alphynix:A little bit of role reversal. Tenontosaurus eating a Deinonychus, just because it can.Many
alphynix:A little bit of role reversal. Tenontosaurus eating a Deinonychus, just because it can.Many “strict herbivores” will sometimes actually eat meat – sometimes for the calcium in bones, but sometimes for no clear reason at all. Modern deer, cows, sheep, elephants and hippos (among others) have all been documented killing and eating smaller animals. There’s a good article about this (with images and videos) over on the old version of the Tetrapod Zoology blog.Tenontosaurus was an 8m long (26ft) primitive iguanodont from the Early Cretaceous of North America, living about 110 million years ago. Its remains have frequently been found associated with those of Deinonychus, a 3m long (10ft) dromaeosaur.This has led to a sort of meme in reconstructions, with poor Tenontosaurus almost always shown being attacked and eaten by a pack of Deinonychus as if its entire reason for existence was simply to be raptor chow. The excellent All Yesterdays book features a page spread specifically addressing this stereotype, and calling for more varied depictions of these animals. (There are also problems with the popular concept of pack hunting in dromaeosaurs, but that’s a subject for another time.)For more herbivorous dinosaurs defying expectations, check out Mark Witton’s discussion of potential omnivory in ceratopsians. -- source link