Paleontology & Theropods PART2! Soooo good it needed a sequel - With Dr François Therrien

Gorgosaurus stomach contents and the diets of juvenile tyrannosaurs! Here is the conclusion of my discussion with Dr. François Therrien (Royal Tyrrell Museum). While adult T-Rexes were famous for hunting giant herbivores, recent fossil evidence reveals that young tyrannosaurs had a taste for something much smaller.On the show, the discovery of an adolescent Gorgosaurus libratus that preserved its final meal: the hind limbs of two small, bird-like dinosaurs. This confirms a ontogenetic dietary shift, proving that tyrannosaurs occupied multiple ecological niches throughout their lives—acting as different species as they grewTopicsThe "Last Meal" Discovery: How technicians uncovered tiny knuckle bones inside a Gorgosaurus rib cage, revealing a preference for "chicken" thighsOntogenetic Dietary Shifts: Young tyrannosaurs hunted agile, small prey like Citipes before transitioning to mega-herbivores after age 11.Tyrannosaur-Dominated Ecosystems: Late Cretaceous North America lacked medium-sized predatorsThe Spinosaurus Controversy: Why the "aquatic predator" theory is heavily debated among paleontologists and the reality of its bite force.Chapters(00:00) Episode Intro(01:30) The Specimen: Most Complete Young Gorgosaurus(02:50) Preparation Reveal: Finding Bones Inside the Belly(04:00) Citipes Connection: Juvenile Predators Eating Yearlings(05:30) Surgical Feeding: Why They Only Ate the Legs(06:50) Evolutionary Strategy: Avoiding Herd and Horns(08:15) Seasonality: Was This a Cretaceous "Salmon Run"?(10:45) Mystery of Death: Flood vs. Indigestion(11:30) Ecological Niches: Tyrannosaurs(13:00) North America vs. Asia: Predator Structures(15:00) Modern Analogs: Why the Serengeti is Different(17:45) Future: Muon Tomography and Particle Accelerators(19:00) Synchrotrons: Mapping Pigments and Dinosaur Colors(20:30) AI in Science: Eliminating the Tedium of Data Entry(22:30) The "TV vs. Reality" Gap in Scientific Research(25:00) Tour of the Royal Tyrrell Museum(27:15) 40th Anniversary Special: Upcoming Exhibits(30:15) Spinosaurus Mess: Imagination vs. Fossil Record(35:30) Jurassic Park 3 Debunked: Bite Force Realities(38:40) The Physics Joke: Heisenberg, Schrödinger, OhmLinkshttps://tyrrellmuseum.com/Email: [email protected]: PateronSocials: Bluesky | Instagram | FacebookWhimsical Wavelengths: Deep-dive conversations where a working scientist unpacks how we know what we know, one paper, one idea, or whimsical detour at a time. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Zurek (P.Geo)