SCIENCE LAB. SCENICS : SKULL CRACKERS [ PART 2 ]

'' Xenovenator reminds us that dinosaur behaviour was likely far more diverse and nuanced,'' said Hector Rivera-Sylvia, a paleontologist at the Museo del Desierto in Saltillo, Mexico, and lead author of the paper.

The bony bump on Xenovenator's head resembles structures seen in several other head bashers past and present.

In addition to resembling a pachycephalosaur's dense dome, the raptor's fused skull bones are similar to those seen in buffalos, musk oven and giraffes.

Dr. Rivera-Sylva is not surprised that these raptors competed for resources. Late Creteracreous  ecosystems were crowded with a range of dinosaurs.

'' Rather than being an anomaly, Xenovanator fits into a broader pattern,'' he said.

Dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous were not just evolving new ways to eat or move, but new ways to interact.''

The World Students Society thanks Jack Tamisiea.