How dinosaurs spent their lives remains a great mystery of paleontology . We sleep together they ate a mickle , and presumptively they had sexual urge somehow . But it ’s almost inconceivable to bear witness the existence of more complex dinosaur behaviors … until now .
Thanks to some tooth from the Jurassic period dinosaur Camarasaurus , we have the first clear evidence that dinosaurs transmigrate over bully distances . A slightly small congener of plant - exhaust sauropods like Brachiosaurus and Apatosaurus , Camarasaurus acquire up to fifty feet farsighted and lived in what is now Wyoming and Utah .
Colorado College researcher Henry Fricke examine the oxygen isotopes levels in 32 Camarasaurus fogey tooth . The specific proportion of dissimilar isotopes can provide an accurate signature tune of where the dinosaurs drank , and that can be compared to rock samples that date to the same sentence and place . He found the teeth were not an exact mate for the rocks , which means Camarasaurus must have left its natural home ground on function .

Teeth build up multiple layer over the life of their owner , and each stratum carry on the isotopic signature of where the owner was drinking at that given time . Fricke discovered that the layer changed in Camarasaurus over a five month period , which strongly propose the dinosaur migrated seasonally . It ’s the ripe proof yet that some dinosaurs did indeed move around on a even groundwork .
Fricke explains :
“ In a theoretical sensory faculty , it ’s not enormously surprising . They are immense – they would probably have eaten themselves out of house and family if they remain in one position . Now we have evidence that demonstrates that , and a method acting to move ahead and study other dinosaurs . ”

Camarasaurus probably had to migrate because its even domicile was a low - lying floodplain that could well infix extreme dry periods . Since this was a fairly declamatory population , Camarasaurus would n’t be able to cope with any research shortages , and the fogy teeth suggest they solved this by moving to higher altitudes . This would have involved migrating at least 200 miles , and it ’s possible some migrations were much farsighted .
Now that we eff one species migrated , Fricke is hopeful he can find evidence that others did as well . In particular , forward-looking predators often succeed migrating herbivores , and it remain firm to cause that carnivorous dinosaurs like Allosaurus would have done the same , since it would have been laughably well-to-do to pick off a Camarasaurus as it was easy moving towards it newfangled home .
ViaWikimedia .

DinosaurFossilJurassicmigrationPaleontologyScience
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