Bones and the dead

[rosie]

Chomper found some old bones without teeth in a cave in the Mysterious tooth episode and when they find dead sharptooth, they removed one of its teeth. What do they do with the dead bodies or the old ones that die? Do they bury them?There isn't really much of them dying and if those long necks had killed or runover poor little chomper would they have buried him or left him out in the mysterious beyond.

[Kor]

They have not really shown what  they would do if someone had died.  I guess because that is beyond the target age range of the movies and tv series.

[Coyote_A]

I'm absolutely sure, that dinosaures from Great Valley, won't just leave a corpse, lying in the middle of the field. They most likely to move it somewhere... In some cave for example. But they hardly will dig a grave.

[Malte279]

The question is to some degree related to the question of the toleration of scavengers in the Great Valley which has been discussed in another thread. If there were no scavengers in the Great Valley at all bodies would have to be brought somewhere where Scavengers can be found. However, it is one thing to bring some small dinosaur somewhere, but who would carry Littlefoot's grandpa anywhere?
I don't think there are any "burial rituals" comparable to that of humans.
There doesn't seem to be any kind of religious or philosophical sensitivity about Skeletons or bodies. The attempt to get a tooth from the presumed dead sharptooth in LBT 6 was already mentioned, but the original movie provides some examples too. Nobody is very concerned about that skeleton Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie run into before they meet Cera, and later on Spike has a bone in his mouth while he and the others are posing as the tar monster.

[Kor]

Most would find it hard to dig, but they could put some rocks around and on the body and maybe some bipedal ones could carry some mud and or dirt to put over the rocks, then stay out of the area for a while.

[Malte279]

If the dinosaur in question happened to die in an area of great importance (e.g. right beside a very popular waterhole) and if that dinosaur is too large to be moved easily (longneck) this would still be a problem. Other than baring the spread of disease I'm not sure if the dinosaurs would have a reason to bury anyone and I'm not sure about the awareness that corpses can spread disease either.
I kind of like the idea that most dinosaurs would sense the coming of death and (after saying goodbye to their loved ones) move out into the Mysterious Beyond (and beyond it). However, in LBT 4 we saw an example that even if there is such a kind of sense of last walk and a sense of coming death, it does not seem to work in case of sudden strike of illness (not would it work in case of accidents). Littlefoot's grandpa would not have gone anywhere anymore I'm afraid.

[Kor]

The rocks and dirt & mud idea I mentioned would help keep the odor down, which may be the main reason they may do something like that.  Since I doubt they have any idea of germs or sanitation.

[LBTDiclonius]

I don't think they would have 'funerals' so to speak, but they would probably put it in a cave or throw it into a chasm or something. (the chasm thing sounds kinda harsh but it could happen.) Maybe they would dig a grave but it's not likely.

[jansenov]

Walking away seems to be the most logical explanation. After all, the many dinosaur skeletons we see just outside the Great Valley in LBT 2 could be a dinosaur graveyard. It's kind of hard to believe those dinosaurs died of starvation just the moment before entering the Great Valley. And we also see a Tyrannosaur skeleton, so maybe they are the scavengers who frequent the graveyard. It could be one of the reasons why there are so many sharpteeth roaming around the Great Valley. The other reason would be ambushing migratory herds who get in and out.

[Saft]

Sadly there isn't much information in LBT series or TV series that explains how the dead were treated.  However, absence of evidence doesn't mean that there is not any evidence to prove a point.  It was widely believed that Neanderthals for example didn't 'bury' their dead, and although this isn't widespread like we do, there is evidence such as in France and Iberia in particular of burial evidence, although burials had no markers as we use. Now you may be wondering why I mention Neanderthals in a LBT section, well it ties in with the views that they can't have some sort of 'burial' rites for their dead because they are dinosaurs and thus are animals.  However, this is not exactly true...since if we view the point that elephants when a member of their family dies, they cover them up with leaves and branches and stay around the area for a few days, as a sort of grieving process if you like.  As LBT characters while dinosaurs, they have the characteristics of personality of humans.  As humans we do bury and grief for our dead.  So, even if you don't feel that the dinosaurs of the great valley do not bury their dead (and  I am not suggesting that they use a shovel and dig in the ground.) they are as personifications probably would grief for their dead.  Although my theory would be that they would behave like elephants.

[Blaze]

indeed i think the last walk would be the most likely end but as has been said i think in the case of accidents or sudden illness the bodies would be covered or if possible moved.

Littlefoot obviously shows grief and mourns the loss of his mother, and as Saft said elephants are a great example of mourning in the animal kingdom. many animals show this sort of behaviour. most of the time it seems they will just stay around the body for a few days but often (in particular with migratory animals) they will revisit the site of a loved one's death and some do cover the remains.

there is a case in Utah (or was it Montana?) of a bone bed of mostly hadrosaurs that were uncovered and their remains showed they had died over a period of several hundred years. seasonal deposits showed very clearly the different years that had passed between the deaths. almost all of these animals were adults (though there were a few sub-adults). now they might've been migrating and died on route to say a nesting ground (hence no young) but i like to think there was more to it than that.  

(just realised how long that is  :blink:  !)