An international team of scientists has re-analyzed traces left behind during the mid-Cretaceous period.
Large dinosaur footprints were discovered for the first timeback in the 1970s at the site of Australia's "Runaway Dinosaur National Monument". For many years it was believed that they were left about 93 million years ago by a "vicious predatory dinosaur" such as Australovenator.
Scholars supporting this hypothesisattention to the fact that a giant footprint about 2 m long was surrounded by many small ones. This, they believed, was due to the fact that a large predator provoked the flight of many smaller herbivores.
Analysis of traces using a neural network. Image: Jens N. Lallensack et al., Journal of the Royal Society Interface
The researchers used a neural network,trained on 1,500 theropod and ornithopod tracks. These are carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs, respectively, that lived on the territory of modern Australia. The results of the analysis showed that the trace left could only belong to a herbivore.
The researchers note that the analysis of prehistorictraces is a difficult task. Even experienced experts can make mistakes, as in this case. Scientists hope that the use of new technologies will correct such errors, replenish the database of traces and learn more about the ancient inhabitants of the Earth.
Read more:
The main theory of the origin of man was refuted: where did we come from
8 billion people now live on Earth: is overpopulation threatening the planet?
NASA's New Theory: We Haven't Encountered Extraterrestrial Civilizations Because They All Died