Dinosaurs’ faces might have been much more sensitive than previously thought and may have helped them feed more carefully or woo potential mates, according to new research.

Experts from the University of Southampton used advanced X-ray and 3D-imaging techniques to look inside the fossilised skull of Neovenator salerii – a large carnivorous land-based dinosaur found on the Isle of Wight, and found evidence that it possessed an extremely sensitive snout of a kind previously only associated with aquatic feeders.

The study, published in the online journal Scientific Reports, shows that Neovenator may have possessed pressure receptors in the skin of its snout – similar to those that allow crocodiles to forage in murky water.

Palaeontologist Chris Barker, who carried out the research, said there was no evidence to suggest the 125 m-year-old dinosaur was an aquatic feeder and must have developed a sensitive nose for other purposes, including helping it to pick flesh from bones.

A scan of the neurovascular canal of a Neovenator salerii. Photograph: Barker et al/PA

Barker said: “The 3D picture we built up of the inside of Neovenator’s skull was more detailed than any of us could have hoped for, revealing the most complete dinosaur neurovascular canal that we know of.

“The canal is highly branched nearest the tip of the snout. This would have housed branches of the large trigeminal nerve – which is responsible for sensation in the face – and associated blood vessels. This suggests that Neovenator had an extremely sensitive snout – a very useful adaptation, as dinosaurs used their heads for most activities.”

As well as being sensitive to touch, Neovenator might also have been able to receive information relating to stimuli such as pressure and temperature, which would have come in useful for many activities, from stroking each other’s faces during courtship rituals to precision feeding.

Images of the wear pattern on the dinosaur’s teeth appear to show that it actively avoided bone while removing flesh from bones.

Barker said: “Some modern-day species, such as crocodilians and megapode birds, use their snouts to measure nest temperature, and in the case of crocodiles even pick up their young with extreme care, despite their huge mouths. Neovenator might well have done the same.

“Having such a sensitive snout could have had a social use, too. Many birds – which are the descendants of dinosaurs – use their beaks in social display, and there is plenty of evidence that carnivorous dinosaurs engaged in face-biting among themselves, perhaps targeting the sensitivity of the face to make a point.”