[dinosaur] Pain in dinosaurs

Ben Creisler
[email protected]

A new paper:

Les Hearn and Amanda C. de C. Williams (2019)
Pain in dinosaurs: what is the evidence?
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 374:
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1098_rstb.2019.0370&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=x0f7_IZpxXfSB3X9RBHRyUVhtkWeBcVLg_h5vLABXFM&s=mS5rqgELUDgDiDjLhxEJhtnyU8nufaZ7ugKA2PncVng&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__royalsocietypublishing.org_doi_full_10.1098_rstb.2019.0370&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=x0f7_IZpxXfSB3X9RBHRyUVhtkWeBcVLg_h5vLABXFM&s=tvKePj90xKx3dcBFFWt33D_2-RZ2yweuG3jgBlz7af4&e= 


How far back can we trace behaviour associated with pain? Behaviour is not
preserved in the palaeontological record, so, for dinosaurs, we are
restricted to what we can deduce from fossilized bones and tracks. This
review is a thought experiment using circumstantial evidence from dinosaur
fossils and from the behaviour of their extant relatives to describe
probable responses of dinosaurs to serious injuries. Searches yielded 196
papers and chapters with: reports of healed serious injuries, and limping
gait and injured feet in trackways; information about physiology and
behaviour relevant to healing; evidence of evolutionary connections with
birds and crocodilians, and their behaviour; and information about relevant
aspects of evolution. Clearly, many dinosaurs survived injuries that would
have seriously hampered mobility, impairing hunting or escape from
predators, and affecting social interactions. Recovery from severe injuries
implies pain-mediated responses. Rates of healing seem faster than for
other reptiles, possibility aided by warm-bloodedness. Nesting was often
communal, raising the possibility of parental and group protection for
injured young. The existence of family groups, packs or herds raises the
possibility of protection or feeding from pack kills. This is the first
study, to our knowledge, of possible pain behaviour and responses to injury
in dinosaurs.


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