T-rex may have hunted in packs

[Still Waters]

Tyrannosaurus rex and its relatives were more intelligent than previously thought and hunted in gangs which included young and older members, researchers have claimed.

Scientists believe they have evidence that the top predator dinosaurs were highly intelligent pack animals, despite T-rex being popularly depicted as a dangerous but dim-witted loner.

This is a myth that has grown up because for many years their fossil skeletons tended to be found on their own, researchers say.

The new theory follows an analysis of skeletons of the tyrannosaur Tarbosaurus bataar from 90 sites in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia.

Tarbosaurus, a cousin of T-rex that lived around 70 million years ago, was a two-legged predator up to 12 metres long and weighing five tonnes.

At least half a dozen of the animals appear to have belonged to a single social group, including adults and juveniles, that died together.

Read more...

[Drakester]

Nothing that hadn´t been suggested before... I think the idea of social (which is not the same as pack-hunting) tyrannosaurs was first suggested in the 80s... I may be wrong, tho.

It is funny, however, how the article deals with Tarbosaurus, but it is T-Rex that gets to the headline

[Just Dave]

Thats disturbing ... imagine not one, but 5 or more T-rexs running around hunting other animals... 0 chances of survival lol

[SameerPrehistorica]

Nuke_em Icon

Thats disturbing ... imagine not one, but 5 or more T-rexs running around hunting other animals... 0 chances of survival

Hahaha....Exactly...That is what i thought

[Eaglelox]

watch chickens some time they hunt in packs without the pack mentality to work together. when they find something they tear it up and fight amongst each other till its gone. lol

Edited May 22, 2011 by Eaglelox

[Keymaker]

My god imagine the power a "pack" of Rex's would have. Surely they would have been unstoppable?

[xYlvax]

Imagine how that would have made Jurassic Park like.

[d e v i c e]

I'm a bit like the T-Rex, 'a dangerous but dim-witted loner'

[Drakester]

I'm a bit like the T-Rex, 'a dangerous but dim-witted loner'

Only it wasn´t dim witted... and probably wasn´t a loner either.

BTW, there is one species of crocodilian (the Cuban crocodile) and one species of bird (the Harris Hawk) which are known to hunt cooperatively. I don´t see why dinosaurs couldn´t have done the same.

[marcos anthony toledo]

The problem has been the lone hunter story which in reality it's dangerous and risky and leads the preditor open to injury and death with more members that lowers the risks in the hunt.

[Princess Serenity]

My T-rexs dreams will be more scary than ever. |: Thanks a lot. (Though the dreams are rare.)

[Drakester]

My T-rexs dreams will be more scary than ever. |: Thanks a lot. (Though the dreams are rare.)

I've been eaten by a T-Rex in my dreams. It's not really that bad. Quick and painless XD

[Verneph]

I'm a bit like the T-Rex, 'a dangerous but dim-witted loner'

T-Rex was actually considered quite smart by dinosaur standards. The idea that they could have hunted in packs is interesting. It was probably assumed to be a loner because its sheer size lended to the idea that it just didn't need help to take down its meals.

It's been thought for a while that the Rex operated in a family system (they hunted in a group of several juveniles and two adults, or just the Mom depending on which scientist you talk to). The idea that they hunted in larger groups is an interesting idea, and not such a stretch considering what we know about them.

Edited May 23, 2011 by Verneph

[danielost]

Only it wasn´t dim witted... and probably wasn´t a loner either.

BTW, there is one species of crocodilian (the Cuban crocodile) and one species of bird (the Harris Hawk) which are known to hunt cooperatively. I don´t see why dinosaurs couldn´t have done the same.

do you mean the bird and the croc hunt together or the croc hunts with other crocs. if you mean the other the nile croc does the samething.

[danielost]

T-Rex was actually considered quite smart by dinosaur standards. The idea that they could have hunted in packs is interesting. It was probably assumed to be a loner because its sheer size lended to the idea that it just didn't need help to take down its meals.

It's been thought for a while that the Rex operated in a family system (they hunted in a group of several juveniles and two adults, or just the Mom depending on which scientist you talk to). The idea that they hunted in larger groups is an interesting idea, and not such a stretch considering what we know about them.

if it wanted to go after a saropod it would have needed to hunt in packs. maybe they were like lions, most hunting in packs some hunting alone.

[Wookietim]

You know, this is mildly interesting. I don't think that this is actually a new suggestion but think about the implications of a pack hunting dinosaur... First off, pack hunters have to have a basic social structure. Then they need a basic way of communicating with each other. And pack hunters also tend to be social animals when not hunting as well.

Think about wolves. Wolves are actually pretty intelligent when you think about it - they do have to coordinate themselves pretty well to do what they do. So we are talking about Dinosaurs that might have been on the road to becoming at least as smart as wolves... I wonder how much more they would have developed if they hadn't died out...

[danielost]

You know, this is mildly interesting. I don't think that this is actually a new suggestion but think about the implications of a pack hunting dinosaur... First off, pack hunters have to have a basic social structure. Then they need a basic way of communicating with each other. And pack hunters also tend to be social animals when not hunting as well.

Think about wolves. Wolves are actually pretty intelligent when you think about it - they do have to coordinate themselves pretty well to do what they do. So we are talking about Dinosaurs that might have been on the road to becoming at least as smart as wolves... I wonder how much more they would have developed if they hadn't died out...

your assuming that they werent smarter than wolves.

[Wookietim]

your assuming that they werent smarter than wolves.

They might have been... But I wonder how much further they would have progressed if they hadn't been shunted into a different evolutionary path. I wonder if the meteor hadn't happened if the Earth would be home to a super intelligent species of Dinosaur now... With a few million year head start on our species tech...

[Drakester]

do you mean the bird and the croc hunt together or the croc hunts with other crocs. if you mean the other the nile croc does the samething.

They hunt cooperatively with their own kind XD I still have to see a croc and a bird hunting together (although... I think I did when I was a child and I watched one of those rather awful Land Before Time sequels).

And you are right, the Nile croc has also been known to hunt cooperatively. I wonder if there are other crocodilian (and bird) species who do the same and we still don´t know about it.

As for inter-species cooperative hunting, I read once that moray eels and groupers sometimes team up to hunt... don´t remember where I read it tho.

[d e v i c e]

T-Rex was actually considered quite smart by dinosaur standards. The idea that they could have hunted in packs is interesting. It was probably assumed to be a loner because its sheer size lended to the idea that it just didn't need help to take down its meals.

It's been thought for a while that the Rex operated in a family system (they hunted in a group of several juveniles and two adults, or just the Mom depending on which scientist you talk to). The idea that they hunted in larger groups is an interesting idea, and not such a stretch considering what we know about them.

Very interesting. You know, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if these theories about T-Rex being a pack hunter or family oriented, turned out to be true. It's just hard for me to imagine such a large, powerful carnivore being 'a bit dim-witted'. I look at the crocodile. They're just completely focused on the tasks at hand - with positive results. 'Dim-witted' doesn't come into it. Btw, my little comment about me being a 'bit like a T-Rex' was totally tongue in cheek Thanks Vernaph.

[danielost]

They might have been... But I wonder how much further they would have progressed if they hadn't been shunted into a different evolutionary path. I wonder if the meteor hadn't happened if the Earth would be home to a super intelligent species of Dinosaur now... With a few million year head start on our species tech...

the meteor was the final nail, not the only nail. they were already dieing off, o2 levels were dropping and dinos didn't have a diaphragm.

[danielost]

They hunt cooperatively with their own kind XD I still have to see a croc and a bird hunting together (although... I think I did when I was a child and I watched one of those rather awful Land Before Time sequels).

And you are right, the Nile croc has also been known to hunt cooperatively. I wonder if there are other crocodilian (and bird) species who do the same and we still don´t know about it.

As for inter-species cooperative hunting, I read once that moray eels and groupers sometimes team up to hunt... don´t remember where I read it tho.

this has been a while, but on a doc. they showed a coyote and a badger working together to get prairie dogs.

[Drakester]

this has been a while, but on a doc. they showed a coyote and a badger working together to get prairie dogs.

Yeah, that is true.

[Mark Turner]

A big angry chicken. Nasty, nasty. Still would give a limb (no pun intended) to see one still alive and moving. Stupid epochs of time!