Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior – What They Did and How We Know
David Hone
Princeton University Press, £25.00
This book describes the evidence for dinosaur behaviour, using fossils as well as comparison with extant species. In the past, interpretation of a sauropod skeleton, for example, might simply have been that ‘it had a long neck so it probably fed from tall trees’. Today’s scientists may come to a similar conclusion, but they will base it on a range of evidence. For example, stress analysis shows the skull and vertebrae could support feeding at height. Tail vertebrae structure distributed load so the tail could provide support if the animal reared up on its hind legs. Microscopic wear on teeth reveals the feeding angle of a sauropod’s head as it reached up and pulled back to strip leaves from high branches. Gut contents, droppings and isotopic analysis of teeth provide further insight into dietary behaviour.
David Hone has written for both an academic and a general audience. The text is clear and succinct, although non-specialists may need to look up some technical terms, with many signposted references to delve deeper. Gabriel Ugueto’s artwork is excellent, in both the many black and white drawings and full-colour scenes.
After introducing the origin, evolution and basic biology of dinosaurs, subsequent chapters look at specific behaviours (group living, signalling, reproduction, combat and feeding) and what fossils can reveal about dinosaur activity patterns, habitats, and physiology, posture and locomotion.
Although there will always be major gaps in our understanding of the behaviour of extinct animals, this book shows how we can use the increasing evidence that is available, through new fossil discoveries and the development of new analytical techniques, to start filling some of those gaps.
Mike Smith FRSB
Dr David Hone is a palaeontologist and writer whose research focuses on the behaviour and ecology of dinosaurs and their flying relatives, the pterosaurs. David specialises in science communication, outreach and engagement and acts as a scientific consultant for various media and TV productions.
