An Expert Interview on Albertosaurus and Dinosaur Discovery

By: Blake Anderson | Paleontology Today

Beneath the windswept badlands of Alberta, Canada, a team of scientists is delicately brushing away layers of ancient soil to reveal bones that haven’t seen the light of day for over 70 million years. Their goal? To learn more about Albertosaurus, a fearsome predator that once roamed the Late Cretaceous landscapes of what is now western North America.

To understand the significance of their discoveries, I spoke with Dr. Melissa Hargrove, a leading vertebrate paleontologist and field director of the Dry Mesa Albertosaurus Project. Her team recently uncovered several new specimens of this tyrannosaurid predator, adding critical insights into its biology, behavior, and extinction.

Q&A with Dr. Melissa Hargrove: Into the World of Albertosaurus

Q: Dr. Hargrove, let’s start with the basics. What exactly is Albertosaurus, and why is it important in the world of paleontology?

Dr. Hargrove:
Albertosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived about 70 to 72 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. It belongs to the tyrannosaurid family—the same group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex, though Albertosaurus predates it by several million years and is somewhat smaller, growing up to around 30 feet in length.

What makes Albertosaurus so important is that it offers us a snapshot into the evolutionary lineage leading up to apex predators like T. rex. But more than that, the large number of individuals we’ve found—especially at sites like the Dry Island bonebed—gives us a rare opportunity to study population dynamics, growth patterns, and even potential social behavior in large theropods.

Q: You mentioned the Dry Island bonebed. Can you tell us more about that site and what makes it so special?

Dr. Hargrove:
Absolutely. The Dry Island bonebed in Alberta is one of the richest Albertosaurus fossil sites in the world. It was first discovered by Joseph Tyrrell in the early 20th century, and it contains the remains of at least 26 individuals, ranging from juveniles to full-grown adults. What’s fascinating is that they all seem to have died around the same time, which raises some compelling questions.

Were these animals traveling in groups? Did a catastrophic event take them out? Or was this a predator trap scenario? These are the kinds of questions we try to answer through careful excavation, dating techniques, and comparative anatomy.

Q: What are some of the most exciting discoveries your team has made at the site?

Dr. Hargrove:
One of our most exciting recent finds is a nearly complete juvenile Albertosaurus. Most of the time, fossil records are biased toward larger, older individuals because their bones are more robust and more likely to fossilize. Finding a juvenile allows us to study how these animals grew and changed over time. We’re seeing evidence that the limb proportions, skull shape, and even teeth of juveniles differ quite a bit from adults.

This suggests that juveniles may have had different ecological roles—perhaps even different prey—compared to fully grown Albertosaurus. That kind of age-segregated behavior is something we see in some modern predators, and it helps explain how multiple large carnivores could coexist in a single environment without competing for the exact same resources.

Q: Let’s talk about behavior. Is there any real evidence that Albertosaurus hunted in packs or had social behaviors?

Dr. Hargrove:
That’s one of the hottest debates in our field. The mass mortality site at Dry Island gives us a tantalizing clue, but it’s not definitive. The presence of so many individuals together suggests that they might have had at least temporary group behavior—possibly during migration, feeding, or mating seasons.

But without direct evidence of coordinated hunting, like trackways showing multiple individuals moving together, it’s hard to say for certain. That said, the age distribution in the bonebed supports the idea of a structured group: older individuals, subadults, and juveniles all represented. It’s tempting to speculate that there may have been some kind of social hierarchy or at least loose associations, especially among juveniles.

Q: How does Albertosaurus compare to Tyrannosaurus rex in terms of anatomy and ecology?

Dr. Hargrove:
Great question. Albertosaurus is often referred to as a “smaller cousin” of T. rex, and while that’s true in a general sense, the differences are more nuanced. Albertosaurus was more lightly built, with a narrower skull and longer legs proportionally. That suggests it may have been faster and more agile than T. rex, which makes sense considering it lived earlier and probably hunted different prey.

In terms of ecology, Albertosaurus shared its environment with hadrosaurs like Hypacrosaurus and Corythosaurus, as well as smaller predators and ceratopsians. It likely played a similar role as a top predator, but with different tools and strategies. Think of it like comparing a cheetah to a lion—they’re both apex predators, but their hunting styles and physical builds are quite distinct.

Q: What’s next for your team in the study of Albertosaurus?

Dr. Hargrove:
We’re currently working on advanced CT scanning of some of the cranial material, which will give us insights into sensory capabilities—vision, smell, hearing. Early results suggest that Albertosaurus had excellent binocular vision and a highly developed olfactory system, much like T. rex.

We’re also collaborating with biomechanical engineers to digitally reconstruct its musculature and movement. This kind of interdisciplinary approach is helping us not just understand what these animals looked like, but how they moved, hunted, and lived.

And, of course, we’re still excavating. Every field season brings surprises. That’s the thrill of paleontology—you never know what’s waiting just beneath the next layer of rock.

Conclusion: A Predator, a Puzzle, a Portal to the Past

Albertosaurus may never command the pop culture attention of its larger cousin T. rex, but for scientists like Dr. Hargrove, it’s a fascinating window into a forgotten world. Through painstaking fieldwork, cutting-edge technology, and a little bit of prehistoric detective work, we’re piecing together the life story of a predator that once ruled the Canadian wilderness.

And in doing so, we’re not just learning about Albertosaurus—we’re learning about evolution, ecosystems, and extinction on a grand scale.

Stay tuned as the dig continues.

Dr. Melissa Hargrove – Vertebrate Paleontologist & Albertosaurus Specialist

Dr. Melissa Hargrove is a leading vertebrate paleontologist specializing in Late Cretaceous theropods, with a particular focus on Albertosaurus, one of North America’s most iconic predatory dinosaurs. She serves as the Field Director of the Dry Mesa Albertosaurus Project, where she oversees excavations and research at one of the richest tyrannosaur bonebeds in the world.

Dr. Hargrove holds a Ph.D. in Paleobiology from the University of Alberta and has conducted fieldwork across North America, from the badlands of Alberta to the fossil-rich deposits of Montana. Her research integrates traditional fossil excavation with advanced imaging technologies, including CT scanning and digital reconstruction, to study the growth, behavior, and biomechanics of tyrannosaurids.

She has published widely on topics such as predator-prey dynamics, ontogenetic variation in theropods, and potential evidence of social behavior in Albertosaurus populations. Dr. Hargrove is also a passionate science communicator and frequently lectures at museums, universities, and public science forums, helping to bridge the gap between academic research and public understanding of prehistoric life.

When she’s not in the field or the lab, Dr. Hargrove advocates for fossil preservation and STEM outreach, especially for young women in science.