Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior: What They Did and How We Know

In this stimulating study, Hone (How Fast Did the T. Rex Run?), a zoology professor at Queen Mary University of London, details how paleontologists draw conclusions about dinosaur behavior. Evaluating evidence for social behavior in the prehistoric reptiles, Hone notes one site where skeletons of the velociraptor-like Deinonychus were found around the carcass of a single large herbivore, suggesting the predators may have hunted as a group. Hone also delves into dino diets, explaining that large herbivores likely ate a wide variety of vegetation because they had long digestive systems equipped to break down even relatively innutritious flora, whereas smaller creatures probably had to specialize in protein-rich buds and small shoots. Elsewhere, Hone describes how paleontologists infer dinosaur behavior by studying whether a given tendency is present in birds and crocodiles, dinosaurs’ closest living relatives. Hone brings a welcome candor regarding the uncertainties of the scientific process, and the impressive science illustrates the creative ways with which paleontologists utilize limited evidence. For example, Hone points out that T. rex tooth marks have been found on an intact hadrosaur humerus and discusses how from this evidence, some paleontologists surmise that T. rex scraped away flesh by “retracting the head in the manner of modern birds of prey” rather than biting through bone. This vivid look at the prehistoric past enthralls. Illus. (Nov.)