Feeding behaviour of carnivorous dinosaurs as determined by tooth marks on dinosaur bones

Abstract

Ecological and behavioral aspects of dinosaur research are receiving increasing attention. Tooth‐marked bones have been studied for many years, and have provided important information on the feeding behaviour of mammalian carnivores. Similarly, theropod tooth marks on dinosaur bones can provide clues to feeding behaviour and predator/prey interaction in ancient ecosystems. A study of 1000 dinosaur bones from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Judith River Group, Upper Cretaceous) in Alberta, Canada showed a relatively high percentage of tooth‐marked hadrosaurid bones (14%), whereas only 5% of the ceratopsid bones showed tooth marks, and 2% of the tyrannosaurid bones.