US experts found that the young of giant carnivorous dinosaurs, or megatheropods, acted as their own ecological entity in both the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. This, the team said, explains why carnivorous dinosaurs tended to only come in two adult sizes, small and massive, rather than a more diverse spread of proportions. Furthermore, it explains why there are more large than small species of dinosaurs — and why, compared to other fossil species, dinosaur species are not very diverse. Pictured: a model T. rexUS experts found that the young of giant carnivorous dinosaurs, or 'megatheropods', acted as their own ecological entity in both the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. 'Even accounting for fossilization biases, there just really weren't that many dinosaur species,' she added.

Source: Daily Mail February 25, 2021 19:01 UTC