Scientists have re-created the table manners of a type of dinosaur called an Allosaurus, and the results were unexpected. Long thought to be a scaled-down version of the more famous Tyrannosaurus Rex, the eating habits of this species appear to have been far different from its better-known cousin.
The Allosaurus had a much lighter body mass than a typical T-Rex, as well as less-developed neck muscles to sustain the creature's more nimble head.
The study showed that this gave the Allosaurus a more flexible, nimble head than its larger cousin, although T-Rex was able to rip apart its food with much greater power.Because of those differences, the Allosaurus fed more like a modern bird of prey than the clumsy feeding frenzy of a present-day alligator or crocodile.
"Allosaurus was uniquely equipped to drive its head down into prey, hold it there, and then pull the head straight up and back with the neck and body, tearing flesh from the carcass... kind of like how a power shovel or backhoe rips into the ground," wrote Eric Snively, Ohio University paleontologist and lead author of the study, in a press release about the findings.
This is similar to the manner that Peregrine falcons eat today. Tyrannosaurus Rex, on the other hand, would grab onto its prey and shake its head side to side, in the style of alligators.
The research team consisted of experts from numerous fields, including paleontology, dinosaur biology, mechanical engineering and computer sciences. By creating a 3D virtual model of the head of an Allosaurus, the team was able to recreate the process by which the species fed itself. After creating a virtual model of the dinosaur's bones and neck muscles, researches added in soft tissue, including sinus cavities. This provided evidence that the head of Allosaurus was much lighter than once believed, allowing it to swing far more freely than the head of a T-Rex.
"This is sort of the next wave of paleontology. It's not being done with picks and shovels; it's being done with computers," Larry Witmer, Ohio University paleontologist and co-author of the article that announced the findings, said.
This new research was announced in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica.
