Massive, Dead Dinosaurs May Have Made Scavenging Irresistible

When whale-sized sauropods died, they may have tempted dinosaurs such as the predatory Allosaurus to give up hunting for an easier meal.

By Matt Hrodey
Nov 14, 2023 4:30 PMNov 20, 2023 9:32 PM
Allosaurus
Large theropod dinosaurs such as Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus may have survived through extensive scavenging. (Credit: PLOS ONE)

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Theropods – the family of dinosaurs that included the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex and the smaller Allosaurus – had the largest and most sophisticated brains of any such dinosaur group. But scientists aren’t sure how they used these advanced faculties, whether for hunting or tracking down the next corpse to scavenge.

A 2011 study found that if you set loose a group of scavenging T. rex’s in an environment comparable to the Serengeti in Africa, they would struggle to survive. But a new study has concluded that theropods living alongside massive sauropod dinosaurs, such as the Brontosaurus, would have had access to a smorgasbord of dinosaur flesh, more than enough to sustain them for years on end.

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