Cannibalism and Feeding Habits of Dinosaurs Essays -- Exploratory Essa

Cannibalism and Feeding Habits of DinosaursCannibalism is a long-standing out(p) in our society the thought of adult male preying on other humans for a food source disgusts and astounds us. Though the practice is not commonplace amongst modern day humans there is some evidence to extract that ancient humans resorted to such measures, and a recent discovery in Madagascar attests to the possibility that some carnivorous dinosaurs fed on their own species (Perkins, 2003). Majungatholus atopus roamed the plains of north Madagascar almost 70 million years ago during the Late cretaceous (Perkins, 2003 Rogers et al, 2003). The discovery of 21 in any caseth-marked elements originating from two Majungatholus atopus individuals suggests evidence that the dinosaur supplemented its diet by ply on its own dead or hunting them (Rogers et al, 2003). It cannot be support whether they were rigorously scavengers, hunters, or both. Scientists are certain that the marks are not the doing o f any other predator because the teeth marks are not consistent with any other known species that lived in the area. Only ace other theropod that inha distinctnessd the area during the time Majungatholus atopus did, Masiakasaurus knopfleri, had teeth and bite marks too small to have caused these markings. Two large crocodile species to a fault shared the same ecosystem notwithstanding their teeth were too blunt and too irregularly spaced to have produced the narrow grooves found on the Majungatholus finger cymbals(Perkins, 2003). The tooth marks on at least nine Majungatholus elements attest to intertooth spatial arrangement in the perpetrators jaw and denticle drag patterns consistent enough to make a compelling case for Majungatholus feeding on other Majungatholus (Rogers et al, 2003).The discove... ...ories of why dinosaurs went dead abound, and as there is no theory yet to be sincerely yours confirmed as the right one, my theory of dinosaur cannibalism is also purely anec dotal. The discovery of the cannibalistic Majungatholus atopus in Madagascar is an important scientific find because it confirms a long-standing theory of cannibalism among certain carnivorous dinosaurs. Behavioral patterns of extinct animals are awkward to establish however, these bones give authentication to previous unfounded beliefs about the ancient feeding practices of some dinosaurs. A sandwich is a sandwich, but a manwich is a meal-Jeffery DahmerReferencesPerkins, Sid.2003 Family Meal Cannibal dinosaur known by its bones. Science News, vol.163 p.211 Rogers,Raymond et al. 2003. Cannibalism in Madagascan dinosaur Majungatholus atopus. Nature, vol.422 pp.515-518.