The video begins by exploring the fascinating behavioral patterns of the majungasaurus, a large predator. The evidence points towards this creature as a cannibal, a significant discovery in the world of paleontology. This act of cannibalism highlights the evolutionary drive of such carnivorous dinosaurs to exploit every feasible opportunity for survival.

It further investigates the Jurassic carnivores, using the example of allosaurus, and how their growth and feeding strategies were akin to their modern-day relatives, such as birds and alligators. Evidence from fossils found in Portugal provides insights into the nesting patterns and embryonic development of these prehistoric creatures, drawing parallels with behaviors seen in contemporary crocodiles and birds.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. majungasaurus [məˌdʒʌŋɡəˈsɔːrəs] - (n.) - A genus of theropod dinosaurs known for its biting and gripping adaptations, distinct from other flesh-tearing dinosaurs. - Synonyms: (theropod, dinosaur, carnivore)

majungasaurus has short arms and can't grasp like tyrannosaurs. It's all about the bite.

2. irrefutable [ˌɪrɪˈfjuːtəbl] - (adj.) - Impossible to deny or disprove. - Synonyms: (undeniable, incontrovertible, unquestionable)

This is the first irrefutable evidence of dinosaur cannibalism.

3. cannibalism [ˈkænəbəˌlɪzəm] - (n.) - The practice of consuming members of one's own species. - Synonyms: (anthropophagy, consumption, devouring)

This is the first irrefutable evidence of dinosaur cannibalism.

4. allosaurus [ˌæləˈsɔːrəs] - (n.) - A large genus of carnivorous dinosaurs that lived during the late Jurassic period. - Synonyms: (theropod, dinosaur, predator)

Like the allosaurus, these fearsome predators were the t. Rex of their day.

5. embryonic [ˌɛmbrɪˈɒnɪk] - (adj.) - Relating to an embryo, an early stage of development. - Synonyms: (incipient, fetal, nascent)

We have found more than 200 embryonic bones.

6. opportunistic [ˌɒpərtjuːˈnɪstɪk] - (adj.) - Taking advantage of opportunities as they arise, often without regard for moral principles. - Synonyms: (advantageous, adaptive, strategic)

They're opportunic eaters. They see something, they perceive it as a food item and they go for it.

7. monsoon [mɒnˈsuːn] - (n.) - A seasonal prevailing wind in the region of South and Southeast Asia, associated with heavy rain. - Synonyms: (deluge, storm, rainstorm)

Seasonal monsoons drives the centrosaurs inland, away from coastal flooding.

8. nurture [ˈnɜːrtʃər] - (v.) - To care for and encourage the growth or development of. - Synonyms: (cultivate, foster, support)

It now seems clear that the instinct to nurture and care for a nest of eggs had its origins with the dinosaurs.

9. disparosaurus [dɪsˈpætɒsɔːrəs] - (n.) - A genus of theropod dinosaur, similar to allosaurus, known for preying on herbivorous dinosaurs. - Synonyms: (dinosaur, theropod, predator)

It's what the dysplatosaurus have been waiting for.

10. paleontology [ˌpeɪlɪɒnˈtɒlədʒi] - (n.) - The branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants. - Synonyms: (fossil study, archaeology, prehistory)

The evidence points towards this creature as a cannibal, a significant discovery in the world of paleontology.

Dinosaurs - Just Big Chickens? - Best of Dinosaurs - BBC Earth

A carcass will attract every big predator for miles around. A male majungasaurus. Attracted to the feast. It is more than capable. Challenging for the carcass.

majungasaurus has short arms and can't grasp like tyrannosaurs. It's all about the bite. The shape of majungasaura's skull and teeth suggests a very different biting style to the flesh tearing dinosaurs. With a broad, short and muscular skull, it was a dino better adapted to biting and gripping rather than slashing prey.

This fight is about more than just winning the feeding rights to a carcass. When the bite marks on the mauled majungasaurus remains were studied more closely, the marks on the bones were found to match the only large carnivore in the region. There is no bigger killer in these lands than majungasaurus.

This is the first irrefutable evidence of dinosaur cannibalism. It might seem shocking, but it's a behavior that clearly shows the most successful killers will exploit any situation to their maximum advantage.

At that time, Wyoming was full of dinosaurs. Most were the lumbering plant eaters, like Diplodocus and the armored stegosaurus. Far less common were the carnivores. But this hasn't stopped them becoming infamous. Like the allosaurus, these fearsome predators were the t. Rex of their day.

And owl was one of them. But like every living thing, these monsters started off small and delicate. Despite this, science can still tell us something about how al probably started life.

We're very familiar with how life begins for humans. But you might be surprised to learn how a jurassic carnivore raises is its baby. Evidence for this comes from remarkable fossils found on the atlantic coast of Portugal was in this place that we found in 1993.

A small eggshell like this that we figured out there was from a dinosaur. For the years we have dug it and we found more than 100 eggs that make one of the biggest nests in the world. But more significantly, they found something which could tell them who these eggs belonged to. The most rare and sought after fossils of all tiny preserved bones of baby dinosaurs still curled up inside their shell.

We have found more than 200 embryonic bones. With them, we can say exactly which kind of dinosaur we have. In this case, it's a meat eater dinosaur, a carnivore. And we have almost all skeleton here. And if there were eggs, there must have been a nest.

Bizarrely, there is information about this in the fossilized eggshells themselves. Under the microscope, scientists can identify holes in the shell. Their large size allows maximum air for the embryo to breathe, which tells them that these eggs were buried packed together in an underground nest.

Scientists know this because there are animals alive today that do the same thing, the crocodiles. This is not surprising because crocodiles and alligators are one of the dinosaurs closest living relatives. And with scaly skin and a mouthful of teeth, it's easy to see the family resemblance.

So al was born like a crocodile, but grew like a bird, probably reaching full size in just six to eight years. And by the time a child is just starting school, Al would already have been a fine physical specimen.

It's the last time I play of a dinosaur. Dinosaurs. So how did he feed this fantastic growth again, his two living relatives may provide a clue, but they have very different approaches to eating.

Their strategy in feeding is plenty of time. That's all they've got is a lot of time to wait for something to make a mistake, a person or another animal. It's bite first and then ask questions later.

That's what they do. They grab something when it offers the opportunity for it, such as my leg. Right now. Let me move this animal. She's going to be real testy here. This is a little female move, girl.

Thank you. Oh. Now here's a great opportunity to see a basic difference between a bird and an alligator. What we see is how a bird is choosing to feed. The great part is anytime you see a bird like this, feeding is it can actually take and pick out its food amongst the twigs and sticks and other pebbles and things here, it selectively picks them up and swallows them.

An alligator, on the other hand, will strike at anything it sees. What we're going to try to do here is trick these alligators into coming after the dinosaur down here. See, they don't really care what it is they're grabbing. They're opportunic eaters. They see something, they perceive it as a food item and they go for it.

The alligators use their excellent sense of smell to track down their prey. And dipped in fish oil, even the inedible toy seems tempting.

In fact, the differences between the bird and the alligator's behavior is reflected in the shape of their brain. A look inside Al's head could provide direct evidence of his behavior. And although allosaurus are long dead, a remarkable fossil has let scientists do just that.

It's a brain cast from the inside of an allosaurus skull. How does this compare with his relatives? Well, let's start with a bird. Here's a model of a bird. If we look at the way the bird is we find out that a bird has a very large region that's dedicated to processing information in a very small region dedicated to sensory input, such as smelling something.

Well, what about an alligator? If we take the alligator brain and compare that to allosaurus, we see something that looks very, very similar. This is sensory information that comes in here and then goes to a region that's actually rather small for processing that information. And it snaps at it. So it just strikes and hits whatever smells right.

That compares extremely well with allosaurus. Therefore, these features tell us that if we want to compare allosaurus to a modern day animal, that would be an alligator, because their brains resemble each other very, very much. Consequently, their behaviors must have been very similar.

This vast herd of Centrosaurus are on the move from their nesting sites on coastal lowlands to the east. Unwittingly, they're moving towards almost certain death. Seasonal monsoons drives the centrosaurs inland, away from coastal flooding.

It's what the dysplatosaurus have been waiting for. Herding behavior protects the many, but at the expense of the few. And things are about to get worse for the centrosaurs. With a flooded river ahead and the displatosaurus behind, the stage is now set for a massacre. But despite the rich pickings, it's not the Despatosaurus that are responsible for the scale of the slaughterhouse. There's an even more deadly killer at work here.

Severe monsoon rains have transformed shallow rivers into lethal torrents. The real killer is the weather itself. A time when both egg and the brooding parent are permanently at risk. Smaller oviraptors are no more than a nuisance.

Larger predators are a different story. Unwilling to leave the nest, the adult protects its offspring, first by hiding. And if that fails, it goes on the offensive. Protecting the nest means gigantoraptors young are more likely to survive.

It now seems clear that the instinct to nurture and care for a nest of eggs had its origins with the dinosaurs. It's a behavior that was so successful, it's still widespread today with birds. But the fossils show something else.

These animals all died sitting on their nests. It seems that the threats don't always come from predators. Sometimes the real danger comes from the most unlikely places. These dinosaurs were all buried alive.

Up and down the river valleys, the Matabarasaurus sense the change and begin their long trek north. Occasionally, some of these giant migrants get lost in the forest. But what for them is a minor problem. Can mean life or death for the Lielinosaura clan.

The noise these huge herbivores make prevents the Lielinosaurus sentry from hearing other more threatening sounds. The giant carnivore has killed the dominant female. It is a bitter blow. Winter is coming. And without a lead female, there will be tension in the clan.

Science, Paleontology, Evolution, Dinosaurs, Behavior, Fossils, Bbc Earth