Tyrannosaurs have have hunted in roaming bands of giant reptiles, new fossil evidence seems to suggest. Dinosaur footprints discovered in British Columbia, Canada, seem to show the fearsome animals were pack creatures, much like wild dogs. This could provide evidence Tyrannosaurs were social creatures, roaming the ancient landscape, accompanied by several other members of their species.
Around 70 million years ago, three dinosaurs were walking along a mud flat in what is now British Columbia. The tracks made during that incident were quickly covered by volcanic ash, becoming preserved for the ages. These sets of prints were recently discovered by an archeological team.
Paleontologists have questioned whether Tyrannosaurus hunted alone or in packs, and this new discovery provides additional evidence for the theory of pack hunting.
Groups of Tyrannosaurs may have "stuck together as a pack to increase their chances of bringing down prey and individually surviving," Richard McCrea, curator at the Peace Region Palaeontology Center in Canada, said.
Tyrannosaurus rex was a relative of another species of dinosaurs, called Alertosaurus. A group of those animals found in a single location suggested to researchers that the species hunted in packs. That discovery was made at Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, also in Canada.
Discovery of the remains of several animals in one area is not proof of pack behavior, as many animals may fall into natural traps. The most famous of these locations are the La Brea Tar pits. The area is rich with fossils of animals who never walked together while they were alive. Bones and fossils can also move over eons, placing once-distant artifacts close to one another.
Aaron Fredlund, an outdoor guide and outfitter, discovered a pair of tracks made by Tyrannosaurs, and informed McCrea about the find, back in 2011. A expedition team, led by the curator, soon examined the area in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. They unearthed a region of preserved dinosaur footprints 197 feet long and 13 feet wide. These artifacts were created by Tyrannosaurs, as well as other theropods, including hadrosaurs, a type of duck-billed dinosaur.
Seven tracks were discovered, formed by a trio of dinosaurs in the silty soil. Palenotologists believe the muddy conditions there 70 million years ago were created by a river, overflowing its banks.
The Tyrannosaur tracks were each facing in a single direction, and were roughly the same depth. This suggested to McCrea that the animals were all walking together at one time, as the mud appeared to be the same consistency for each of the animals. Other dinosaur tracks found in the feature face in variety of directions, meaning they were not likely part of a pack with the Tyrannosaurs.
Discovery of the tracks and study of what it could mean for pack hunting in dinosaurs was published in Plos One.
