dinosaurs-may-have-done-bird-like-dances-to-attract-mates

Dinosaurs may have performed bird-like dances to attract mates

By [173]Michael Casey
Published January 07, 2016
[174]FoxNews.com
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Reconstruction of theropods engaged in scrape ceremony display
activity, based on trace fossil evidence from Colorado. (Xing Lida and
Yujiang Han)

Reconstruction of theropods engaged in scrape ceremony display
activity, based on trace fossil evidence from Colorado. (Xing Lida and
Yujiang Han)

Some dinosaurs may have engaged in courtship rituals similar to
ostriches and other birds, a finding that could shed light on the
poorly understood mating behavior of these giants.

The evidence comes from a series of scrapes that were uncovered in 100
million year old Dakota sandstone at four sites in western Colorado.
These ancient scrapes from Cretaceous therapods are similar to a
behavior known as ‘nest scrape display’ or ‘scrape ceremonies’ among
modern birds, where males show off their ability to be good mates by
digging up pseudo nests for their prospective partners.

Related: [180]Ancient marine reptiles flew through the water

“These are the first sites with evidence of dinosaur mating display
rituals ever discovered, and the first physical evidence of courtship
behavior,” Lockley, a University of Colorado Denver geology professor
and a co-author on a study of the findings in Scientific Reports
Thursday, said in a statement. “These huge scrape displays fill in a
missing gap in our understanding of dinosaur behavior.”

Related Image

Team leader Martin Lockley (right) and co-author (Ken Cart) kneel
beside two large Cretaceous-age scrapes from western Colorado that are
the first physical-reported evidence that large theropod dinosaurs
engaged in courtship behavior. Expand / Contract

Team leader Martin Lockley (right) and co-author (Ken Cart) kneel
beside two large Cretaceous-age scrapes from western Colorado that are
the first physical-reported evidence that large theropod dinosaurs
engaged in courtship behavior. (M. Lockley )

Lockley, who also is a world-renowned expert on dinosaur footprints,
found evidence of more than 50 dinosaur scrapes, some as large as
bathtubs, in an area where tracks of carnivorous and herbivorous
dinosaurs have also been confirmed. The display arenas, also called
‘leks’ were found in two National Conservation Areas
(Dominguez-Escalante and Gunnison Gorge) on property permitted by the
Bureau of Land Management near

Evidence of mating areas were also discovered by Lockley at Dinosaur
Ridge, a National Natural Landmark, just west of Denver.

Related: [181]These dinosaurs liked to get their feet wet

Since it was logistically difficult to remove the scrapes, the
Source .... : http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/01/07/dinosaurs-may-have-done-bird-like-dances-to-attract-mates.html
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