Did Dinosaurs Live Alone or Live in Herds?

When we look at animals today, we see a range of living styles. While some creatures only live with their mate and young until their offspring reach adulthood, others live in large groups. Although dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, they shared traits with today’s animals. Explore which dinosaurs lived in groups and which ones lived alone.

Which Dinosaurs Lived Solo?

Various dinosaur species lived lives of solitude. Although scientists suspect that herbivores and carnivores exhibited this behavior, it’s likely that it was more common in carnivores since they were higher on the food chain and faced less risk by living alone.

Dinosaurs that lived in solitude include:

• T. rex
• Spinosaurus
• Carnotaurus

These dinosaurs lived alone because they were ferocious and considered aggressive by today’s standards. Living in a group could pose a species more threat if two or more fought for dominance.

Living solo is a trait we still see with many predators today. For instance, aside from their mate, most eagles generally live and hunt alone.

Which Dinosaurs Lived in Herds?

Some dinosaur species lived in massive herds that could have hundreds to thousands of group mates. Scientists suspect this because we’ve discovered massive bonebeds with fossilized remains belonging to numerous dinosaurs of the same species in a single area.

For example, there is a massive bonebed of Triceratops in eastern Wyoming, United States; this bonebed has the bones of at least six Triceratops. Moreover, the fossilized remains at this site all have the same geological age – the Cretaceous period – indicating that the group likely lived together.

Aside from the Triceratops, paleontologists also suspect that the following dinosaur species lived in groups:

• Styracosaurus
• Protoceratops
• Stegosaurus

Scientists suspect that these species lived in groups because they have discovered bonebeds or track sites with hundreds of footprints.

Dino Fact

Some paleontologists suspect some species only lived together for short-term periods, such as a group migration.

Living in Herds Vs. Solo

When discussing which dinosaurs lived alone or in herds, which “lifestyle” was better, and which ideal option differed for every species, large, apex predators such as predators like the T. rex would do best living alone; it didn’t need help hunting and living alone meant it didn’t have to share resources. Due to factors such as territorial and competition for resources, specific species would evolve with limited social behaviors.

On the other hand, weaker dinosaurs or creatures of prey—herbivores—had more to lose because carnivores hunted them. Living with a group provided a single species with more protection and increased its chances of survival.

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