at auction. It boasts a wonderfully even, pale brown-yellow coloring and terrifically detailed texture to the heavily botryoidal surface across the whole of its immense length. The passer of this remarkable object is unknown, but it is nonetheless a highly evocative specimen of unprecedented size, presented in four sections, each with a heavy black marble custom base, an eye-watering 40 inches in length overall."
The prehistoric poo is expected to fetch between $US8,000 and $10,000 when it goes under the hammer. If that's more than you're willing to pay for a no-longer-steaming pile of fossil faeces, the July 26th auction also features a collection of 5 coprolites expected to sell for just $4,000 to $6,000. There's also a single large specimen from the Jurassic expected to sell for a mere $500 and $700.
OK, guys. Here's your chance to let loose with your most prodigious poop puns.
[UPDATE: fixed typo: gave change a chance.]
The first ever example of a plant-eating dinosaur with feathers and scales has been discovered in Russia. Previously only flesh-eating dinosaurs were known to have had feathers so this new find indicates that all dinosaurs could have been feathered.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 26 2014, @07:38AM
our new social overlord Twitter Rex.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by SlimmPickens on Saturday July 26 2014, @09:27AM
Not that I even read all of the summary but surely this could easily be explained by a food source. Bears eating salmon in the river, for example.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday July 26 2014, @06:41PM
Agreed, it looks pretty thin evidence.
There is no way they can tell if they were together or simply following the only non-submerged route a few days apart. Smelling a large kill somewhere in the distance, seeing herds of prey, running from a lightning triggered fires. Could even have been rivals chasing a female or something.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Informative) by lhsi on Monday July 28 2014, @12:23PM
In the article they do rule out a couple of possible alternatives:
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 26 2014, @06:59PM
One of my thoughts was the same as yours:
A popular thoroughfare traversed by multiple individuals separately (to food or water or a solitary female).
Even simpler: One guy with a pattern done repeatedly.
(I didn't see any mention that the 3 "sets" were distint from each other in size or shape.)
To conclude they were hunting, wouldn't there have to be footprints of prey?
There is a lot of extrapolation going on from 7 footprints.
-- gewg_