A study recently published in the academic journal Science suggests that some species of dinosaur were nocturnal hunters.
Fossilized remains of dinosaur eyes were studied to determine their size and sensitivity to light. Of particular interest to researchers was a part of the eye called the scleral ring, a ring of bone which encircles the iris in birds, lizards and dinosaurs, but is absent in mammals. For the iris to expand enough for nocturnal dinosaurs to see well in the dark, a larger scleral ring similar to that of modern reptiles and birds would have been necessary. A comparison with scleral rings of living species confirmed the suspicions of researchers Lars Schmitz and Ryosuke Motani: some dinosaurs were almost certainly active at night. Furthermore, most of the nocturnal dinosaurs were predators, while many large herbivores were diurnal. This allowed them to take advantage of the daylight to find large amounts of vegetation to eat.
This recent finding also contradicts a long-standing assumption about the evolution of mammals: that our ancestors were nocturnal to avoid being hunted by dinosaur predators during the day. Scientists may now re-evaluate this claim to find out whether early mammals were nocturnal or diurnal. The new discovery gives insight into the activity patterns of ancient animals, and could provide new knowledge about how they evolved into the species we know today.
-compiled by Haley McKey
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