It turns out stegosauruses fought pretty dirty.
Hey guys, Amy here for DNews.
If you’ve ever hit someone below the belt in a fight you’re not alone.
Dinosaurs weren’t much better.
The Allosaurus was among the fiercest killers during the late Jurassic period.
Standing nearly 40 feet high and weighing as much as a ton, these carnivores’ jaws
were filled with long, serrated, backwards curving teeth that could rip the flesh right
off the bones of even the largest plant-eating dinosaurs.
Like the stegosaurus.
The Stegosaurus, a fierce killer of plants, was also built for self defense with its double
row of plates running along its back and large spikes on its tail.
Spikes it could use for a devastating crotch shot.
At least, that’s paleontologist Robert Bakker’s theory.
Researchers recently found a fossilized allosaurus with a circular hole in its pelvis.
That hole was flanked by a well-preserved, fist-sized abscess exactly like what one would
see around an infected puncture wound.
There weren’t exactly humans running around with beautifully carved spears at the time,
so the only logical explanation for this kind of fatal wound in an allosaurus is hit to
the groin from a stegosaurus’ tail; a well-aimed shot, even if it was accidental, could have
pierced the predators flesh and caused the infection that killed it.
For scientists, this kind of evidence is a window into how dinosaurs fought and interacted.
It’s also maybe evidence that our instincts to fight dirty are a little more natural than
we might realize.
So, are you guys above a good crotch shot or would you happily take a leaf out of the
stegosaurus’ book in a fight?
Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe for more DNews every day
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