Evidence of predatory behavior by carnivorous dinosaurs

Abstract

Evidence for predatory behavior in the fossil record is rare, especially for dinosaurs. Two unambiguous examples document instances of predator-prey relationships among the dinosaurs. The first example is of the small predator Velociraptor OSBORN, 1924 buried with its prey, 1923. As interpreted, the right forearm of the Velociraptor is between the clenched beak of the Protoceratops, the left hand of the Velociraptor is grasping the face of the Protoceratops, and the sickle claw of the right foot of the Velociraptor is extended into what was the throat of the prey. The second example is a section of mutilated caudal neural spines in an adult specimen of the hadrosaur Edmontosaurus LAMBE, 1920. The damage suggests an attack by a very large theropod believed to have been Tyrannosaurus OSBORN, 1905. Bone regrowth indicates that the hadrosaur survived the attack, and that the damage could not have been caused by scavenging. These two examples suggest that both small and large theropods, Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus in particular, could actively hunt and attack prey species.