We used to think of dinosaurs as huge.
In films, they are portrayed as giants, vastly larger than humans and most animals.
On the whole, this view is correct.
The heyday of the archosaurs is the time of the giants who reigned on the planet.
But not without exceptions.
The most unusual is the island of dwarf dinosaurs Hatseg
about. Hatseg, late Mel.
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Famous Island Facts:
- formed in the Late Cretaceous as a result of tectonic uplift,
- was located in the European basin of the Tethys Sea, at approximately 27 degrees North latitude (today Miami, the central parts of Egypt, a little to the south - the Arab Emirates)
- the climate is predominantly subtropical,
- the minimum distance to the nearest coast is 200-250 kilometers,
- was surrounded by the deep sea and was virtually isolated.
The size of Hatseg Island was the size of modern Haiti.
Fauna was a unique feature of Khaceg.
Most of the island's inhabitants are dwarf species of the mainland megafauna.
Balaur
A relative of Velociraptor, who was featured in the latest remake of Jurassic Park. Only much smaller.
Balaur at the reservoir. Hatseg Island.
Magyarosaurus
A relative of Diplodocus and Gigantosaurus. Those that reached 35-40 meters in length and weighed up to 50-70 tons.
Diplodocus - giants in the dinosaur world.
Only Magyarosaurus is a dwarf compared to them and rarely exceeded 5-6 meters in length.
Madyasaurus versus man.
Zalmoxes
A small bipedal dinosaur with a bird-like head and beak. It did not exceed 2-2.5 meters. He moved on his hind limbs and, according to modern data, was very "nimble".
Zalmoxes ran fast and on two legs!
To date, more than a dozen species of animals have been discovered that inhabited Hatseg.
Except for the one who hunted these "midgets", closing most of the food chains of the island: the real giant Hatseg - a pterosaur named Hatsegopteryx.
Hatsegopteryx, giraffe and man. Comparison.