Imagine an alternate world where dinosaurs evolved intelligence comparable to humans.
What might these intelligent dinosaurs look like? What kind of technology, culture,
and art might they produce? This speculative timeline is the subject of “Dinosauroids,” a
worldbuilding project conceptualized in part by C.M. Kosemen — whose work you may know from his
sci-fi book “All Tomorrows,” or his speculative paleontology book All Yesterdays — the latter
of which I’ve got a video on elsewhere in the archive. “Dinosauroids” also comes from Simon Roy,
an accomplished comic book artist and writer who created much of the art you’ll see in this video.
These two are outstanding creators, and I have links to where you can follow and support them
in this video’s description. The “Dinosauroids” project was born in part out of Kosemen’s and
Roy’s frustration with the work of paleontologist Dale Russel, who in 1982 created this concept
of how a species like a Troodon might evolve into an upright-walking, bipedal organism with
human-like intelligence. While the depiction has a retro vibe I find kind of entertaining, it’s a
pretty old-fashioned and human-centric model of an intelligent dinosaur. So, Kosemen and Roy created
their own, more scientifically-viable models which don’t look much like humans — but have all the
right ingredients for human-like intelligence. So, for this entry into the archive, we’ll explore the
incredibly detailed speculative world and history Roy and Koseman created to go alongside these new
dinosaurs. They even imagine—incredibly—the art these creatures might produce,
which will get to later in the video. Let’s begin. In the hypothetical alternate timeline
of “Dinosauroids,” there was no end-Cretaceous asteroid impact — nor did any other cataclysm
befall the non-avian dinosaurs. Kosemen and Roy theorize that even without a mass extinction,
dinosaur groups would have kept evolving into new, unfamiliar forms. For now, let’s focus on
the Dinosauroids themselves, and explore how the authors speculate they might have first evolved.
The species, they imagine, originated from troodon-like ancestors, small therapods with long
fingers that theoretically could have evolved into grasping digits. The development of their advanced
intelligence and early use of tools likely began slowly. While the image of a bird-like species
using primitive spears might seem surprising to some, various modern birds — in particular crows,
which inspired the look of the Dinosauroids — are highly intelligent, and have indeed been seen
using simple tools and solving logical puzzles. In this experiment from The University of Auckland,
you can see a crow using stones to gain access to submerged food — showing an
impressive understanding of water displacement in the process. So, the idea of a bird-like
dinosaur achieving advanced intelligence through a similar foundation isn’t too outside the realm
of possibility. This image illustrates the two species of intelligent dinosaurs of this
alternate earth which both diverged from a Troodon-like ancestor. While the idea of
multiple intelligent species living on one planet at the same time might seem surprising — it’s not
too far off from our own history with humans and Neanderthals. The hypothetical scientific
designations of the two Dinosaurroids are Avisapiens sauro-theos and Avisapiens Tatar-icus.
And while both species make frequent use of their beaks for tool use, they also seem to have complex
hands with dexterous fingers — a feature that would allow them to make delicate tools
and evolve brain function analogous to a human’s. Aside from the Dinosauroids, the authors designed
an extensive ecosystem of animals around the titular species. While most of these dinosaurs
are descendants of the maniraptoran group, Kosemen and Roy have also populated this hypothetical
world with various species of mammals, which have managed to grow into large and sophisticated forms
just like in our time, despite the presence of dinosaurs. Due to the butterfly effect, however,
these mammals would of course be different from species we’re familiar with. One entertaining
example of a new species is the Megatapirus, a large herbivore that superficially resembles an
elephant due to the honing force of convergent evolution. A neat idea. The authors also imagine
a variety of mammalian carnivores that somewhat resemble canine predators. These mammals are
far from the largest organisms patrolling this hypothetical world, which still very much belongs
to the dinosaurs. On the subject of dinosaurs, the authors wanted pterosaurs to fill various niches.
Since these creatures were already in decline by the time of the asteroid’s impact, however,
Kosemen and Roy have imagined them dwindling down to a few subspecies – comparable to storks. In
terms of larger dinosaurs, we have the aptly-named classification the Avititans — massive, lumbering
herbivores that are the largest new organisms on this alternate earth. Another large species
is the Bull-Bird, a wary and dangerous scavenger that stalks the plains of the Eurasian continent.
Kosemen and Roy imagine that hunting Bull-Birds was a rite of passage for early dinosauroids,
who need to coordinate with each other to take the beasts down. Some hunters enlisted the
help of jackal-birds — hawk-like species that the dinosauroids, inventively, managed to domesticate:
just like early humans and the ancestor of the modern dog. But dinosauroids and their
domestic pets aren’t the only hunters on the plains. These are the tyrannoraptors — a species
of evolved theropods whose evolution echoes that of the massive-jawed Tyrannosaurus Rex.
This dangerous predator is known by the Dinosaroids as “black thing” – and are the largest
predators in this imagined dominion. In order to survive in this dangerous world, Dinosauroids,
the creators speculate, have had to rely on their technological cunning much like early humans.
Here, you can see a Dinosauroid with a carved stone tool in its mouth used for hunting.
At this point in the speculative timeline, most tribes of Dinosauroids are nomadic,
building temporary structures while migrating for protection from the elements. One detail I like is
that these structures look a lot like the nests of modern birds — which, don’t forget, are also
descendants of therapods. The authors imagine that the Dinosauroids do eventually form more permanent
village-like settlements, which are intriguingly still made up of nest-houses — just more
sturdy ones. In these more permanent societies, early forms of more intricate cultural expression
might emerge — like this young artist painting on stretched animal skins using ground up soil,
other natural pigments, and a brush made from a wing feather. Pretty clever. Still,
many Dinosauroids maintain migratory lifestyles — like these two individuals with a domesticated
form of the bull-bird mentioned previously, which is carrying their various supplies.
Other Dinosauroids travel light — like this ‘mountaineering’ duo carrying weapons and
travel gear themselves. Curiously, Roy and Kosemen mention their weapons are crafted
from bronze — indicating the Dinosauroids are entering a new phase of development.
Many groups also seem to equip themselves with weaponized ‘war-masks’ — wooden,
helmet-like structures with obsidian blade edges to improve the striking power of their beaks.
While these masked-warriors look imposing, Kosemen and Roy imagine these masks, while intimidating,
aren’t the most practical. But Dinosauroids society is clearly becoming more technologically
proficient — inventing armaments like a unique spear throwing device and a primitive bronze age
set of armor. Clearly Dinosauroids are, for better or worse, following our own path in many ways. But
warfare isn’t the only aspect of Dinosauroid culture Kosemen and Roy have fleshed out.
The two have also created various images depicting what paintings by Dinosauroids might look like.
Take, for example, this painting depicting an avititan family. Here, the broad, impressionistic
strokes that are a trademark of the Dinosauroids’ style are reflective of how they use feathers to
apply paint. Or take this stylized painting of a Dinosauroid hunter spearing some four-legged
mammal — an image which reminds me of early cave paintings our human ancestors created.
Even more stylized, we have a mural of a warrior confronting a spirit-creature.
Here, you can see elements of myth and legends sneaking their way into the art — just as was
the case with human cultural development. The dangerous, predatory “black thing” gets
a similar treatment — with the organism’s mouth and horns exaggerated in the artist’s recreation,
reflecting the parts of the animal that stood out the most to the Dinosauroid artist.
And beyond paintings, perhaps the Dinosauroids might also tell spoken stories in their own,
bird-like languages. Here, you see a fireside chat between an elder and several hatchlings. Kosemen
and Roy imagine this storyteller is weaving tales of spirits and other worlds — in particular
a legend of a sky-god, which resembles a flying pterosaur. What a creative level of worldbuilding.
Beyond these early societies, who knows what the future might have held for a species like
the Dinosauroids. Perhaps their technology would continue to develop — like in this hypothetical
sketch of a more heavily armored warrior which almost resembles a knight. And who knows, perhaps
long into a hypothetical future, this species might even develop the technology necessary to
become a space faring civilization. It’s a pretty interesting concept, although not one Kosemen and
Roy have said they’ve pursued seriously. Still, the hypothetical future of Dinosauroids seems full
of endless potential — although we’ve reached the end of our exploration for this particular video.
If you liked this world, please consider supporting Roy and Kosemen by patronizing their
other works and social media, which as always you can find in the links below. And if you liked this
video, I have videos covering the speculative work of C.M. Koseman elsewhere in the archive. Also,
thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this entry, please lend your support and like, subscribe,
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