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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Small dinosaur 'hunted like cat' | Small dinosaur 'hunted like cat' |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| By Jonathan Ball BBC News | By Jonathan Ball BBC News |
| Some predatory dinosaurs used guile and agility to outwit their feathered prey according to research. | Some predatory dinosaurs used guile and agility to outwit their feathered prey according to research. |
| The work, by a Canadian-Chinese team, is published in PLoS One. | The work, by a Canadian-Chinese team, is published in PLoS One. |
| Researchers studied the fossil remains of two Sinocalliopteryx dinosaurs and found they had been feasting on primitive birds and flying dinosaurs. | Researchers studied the fossil remains of two Sinocalliopteryx dinosaurs and found they had been feasting on primitive birds and flying dinosaurs. |
| The prey could have been scavenged, but they argue that the presence of several birds in the stomach of one fossil implied the prey was actively hunted. | The prey could have been scavenged, but they argue that the presence of several birds in the stomach of one fossil implied the prey was actively hunted. |
| The researchers suggested that to catch their prey, the dinosaurs used ambush hunting techniques similar to modern cats. | The researchers suggested that to catch their prey, the dinosaurs used ambush hunting techniques similar to modern cats. |
| Determining how dinosaurs lived is difficult - much of what we know is conjecture; built from a smidgen of material evidence and prodigious amounts of informed opinion. | Determining how dinosaurs lived is difficult - much of what we know is conjecture; built from a smidgen of material evidence and prodigious amounts of informed opinion. |
| Fossils provide one of the few tangible links back to the Cretaceous and Jurassic eras - when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. They represent a petrified and rudimentary snapshot of prehistoric life. | Fossils provide one of the few tangible links back to the Cretaceous and Jurassic eras - when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. They represent a petrified and rudimentary snapshot of prehistoric life. |
| Good quality fossils are littered with clues that help palaeontologists rebuild dinosaur life. | Good quality fossils are littered with clues that help palaeontologists rebuild dinosaur life. |
| And fossils harbouring vestiges of a dinosaur's last meal tell us much about the diets and feeding habits of these prehistoric creatures. | And fossils harbouring vestiges of a dinosaur's last meal tell us much about the diets and feeding habits of these prehistoric creatures. |
| As Prof Mike Benton of the University of Bristol points out: "Any fossil with stomach contents is valuable because it tells us definitively what the animal was eating on the day it died." | As Prof Mike Benton of the University of Bristol points out: "Any fossil with stomach contents is valuable because it tells us definitively what the animal was eating on the day it died." |
| Dr Phil Bell of the Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Initiative in Canada was particularly interested in the feeding habits of a species of dinosaur called Sinocalliopteryx gigas. | Dr Phil Bell of the Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Initiative in Canada was particularly interested in the feeding habits of a species of dinosaur called Sinocalliopteryx gigas. |
| The hunter and the hunted | The hunter and the hunted |
| Sinocalliopteryx is a member of the Compsognathidae family of dinosaurs. | |
| Compsognathids were ground-dwelling dinosaurs that walked on powerful hind legs. | Compsognathids were ground-dwelling dinosaurs that walked on powerful hind legs. |
| Previous fossil finds suggested they were swift hunters feeding freely on lizards, dinosaurs, and mammals. | Previous fossil finds suggested they were swift hunters feeding freely on lizards, dinosaurs, and mammals. |
| At 2.5m in length, Sinocalliopteryx was much larger than other members of the Compsognathidae family. | At 2.5m in length, Sinocalliopteryx was much larger than other members of the Compsognathidae family. |
| Two high quality Sinocalliopteryx fossils were recovered from the Yixian Formation in the Jehol Provence of north east China. | Two high quality Sinocalliopteryx fossils were recovered from the Yixian Formation in the Jehol Provence of north east China. |
| This formation - dating back to the Cretaceous period and rich in fossils - has yielded a number of significant dinosaur finds. | This formation - dating back to the Cretaceous period and rich in fossils - has yielded a number of significant dinosaur finds. |
| It was the stomach contents of the two well-preserved Sinocalliopteryx fossils that Dr Bell was particularly interested in. | It was the stomach contents of the two well-preserved Sinocalliopteryx fossils that Dr Bell was particularly interested in. |
| Trapped within the first fossil were the remnants of a single Sinornithosaurus - a feathered flying dinosaur, measuring about 1m (3ft 4in). | Trapped within the first fossil were the remnants of a single Sinornithosaurus - a feathered flying dinosaur, measuring about 1m (3ft 4in). |
| This was tantalising evidence that these ground dwelling dinosaurs ate flying creatures. | This was tantalising evidence that these ground dwelling dinosaurs ate flying creatures. |
| Findings from the second fossil were even more revealing - inside were the preserved remains of two primitive crow-sized birds, called Confuciusorni. | Findings from the second fossil were even more revealing - inside were the preserved remains of two primitive crow-sized birds, called Confuciusorni. |
| Commenting on the significance of his find Dr Bell told BBC News: "It's so rare to get a glimpse into how dinosaurs - animals that have been extinct for millions of years - behaved. We now know more about the diet of this species than any other dinosaur." | Commenting on the significance of his find Dr Bell told BBC News: "It's so rare to get a glimpse into how dinosaurs - animals that have been extinct for millions of years - behaved. We now know more about the diet of this species than any other dinosaur." |
| Slowly, slowly catchy monkey | Slowly, slowly catchy monkey |
| Two specimens, both containing flying prey, suggested that Sinocalliopteryx had a penchant for aerial quarry and also had the tools to catch them - but how? | Two specimens, both containing flying prey, suggested that Sinocalliopteryx had a penchant for aerial quarry and also had the tools to catch them - but how? |
| Dr Bell's view is that the dinosaurs were wily hunters: "Cats are a perfect example; they are incredibly stealthy, stalking their prey before pouncing. | Dr Bell's view is that the dinosaurs were wily hunters: "Cats are a perfect example; they are incredibly stealthy, stalking their prey before pouncing. |
| "I can imagine a Sinocalliopteryx stalking a bird through the underbrush waiting for the right moment to leap into the air and catching a bird mid-flight. | "I can imagine a Sinocalliopteryx stalking a bird through the underbrush waiting for the right moment to leap into the air and catching a bird mid-flight. |
| "They were elegant animals with long muscular legs and sharp "chompers" - perfect killing machines." | "They were elegant animals with long muscular legs and sharp "chompers" - perfect killing machines." |
| Prof Jingmai O'Connor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, agrees: "Yes, the presence of more than one Confuciusornis suggests Sinocalliopteryx was a stealthy and adept predator." | Prof Jingmai O'Connor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, agrees: "Yes, the presence of more than one Confuciusornis suggests Sinocalliopteryx was a stealthy and adept predator." |
| A view shared by Prof Benton, who thought they might hunt by "creeping up on these agile birds, perhaps when they were feeding on the ground". | A view shared by Prof Benton, who thought they might hunt by "creeping up on these agile birds, perhaps when they were feeding on the ground". |
| However, this conclusion has not gained universal approval. | However, this conclusion has not gained universal approval. |
| Prof Zhonghe Zhou, also from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "I am not quite convinced by the conclusion that Sinocalliopteryx was necessarily an adept stealthy hunter. | Prof Zhonghe Zhou, also from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "I am not quite convinced by the conclusion that Sinocalliopteryx was necessarily an adept stealthy hunter. |
| "It was undoubtedly an adept hunter, and could have been stealthy, but there is not yet enough evidence to support this." | "It was undoubtedly an adept hunter, and could have been stealthy, but there is not yet enough evidence to support this." |
| Dr Jakob Vinther, of the University of Bristol, agrees: "The fact they were having a diverse diet of both small and large dinosaurs and primitive birds could suggest that they were not specialist predators but more likely a scavenger - a sort of vulture". | Dr Jakob Vinther, of the University of Bristol, agrees: "The fact they were having a diverse diet of both small and large dinosaurs and primitive birds could suggest that they were not specialist predators but more likely a scavenger - a sort of vulture". |
| Although, "The finding of two bird specimens in the same Sinocalliopteryx does bring the potential that it was actively hunting them. | |
| "The only way to strongly argue for this hypothesis would be to have more evidence", he added. | "The only way to strongly argue for this hypothesis would be to have more evidence", he added. |