To test this hypothesis, the researchers created an agent-based model, a simplified virtual simulation of a dinosaur ecosystem. This model was based on the ancient fauna of thealongside large sauropods, their carcasses, and an infinite supply of huntable stegosaurs.
In the model, carnivores were assigned traits that would improve their hunting or scavenging abilities while obtaining energy from meat sources . The model measured the evolutionary fitness of these simulated carnivores and found that, when large sources of sauropod carrion were available, scavenging was more profitable than hunting, suggesting that carnivores in such ecosystems might have evolved specialized traits to help them detect and exploit large carcasses.
Reference: “Big boned: How fat storage and other adaptations influenced large theropod foraging ecology” by Cameron C. Pahl and Luis A. Ruedas, 1 November 2023,SciTechDaily: Home of the best science and technology news since 1998. Keep up with the latest scitech news via email or social media.NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara concluded their spacewalk today at 2:47 p.m. EST after 6 hours and 42 minutes.