Dinosaur Herding -- family groups

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Herbivorous dinosaurs no doubt traveled and nested in herds for protection much like modern day animals. Horner's evidence of community nesting (see Dinosaur Nesting and Eggs) is supported by fossil finds in the Montana badlands. Horner found many nests from the same dinosaur species in close proximity. He reported the dinosaurs to be social creatures, unlike most modern reptiles.

Evidence for dinosaur herds is found not only in nesting sites but also in dinosaur tracks and mass graves.

There have been several large dinosaur track ways found, mostly of sauropods. These tracks, formed along river shorelines, show rows of saurpods moving in herds of about four animals across. In Texas, one track way has been carefully studied. Each set of tracks has been numbered and traced. Paleontologists there have counted up to twenty-two separate animals, all with differing stride length (Czerkas/Olson vol 2: 85). These different size strides indicate that the sauropods in the herd differed in size and age.

Well preserved dinosaur tracks are relatively hard to find, but even more dificult is the find of an entire herd. Sometimes, as seen today, large numbers of animals drown trying to cross a river together. This is apparently what happened to a Centrosaur (see picture above) herd in Alberta, Canada. The herd was found as a jumbled mass of similar bones. Paleontologists figure that the animals ranged in age from 1 to 5 years, based on their relative size.(Czerkas/Olson vol 1: 114).

Based on single species fossil quarries, scientists now believe that many carnivorous dinosaurs also traveled in packs or small herds. A mass grave of Allosaurs was also found recently in Canada. This only solidifies the view of pack hunters as seen in "Jurassic Park," where Velocaraptors cunningly distract, then attack their prey in packs of three.

The Velocaraptors in "Jurassic Park" portray an uncanny sense of communication. It seems almost telepathic. However, evidence is surfacing that, while communication might not have come the brain it certainly was off the top of the head. It is now believed that duckbilled dinosaurs used the strange hollow crests on the tops of their heads to communicate within herds and signal danger or attract mates. (See Dinosaur Communication)

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