A new dinosaur-themed amusement park
with real dinosaurs just opened.
And you're part of the first group
of visitors.
Suddenly, a scream pierces your ears.
You turn around
and see a huge Spinosaurus
devouring your guide.
It still seems hungry,
and its eyes are locked on you.
You'll have to think fast if you want to live.
Dinosaurs were a group of reptiles
that dominated the land
for over 140 million years.
They evolved into diverse
shapes and sizes,
ranging from the fearsome
giant Spinosaurus
to the chicken-sized Microraptor
in various ecosystems.
They thrived during the Jurassic period,
201.3 million years ago
to 145 million years ago.
Going up against a dinosaur
is most likely going to lead to death.
But, if you know your dinosaurs
and know their behaviors, strengths,
and weaknesses,
then you might just make it out alive.
It might be a natural reaction to scream
if a giant beast were threatening your life,
but it would be best to remain calm.
Some dinosaurs,
like the Allosaurus and T. Rex,
were tuned to low frequency sounds.
But if a big group of people
were to scream,
your best move would be
to get away from them.
Let them attract the predators.
They could be remembered as heroes,
for saving your life.
Your best chance of surviving
is to leave before a dinosaur notices you.
Some dinosaurs would have great vision
and would be able to see you.
And others, like the T. Rex,
have a great sense of smell
but are not so fast.
"Run, run, run, run, run!"
If they detect you,
standing still wouldn't help you hide.
So make a run for it,
unless you want to be bitten by jaws
three times stronger than a
great white shark's.
How big, you ask?
Well, the bigger, the better.
Some dinosaurs would be able to
withstand gunfire better than others.
For example,
the Ankylosaurus had strong armor.
Its bony plates had collagen fibers
that crisscrossed like Kevlar fibers,
and these plates covered their backs,
skulls, eyes and cheeks.
This dino would be able to survive a shot
from a small pistol,
but bigger guns could shatter bone.
Of course,
shooting would bring
a lot of attention to you,
so make sure you have
lots of ammunition.
You might think that herbivores
wouldn't attack you since they
wouldn't want to eat you.
But large herbivores
would be just as dangerous to you
as carnivores.
Many people get killed every year
by herbivorous mammals like bison
and water buffalo.
The triceratops would have
large horns that could do some serious
damage to you.
And the Stegosaurus
wouldn’t be super smart.
But it may find you threatening,
and whip its tail at you.
Since it could travel
10 m (33 ft) per second,
it would easily pierce your tiny body.
If you couldn't run away,
you could try to get into a strong shelter
with a big door.
This is because,
unlike what you might have seen
in the movies,
Velociraptors wouldn’t be able
to open doors.
Their wrists wouldn’t be as flexible as ours
and would be more like a chicken's.
To survive being surrounded by dinosaurs,
you'd need to be smart,
armed and very lucky.
And thankfully,
this is not something you have to
worry about.
Yet.
You survived the dinosaurs
becoming alive today,
but what if you traveled back in time
to their era?
How could you stay alive in the
Jurassic period?
Find out here.