Rare evidence for ‘gnawing-like’ behavior in a small-bodied theropod dinosaur

Mammalian carnivores show a higher degree of prey bone utilization relative to non-avian theropod dinosaurs, with this major ecological difference reflected in the frequency and morphology of tooth marks in modern and Cenozoic assemblages relative to Mesozoic ones. As such, prey bone utilization (i....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2021-06, Vol.9, p.e11557-e11557, Article e11557
Main Authors: Brown, Caleb M, Tanke, Darren H, Hone, David W.E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Behavior
Bite mark
Bones
Carcass
Carnivores
Cenozoic
Dinosaurs
Evolutionary Studies
Gnawing
Meat
Mesozoic
Morphology
Museums
Osteophagy
Paleontology
Parks & recreation areas
Prey
Tooth mark
Tourism
Ungual
Zoology
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Summary:Mammalian carnivores show a higher degree of prey bone utilization relative to non-avian theropod dinosaurs, with this major ecological difference reflected in the frequency and morphology of tooth marks in modern and Cenozoic assemblages relative to Mesozoic ones. As such, prey bone utilization (i.e., gnawing, bone-breaking, osteophagy) may represent a key ecological strategy repeatedly exploited by mammalian carnivores but rarely in theropod dinosaurs. Here we describe an isolated adult-sized hadrosaurid pedal ungual (III-4) from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) of southern Alberta which shows a unique pattern of bite marks from a small- to medium-sized theropod dinosaur. Thirteen distinct tooth marks occur in a restricted area of the ungual, and the pattern suggests up to six repeated, high-power bites delivered to the bone. The tracemaker cannot be definitively identified, but was likely a dromaeosaurid or very young tyrannosaurid. Tooth marks on at least four other Dinosaur Park Formation hadrosaur pedal unguals are reported, but the overall frequency of occurrence in unguals (< 1%) is much lower than that reported for other bones. The pattern of tooth marks on this specimen deviates from most described theropods tooth marks, and given the low volume of meat associated with the ungual, may represent theropod prey bone utilization as part of late-stage carcass consumption, and a behavior similar to mammalian gnawing.
ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.11557