From physical myths about these prehistoric terrors to a famous behemoth that never was,
today we look at Dinosaur "Facts" That Might Be Wrong.
Number 12.
Hot Or Cold?
As many people, among the public and scientific community alike, associate dinosaurs with
lizards, it's easy to assume the great beasts of the past were cold-blooded like modern
reptiles.
However, as time progressed and paleontologists began examining more similarities between
birds and dinosaurs, it became apparent that these prehistoric creatures were likely to
be warm-blooded instead.
Fast-moving carnivores like the velociraptor would be unable to exhibit the muscular power
to hunt prey were they cold-blooded, according to some scientists.
Number 11.
Parenting Myths For those that have seen the animated film
"The Land Before Time", in which a group of adolescent dinosaurs are left stranded mid-migration,
it may seem like dinosaurs weren't the most responsible parents.
Though fiction, the basis for this narrative isn't too far off from reality.
Many species of reptiles bury their eggs and keep on moving, leaving their newly-hatched
offspring alone against the elements.
This is a tricky process.
Between predators and the natural hazards of weather and the environment, many of the
infantile animals won't survive to adulthood.
It was thought for many years that dinosaurs practiced a similar strategy when spawning
children.
But thanks to the Oviraptor , scientists now know better.
Found fossilized atop a nest of eggs, it was originally believed that the oviraptor , which
means "egg thief" in Latin, preyed on the collection for sustenance.
However, as more species were found in similar positions, it became apparent that the dinosaur
was actually guarding their young, similar to modern birds and crocodiles!
Number 10.
Dinosaur Sounds Most all cinematic depictions of dinosaurs
feature the prehistoric creatures releasing thunderous roars, complex calls, and intimidating
snarls.
In the real world, though, no evidence alluding to the existence of a dinosaur vocal box was
found until 2013!
A team of paleontologists discovered a nearly complete syrinx fossil belonging to an ancient
bird called Vegavis iaai . A syrinx is a complex vocal organ similar to a larynx that's primarily
found in avian species.
This has led some scientists to predict that the syrinx might have been an evolutionary
development that was passed from dinosaurs to birds.
At the same time, the closest reptilian relative to the great lizards of old, alligators and
crocodiles, have a larynx which they mainly use for grumbling and grunting.
The existence of such a specimen opens up a lot of possibilities, but the fact remains
that no actual dinosaur fossils have ever been uncovered with a syrinx or larynx !
Number 9.
Limb Misconceptions Understanding the behavior and physical limitations
of animals from millions of years ago is more complicated than simply finding their fossilized
remains.
From the diets they ingested to the way they walked, there are years of analysis required
to fully understand these age-old behemoths.
For example, the tails of dinosaurs were thought for years to have been dragged through the
dirt.
Scientists thought that such large, lumbering beasts certainly wouldn't bother lifting the
excess body weight, opting instead to walk around in an upright manner reminiscent of
Godzilla.
In recent years, though, researchers have learned better, realizing the tails of dinosaurs
likely acted as a tool for balance, much in the way modern animals may use their tails.
Tails aren't the only misunderstood appendage among dinos, though, as Tyrannosaurus Rex's
proportionally small arms have gained a notoriously bad reputation for being virtually useless.
Scientists today, though, recognize that the T.Rex's arms were incredibly strong, able
to lift between 400 and 450 pounds each, and they most likely assisted in getting off the
ground when knocked down and keeping prey at the perfect biting distance.
Number 8.
All Shapes And Sizes Dinosaurs are typically generalized as unfathomably
large, lumbering titans, and for many, this assumption is spot on.
The fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex weighed between 12 and 30 thousand pounds and likely measured
near 40 feet long at maximum size.
Considered the largest dinosaur discovered yet, the monstrous Argentinosaurus is thought
to have weighed up to 220 thousand pounds and grown as tall as 115 feet!
However, not every ancient lizard would reach such great stature.
Thanks to their depiction in the Jurassic Park film franchise, many might think the
Velociraptor was the height of a full grown human.
But this conveyance is purely fiction as the skeletal fossils of the species has shown
they were closer to the size of large dogs!
Plenty of other species of small size have surfaced over the years as well, such as the
sheep-sized Protoceratops , the cat-like raptor Hesperonychus , and the 15-inch speedster
Parvicursor .
Number 7.
Various Ecosystems Perhaps due to the island setting of the iconic
Jurassic Park films, dinosaurs are often thought to have thrived primarily in lush, tropical
regions of the world.
For those familiar with the fictional works, it's hard to imagine a Tyrannosaurus Rex hunting
its next meal anywhere other than amid flourishing, exotic vegetation.
However, the truth is that dinosaurs survived in all sorts of conditions.
From hot and humid jungles to frigid tundras, from barren deserts to grain-bearing plains,
these prehistoric species had to adapt to all sorts of environments over 200 million
years ago.
Fossils of a hadrosaur species called Edmontosaurus have been found in abundance in polar portions
of the world, while creatures like the Iguanodon were known to have made their homes in swampy
wetlands.
Raptors combed sandy wastelands for food like prehistoric coyotes, as creatures like the
Spinosaurus would split their time between the land and the ocean in search of food!
For nearly any habitat, there's likely a dinosaur that called that environment home.
Number 6.
Brontosaurus Beef Few prehistoric creatures are more well-known
than the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Mammoths, Pterodactyls , Triceratops , and Stegosaurus all come close, but near the top
of the list of popularly recognized dinosaurs has to be the legendary Brontosaurus.
With a name translating to "Thunder Lizard" and its position as the most prominent long-necked,
quadrupedal dinosaur next to Brachiosaurus , people all over are familiar with this beloved
colossus.
Unfortunately, the Brontosaurus may never have existed.
In the late 19th century, as paleontology grew as a popular and profitable endeavor,
a pair of paleontologists by the names of O.C.
Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope became increasingly competitive.
Ambitiously racing to outdo one another, the two scientists would partake in various questionable
acts, such as smashing fossils they couldn't excavate so as to keep their rival from getting
to them instead.
In an equally atrocious act, Marsh would use the skull of another dinosaur to finish the
incomplete skeleton of an Apatosaurus in 1883, dubbing it as a new species called Brontosaurus.
This misnomer would be spotted as early as 1903, however it was already too late as the
supposed dinosaur had already made its way into the public knowledge sphere.
To add to the confusion, in 2015 researchers flip-flopped once again and claim the Brontosaurus
did actually exist as a distinct species based on examining 477 skeletal features of 81 fossil
specimens.
Number 5.
Master Adapters There are many different misunderstandings
when it comes to the extinction of the dinosaurs, but one of the most popular is the idea that
they met their demise due to the inability to evolve.
Citing factors ranging from inefficient appendages like the arms of a T.Rex to the supposed universal
dim-wittedness of dinosaurs in general, this belief posits that the great beasts couldn't
change with the times to survive.
On the contrary, however, science has shown dinosaurs to be some of the most resilient
creatures to ever walk the Earth.
For more than 150 million years, dinosaurs ruled the planet as the most dominating creatures
of the prehistoric food chain.
In comparison, humans have only existed for the last 200 thousand years, approximately,
with ancestors going back just 7 million years.
Meanwhile, the relatives of dinosaurs can be found all around us, continuing the bloodline
of their fearsome predecessors.
Number 4.
Nowhere Near Finished Science is a process.
In order to fully understand and comprehend how nature works to the point of being able
to label knowledge as scientific fact, years of research and peer review are required for
the sake of accuracy.
So while scientists have been hard at work in the field of paleontology , amassing a
public collection of over 700 recognized species of dinosaur, the catalog of dinosaurs that
ever existed isn't nearly complete.
Scientists believe thousands of species persisted across the millions of years that dinosaurs
walked the Earth, even though just 700 have been found so far.
But that number continues to increase as paleontologists are trained across the world, technology advances,
and all around resources and knowledge of the field continue to expand.
And all of this doesn't even count the inclusion of the heir to the dinosaur lineage in the
form of modern birds!
Number 3.
More Than Green Scales Given the look of modern lizards, a common
assumption is that dinosaurs had the same skin type, texture, and coloration of the
reptiles we see today.
But rather than the brown, green, and gray appearance of animals like snakes, tortoises
and crocodiles, their prehistoric relatives were actually very diverse in their physical
features.
Various dinosaurs, from Triceratops and duck-billed hadrosaurs to Ankylosaurus and long-necked
sauropods , have shown to create preserved scale impressions, giving evidence to their
scaled nature.
However, other creatures, like the great Tyrannosaurus Rex, have been found to exhibit an outer layer
more akin to down.
Meaning T.Rex likely had feathers rather than scales, a detail typically skipped by popular
media!
As for coloration, scientists have found traces of melanin in dinosaur scales and feathers,
showing a potential color range from black, white, and ginger to iridescent, vibrant colors
similar to that of a peacock.
Number 2.
Not All Dinos A common misconception by the everyday public
is to group most any non-mammalian, prehistoric creature under the label of "dinosaur".
Plenty of lizard-like creatures existed hundreds of millions of years ago that were by no means
considered to be dinosaurs.
Though they may seem like dinosaurs with fins, aquatic reptiles like Icthyosaurs and Plesiosaurs
were there own types of creatures, with taxonomical orders of the same names respectively.
The famous "flying dinosaur" known as the Pterodactyl was actually a flying reptile
belonging to an order of animals known as Pterosauria . Though the Pterodactyl has become
the poster child for flying reptiles, there were actually many different species within
this order that existed alongside dinosaurs.
However, scientists today will tell you this doesn't necessarily mean there's no such thing
as flying or swimming dinosaurs.
One must simply look at eagles, penguins, and other birds of today to see them in action!
Number 1.
Extinction Dinosaurs are the most famous example of extinction...but
what if they weren't actually extinct?
That's what many scientists posit to be true given their apparent evolution into modern
birds.
Avian creatures like ostriches, eagles, chickens, and even pigeons hold more in common genetically
and physically to dinosaurs than reptiles like crocodiles, lizards, and turtles.
Thus, by default, these animals are essentially the latest installment in the evolutionary
line of dinosaurs.