Rogers Raymond R, Krause David W, Curry Rogers Kristina
Geology Department, Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue, St Paul, Minnesota 55105, USA.
Nature. 2003 Apr 3;422(6931):515-8. doi: 10.1038/nature01532.
Many lines of evidence have been brought to bear on the question of theropod feeding ecology, including functional and physiological considerations, morphological constraints, taphonomic associations, and telling--although rare--indications of direct ingestion. Tooth marks of theropods, although rarely described and generally left unassigned to a particular taxon, can provide unique clues into predator-prey interaction, and can also yield insights into the extent of carcass utilization. Here we describe a sample of tooth-marked dinosaur bone recovered from three well-documented localities in the Upper Cretaceous Maevarano Formation of Madagascar that provides insights into the feeding ecology of the abelisaurid theropod Majungatholus atopus. Intensely tooth-marked elements from multiple individuals show that Majungatholus defleshed dinosaur carcasses. Furthermore, Majungatholus clearly fed upon the remains of not only sauropods, but also conspecifics, and thus was a cannibal. Cannibalism is a common ecological strategy among extant carnivores, but until now the evidence in relation to carnivorous dinosaurs has been sparse and anecdotal.
许多证据都与兽脚亚目恐龙的觅食生态问题相关，包括功能和生理方面的考量、形态学限制、埋藏学关联以及虽罕见但能说明直接吞食情况的迹象。兽脚亚目恐龙的牙印尽管很少被描述，且通常未被归为特定分类单元，但能为捕食者与猎物的相互作用提供独特线索，还能让人了解尸体利用的程度。在此，我们描述了从马达加斯加晚白垩世马任加诺组三个记录完备的地点采集到的有牙印的恐龙骨骼样本，这些样本为阿贝力龙科兽脚亚目恐龙玛君颅龙的觅食生态提供了见解。来自多个个体的有密集牙印的骨骼表明，玛君颅龙会剥去恐龙尸体的肉。此外，玛君颅龙显然不仅以蜥脚类恐龙的残骸为食，还会同类相食。同类相食是现存食肉动物中常见的生态策略，但到目前为止，与肉食性恐龙相关的证据一直很稀少且多为传闻。
