Are Dinosaurs Pack Hunters? A Paleontologist Examines Social Behavior in Theropods and Giants

Overview

In this New Scientist interview, Dr. Dave (Paleobiology) discusses how dinosaurs should be considered as real living animals within ecosystems, not just movie monsters. He covers the evidence for social behavior and pack hunting in theropods, the role of juveniles in populations, and how modern animals like birds and crocodilians inform our interpretations. The talk also delves into debates about Spinosaurus aquatic traits, Protoceratops growth patterns, pterosaurs precocial flight, and the using of fossil records to infer behavior. The conversation emphasizes the need for better data and cautions against overgeneralizing from a single fossil example to an entire lineage.

Introduction and Background

The video features a New Scientist discussion with a prominent paleontologist about how to interpret dinosaur behavior in a realistic ecological framework. The expert explains his long-standing interest in behavior and ecology, and how modern analogues and fossil evidence shape our understanding of dinosaurs as functioning organisms.

Pack Hunting and Sociality in Dinosaurs

The core topic is whether dinosaurs routinely hunted in groups. The guest argues that robust evidence for cooperative group hunting in theropods is sparse. He uses Deinonychus as a case study where multiple individuals were found with a large herbivore, but notes that subsequent analyses question straightforward interpretations of pack hunting. He stresses that seeing a pile of bones together does not necessarily prove social hunting, and that similar patterns occur in modern carnivores with different social structures.

By comparing with modern birds and crocodilians, the discussion highlights that social interactions exist in some lineages, but group hunting is not a universal rule. The absence of consistent multi-record evidence for large-scale group predation in theropods remains a crucial gap in the fossil record.

Juveniles, Predation, and Group Defense

A key point is the prevalence of juvenile dinosaurs in the fossil record relative to adults, and the likely predation pressure that drives juvenile aggregation. The expert explains the dilution effect and enhanced vigilance that come with group living, arguing that juveniles tend to group for predator defense, while adults may engage differently. The discussion connects this to observed predation patterns in mammals and birds today, and to fossil evidence such as healed bite marks on juvenile bones indicating predation events.

Armor, Display, and Evolutionary Multifunctionality

The conversation turns to multi-use traits such as horns, frills, and armor. The expert uses elephants and tusks as an illustrative parallel to show that features can be multifunctional, evolving initially for display or competition and later co-opted for other purposes such as defense. Ceratopsians and ankylosaurs are discussed as examples where armor and head ornamentation may reflect display dynamics as well as predator-prevention strategies, and the growth trajectories of features tied to sexual or sociosexual signaling are examined.

Spinosaurus, Pterosaurs, and Aquatic Lifestyles

Debates about Spinosaurus’ aquatic capabilities are addressed with careful reasoning about drag, body shape, and locomotor power. The host explains why a straight aquatic lifestyle is unlikely for Spinosaurus given its sail and limb proportions, while acknowledging that some water-related activity was plausible. Pterosaurs are discussed in depth for their flight capabilities, precocial hatchling wings, and the possibility of parental care in some lineages, contrasted with sauropod and hadrosaur growth patterns.

Future of Dinosaur Research and Technology

The discussion ends with a look toward the future of paleobiology, highlighting advances in CT scanning, synchrotron imaging, 3D reconstructions, and AI-assisted data analysis. The interview reinforces that new fossil discoveries and novel analytical techniques continually reshape our understanding of dinosaur behavior and ecology.