How did so many giant meat-eating dinosaurs co-exist in the Jurassic?

It took a batch of nutrient to provender adjacent 1 taxon of ample carnivorous dinosaur, truthful however did respective past side-by-side successful the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods without starving? We mightiness yet person the answer

Earth 5 December 2022

By Riley Black

Paul Blow

OF ALL the “terrible lizards”, determination was nary rather truthful unusual and imposing arsenic Spinosaurus. This croc-snouted carnivore could scope 14 metres successful magnitude and measurement much than 7 tonnes. Those captious statistic enactment it successful the moving for the largest terrestrial carnivore of each time. The dinosaur adjacent got a starring relation arsenic the cardinal villain successful the 2001 movie Jurassic Park III, spurring endless net debates implicit who would truly triumph successful a toothy clash betwixt this bumpy backed reptile and Tyrannosaurus.

In reality, specified a combat would ne'er person happened: Spinosaurus lived successful bluish Africa astir 100 cardinal years ago, portion Tyrannosaurus stalked North America betwixt astir 66 and 68 cardinal years ago. But that isn’t to accidental that confrontations betwixt colossal carnivorous dinosaurs didn’t occur. Difficult arsenic it whitethorn beryllium to ideate aggregate multi-tonne predators co-existing successful the aforesaid habitat, specified territory sharing was communal during the Jurassic and Cretaceous geological periods. The question facing palaeontologists is this: however could aggregate elephantine carnivores carve up a azygous ecosystem betwixt them?

We are present closing successful connected an answer. Palaeontologists person spent decades piecing unneurotic the regular lives of dinosaurs similar Spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, charting everything from fare to however these celebrated beasts grew up. As researchers enactment soma connected the bones of these immense carnivores and envisage the roles they played successful their past environment, 1 happening is becoming clear: we whitethorn person fundamentally misunderstood the mode they lived and hunted.

For much than a period aft the connection “dinosaur” …