Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The Cannibal Coelophysis: Dinosaur's reputation challenged
BBC News UK: A US study has bruised the fearsome reputation of a popular dinosaur.
Coelophysis, a carnivore that lived more than 200 million years ago, has often been presented in books and museum exhibits as a cannibal.
The view is based on Coelophysis fossils that have preserved stomach contents interpreted as being the chewed up remains of its own kind.
But now a re-examination has suggested those contents may be crocodile, a Royal Society journal reports. [Evolution, bauri, Cannibal, Dinosaurs]
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Based on the 'Biology Letters' open access paper "Prey choice and cannibalistic behaviour in the theropod Coelophysis" (pdf)
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