Dinosaur Cannibal Not Guilty After All? What's Going On?

New research has shown that a dinosaur believed to have been a cannibal may not have been quite so fierce after all.

This chomping chap - called Coelophysis - has been thought of as a 'cannibal' for more than sixty years. A cannibal is a creature that eats its own species.

Why did people think that? Well, in the 1940s, lots of Coelophysis skeletons were found in America.

Scientists found what they thought were small bones from baby Coelophysis dinos inside two of the skeletons' stomachs. It looked as if the bigger dinos had eaten the little ones. So, the cannibal reputation was born.

But... new research at The American Museum of Natural History tells a new story.

Scientists believe that many of those tiny bones found belonged to a crocodile-like reptile and not to Coelophysis young at all.

They also reckon that the bones were probably positioned outside the stomachs rather than inside.

Hmm.. the cannibal theory looks a bit shaky now doesn't it?

Plus, the team believes that a larger bone found inside one of the stomachs was far too big to have been eaten by the dead Coelophysis. Instead, they think the second dino probably died on top of the first.

It just goes to show that finding out about life more than 200 million years ago is a very tricky business! The way science finds out and thinks about things keeps changing.

The new discovery is exciting but it has given experts at the Natural History Museum in London lots of extra work.

They have an exhibition called Dino Jaws on show in the museum until April 2007.

This news is going to mean changes for them too...

Dino Jaws is all about what dinosaurs ate. The model in our pictures is one of the exhibition stars, complete with a baby Coelophysis being chewed up.

Over the next few weeks curators and scientists will be working hard to update Dino Jaws to include this latest discovery.

To find out more about the show read our Dino Jaws Open Wide story or visit the Dino Jaws website where you'll find games, facts, recipes, downloads and more.

Last but not least, don't forget to visit the Show Me Dinosaurs page for games, fun and stuff to do.