Cancelled— OEB Seminar Series: Lindsay Zanno

Lindsay Zanno
Head of Paleontology in the Museum of Natural Sciences 
Associate Research Professor
North Carolina State University

Heroes & Kings: modeling the life history of tyrant dinosaurs

Abstract: Tyrannosaurs were among the largest terrestrial predators to have inhabited Earth.  After over a century of study, the factors surrounding their rise to ecological dominance, both intrinsic and extrinsic, remain poorly constrained.  Evidence suggests that tyrannosaurs seized top predator niches opportunistically after a trophic network reshuffling spurred by the mid-Cretaceous super-greenhouse event.  However, the adaptive mechanisms by which they achieved this status and potential abiotic forcing factors are only beginning to emerge.  New data on species-specific growth patterns, sociosexual behaviors, and reproductive physiology of tyrannosaurs provide a fresh window into the life of tyrants at all scales—from baby to behemoth, and secondary predator to Hollywood star.

Host: Professor Stephanie Pierce