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Dinosaurs used poison to paralyze prey
by Neka Sehgal - December 22, 2009 - comments
Scientists believe the dinosaur used its venom not to kill but to immobilize its prey to hamper its chance to fight back or escape
Kansas, December 22 -- A new analysis by palaeontologists studying a well-preserved skull and partial skeleton of a feathered dinosaur, Sinornithosaurus, living some 125 million years ago in northeast China reveal that it used poison to hunt down its prey.
Larry Martin, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Centre at the University of Kansas who led the research stated, “This is an animal about the size of a turkey. It's a specialized predator of small dinosaurs and birds. It was almost certainly feathered. It's a very close relative of the four-winged glider called Microraptor."
Close scrutiny of the skull revealed that the Sinornithosaurus had sharp fangs similar to that found in poisonous snakes and venomous lizards to inject poison into its prey.
Martin stated, "When we were looking at Sinornithosaurus, we realized that its teeth were unusual, and then we began to look at the whole structure of the teeth and jaw, and at that point, we realized it was similar to modern-day snakes.”
Sharp fang-like teeth to inject venom
The scientists discovered a pocket in the upper jaw--probably for a venom gland--connected to the base of a fang by a long groove, which was possibly the venom duct.
David Burnham, a paleontologist at the University of Kansas and co-author of the study, explained, "The ductwork leading out of the venom gland gave the venom a way to travel to the base of the teeth, where the venom welled up in the grooves.
"So when they sank their teeth into tissue of the victim, it allowed the venom, which was really enhanced saliva, to get into the wound.”
The scientists state the creatures’ fangs were possibly used to penetrate the thick feathers, and the teeth at the tip of the snout may have enabled it to pluck the feathers off its victims.
Venom to shock the prey
The researchers speculate that probably the poison was non lethal, simply a ploy to immobilize the victims and hamper their chances of fighting back or escaping so that the Sinornithosaurus could devour its prey in peace.
The researchers stated, “We believe that Sinornithosauruswas a venomous predator that fed on birds by using its long fangs to penetrate through the plumage and into the skin, and the toxins would induce shock and permit the victim to be subdued rapidly.”
The detailed findings of the study are available online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.