Brontomerus Mcintoshi May Have Used Its Powerful Thighs to Kick Predators
Posted on May 27, 2011
A new dinosaur named Brontomerus mcintoshi, or "thunder-thighs" after its enormously powerful thigh muscles, was recently discovered in Utah, USA. The new species is described in a paper recently published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica by an international team of scientists from the U.K. and the U.S.
A member of the long-necked sauropod group of dinosaurs which includes Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus, Brontomerus may have used its powerful thighs as a weapon to kick predators, or to help travel over rough, hilly terrain. Brontomerus lived about 110 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous Period, and probably had to contend with fierce "raptors" such as Deinonychus and Utahraptor.
The study's lead author, Mike Taylor, a researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences at University College London, says, "Brontomerus mcintoshi is a charismatic dinosaur and an exciting discovery for us. When we recognised the weird shape of the hip, we wondered what its significance might be, but we concluded that kicking was the most likely. The kick would probably have been used when two males fought over a female, but given that the mechanics were all in place it would be bizarre if it wasn't also used in predator defense."
Dr. Taylor explains the research in the following video. Take a look:
The full research paper can be found here (PDF).