Big boned: How fat storage and other adaptations influenced large theropod foraging ecology

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 18; no. 11; p. e0290459
• Main Authors: Pahl, Cameron C., Ruedas, Luis A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 01.11.2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adaptation; Agent-based models; Analysis; Animal reproduction; Biology and Life Sciences; Bones; Carcasses; Carrion; Density; Dinosaurs; Earth Sciences; Ecology; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Energy sources; Foraging behavior; Hunting; Hypotheses; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Offspring; Phenotypes; Physiological aspects; Predators; Pressure patterns; Prey; Success; Theropoda; Travel; United States

Dinosaur foraging ecology has been the subject of scientific interest for decades, yet much of what we understand about it remains hypothetical. We wrote an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate meat energy sources present in dinosaur environments, including carcasses of giant sauropods, along with li...