The term "dinosaur" came to us from the Greek language. The first part of the word, "deinos", translates as "terrible", "mighty" or "unseen." The second, "sauros", means "lizard". Researchers now and then find the next remains of prehistoric reptiles, and our knowledge about them is gradually replenished. Recent discoveries refute or call into question many "facts" about these creatures, which were previously considered indisputable. Ten such interesting misconceptions are now before you.
Like lizards left their eggs
Dinosaurs, it turns out, were responsible parents and took care of their babies
It used to be believed that dinosaurs, having laid eggs, immediately lost interest in them and abandoned them to their fate, like all reptiles. However, recent findings suggest something else - in fact, dinosaurs showed concern for their offspring. Their "parental" behavior resembled the usual behavior of birds. The fossilized burrows and nests of ancient lizards have survived in some places to this day. They help us better understand the daily habits of dinosaurs. The nests range from simple holes to sophisticated structures with earthen edging. They are located in groups and singly. Such nests and egg clutches provide important information about the relationship of dinosaurs to their offspring.
In the American state of Montana, whole nesting sites of Mayasaurs have been discovered. In addition to the nests, fossilized eggs, newly hatched cubs, older "chicks" and mature individuals were also found there. The find proves that the Mayasaurs were very responsible parents and lived in large herds. For nests, they carved holes in the ground with a diameter of 1.8–2.1 m and a depth of approximately 1.1 m. The cubs hatched small, only 30 cm long. They left a nine-meter space between the nests - this is exactly the size that an adult Maiazaurus reached. Montana has a 2.5-acre lot where 40 of these nests have been hollowed out!
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Were scaly
The find of this cute herbivorous chick has turned scientists' view of scaly dinosaurs
You heard that all dinosaurs wore scales? So, the latest discoveries indicate something else: at least 30 species of non-avian dinosaurs had a feather cover. Found fossilized feathers and feather bags found in fossil specimens provide evidence for this theory. Until recently, it was believed that feathered dinosaurs (the ancestors of our birds) were predators. However, in 2013, in the valley of the Siberian river Olova, the fossil remains of a certain herbivorous lizard were removed from the ground. The new species was named Transbaikalian Kulindadromeus, and feathers were found on it! This means that feathers could be worn by any dinosaur, not only predators.
K. Zabaikalsky inhabited our planet 160 million years ago and reached about 3 m in length. His description was based on several incomplete skeletons. A bipedal animal with short forelimbs. The hind legs are elongated, five-toed. It is likely that the river flowed in its habitat even then. Those dinosaurs whose bodies fell into the water after death did not fall prey to scavengers. This is how the fossilized traces of feathers and scales have survived to this day.
Were cold blooded
If dinosaurs were cold-blooded, they would not have enough energy for hot fights with relatives. But you can't call them warm-blooded either. The truth lies in the middle
Dinosaurs are ancient reptiles, right? Reptiles are cold-blooded. It is logical to assume that the dinosaurs were cold-blooded. However, cold-blooded lizards would not have enough muscle strength to hunt their kindred. Researchers have assessed the metabolism of prehistoric dinosaurs. Whole body mass was calculated from the size and mass of the femur, and growth rates were suggested by the rings on the fossilized bones. So, the rate of growth and metabolism in dinosaurs does not allow them to be classified either as cold-blooded or warm-blooded!
Dinosaurs are hard to compare with mammals, fish and birds. The body of the ancient lizards was not arranged in the same way as that of animals we are accustomed to. Previously, dinosaurs were portrayed as slow, clumsy and cold-blooded. However, the number of fossils found keeps growing, and with it the number of nimble dinosaurs discovered - remember, for example, the Velociraptor. It turns out that the energy of prehistoric dinosaurs was no less than that of birds or warm-blooded mammals.
However, not all animals can be categorically attributed to one of two types: cold-blooded or warm-blooded. This approach is overly simplistic. Some representatives of modern fauna do not lend themselves to a clear classification: for example, the leatherback turtle, great white shark or tuna. So the dinosaurs, judging by their growth rate and vigor, are stuck "between two fires."
Pterosaurs are flying dinosaurs
Proud land lizards did not accept winged brethren into their ranks
Pterosaurs are familiar to everyone. Who hasn't watched "Earth Before Time" or "Jurassic Park"? But bad luck - these Mesozoic "birds" were not dinosaurs. They were the first vertebrates to fly off the ground, and they belonged to their own distinct group. Dinosaur is commonly used to describe every prehistoric reptile, however, not every prehistoric reptile is a dinosaur.
The superorder of dinosaurs is a very heterogeneous "collective" of terrestrial reptiles with a unique anatomy. Pterosaurs are also reptiles, but they could fly, so they were not in the ranks of dinosaurs. Do you know what makes dinosaurs different from other reptiles? Limbs! They were located directly under the body, which allowed the dinosaur to take an upright position. A prehistoric crocodile, for example, could not afford this.
Brontosaurus - fiction
Poor brontosaurs had to defend their right to exist even after death
Brontosaurus was first described in the 70s of the XIX century, but in 1903 paleontologists announced that they were mistaken and confused brontosaurus with apatosaurus. In 1970, the fossilized remains of a brontosaurus were found in the western United States. It was named Brontosaurus Excelsus, "the noble thunder lizard." But then scientists decided that it was too similar to Apatosaurus, and renamed it Apatosaurus Excelsus, "a noble deceiving lizard."
Recently, the University of Oxford conducted new research and re-identified brontosaurs as a separate species. Sophisticated software has been able to calculate the differences between diplodocides (a family that includes apatosaurs) from other species. It turned out that brontosaurs and apatosaurs are not alike - just as any representatives of two different species are not alike.
Dinosaurs became extinct
Dinosaurs are dead, long live the dinosaurs! Don't forget to add crumbs to the feathered dinosaurs
Did dinosaurs really disappear from the face of the Earth? Not all. Of course, we will no longer meet, say, a sauropod - the diplodocus with apatosaurs are dead and buried, it's true. But the good news is that theropods survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction! More precisely, not all theropods, but one of the forty subgroups of this group. She turned into today's birds.
Do you think prehistoric lizards died 65 million years ago? It turns out not! We are surrounded by many living dinosaurs. The bill goes into the thousands. The latest evolutionary classification says: birds are a type of ancient dinosaurs that have adapted to new environmental conditions.
There are two main orders in the superorder of dinosaurs: lizard-like (Saurischia) and ornithischia (Ornithischia). Sauropodomorphs (these include long-necked dinosaurs) and theropods are distinguished among the lizards. It was the latter (despite their "lizard-like nature") who gave us birds. By the way, tyrannosaurs and other two-legged lizards were also theropods.
Velociraptors were impressive in size
Real Velociraptors, it turns out, were small
Back to Jurassic Park. Remember the cute Velociraptors? They were agile, covered in scales and huge - they hung a terrifying mountain over the frightened children. But is it really about velociraptors? Paleontologists (and not only them) constantly change names and terms. Some dinosaurs have different names by different scientists. Other "lizards" are renamed, so as not to be confused with any similar subspecies. Only specialists know about these innovations. Although we usually call the dinosaurs known to us the same as paleontologists. The opposite is rare. It happened in Jurassic Park. The fake Velociraptor was there, and the experts immediately noticed it.
Velociraptors were discovered in Mongolia in the 1920s. Researchers have unearthed small predators no more than half a meter tall and less than two meters long. On the lower paws of these creatures, sickle-shaped claws flaunted: with them, the lizard, apparently, killed prey.
The only raptor species that matched the velociraptor from Jurassic Park is the deinonychus. Its scientific description was compiled in the 1960s. Deinonychus was initially thought to be an enlarged variety of Velociraptor, however, it was considered mistaken. Deinonychus grew almost twice as large as their Mongolian counterparts (both in length and in height), they could boast of huge sickle-shaped claws on their hind legs and long forelimbs with tenacious paws; a stiff tail helped them to maintain balance while hunting. Doesn't it remind anyone?
Tyrannosaurs had poor eyesight
The location and size of the eyes, as well as numerous studies, refute the version of the visually impaired tyrannosaurus
Remember the advice from Jurassic Park: “Freeze! If you don't move, he won't see us!”? So, it turns out, the advice was useless: Tyrannosaurus is far from blind. To guess this, it is not necessary to conduct large-scale research, simple logic is enough. The first sign of good vision is the anterior position of the eyes and the narrowness of the skull. This provides excellent depth perception. Plus big eyes the size of a grapefruit.
In support of our conclusions, we will nevertheless provide scientific data. It was found that the field of view of a Tyrannosaurus rex covers an angle of 55 degrees - more than that of a falcon. In other theropods, this figure is comparable to that of today's birds of prey. Subsequent analyzes show that the clarity of perception in tyrannosaurs is 13 times higher than that of humans. Judging by some reports, this dinosaur perfectly distinguished objects six kilometers from itself.
The front limbs of a tyrannosaurus were useless
Why do you need such little hands, tyrannosaurus? And this is to hug you more comfortably, baby!
It is believed that the small front legs of the tyrannosaurus were completely unnecessary for him, however, this is hardly true. The limbs had developed muscles and, apparently, could lift 199 kg each. It is to these conclusions that scientists have been led by the latest findings: stress fractures of the forks (the arcuate bone that is part of the forearm) were found on many fossilized remains of tyrannosaurs. Researchers suggest that the fractures are the result of a fierce fight with prey or a relative.
Tyrannosaurus, most likely, dug its teeth into the throat of its prey and strangled it, holding it with its forelimbs. It is known that the tyrannosaurus pushed off the ground with its front legs when it assumed an upright position. With the same paws, he "hugged" the partner during mating. Neither action could lead to the fractures found by the researchers, so scientists are inclined to think that tyrannosaurs successfully used their forelimbs for hunting.
Plesiosaurs are dinosaurs
Even if the Loch Ness monster exists, it is not able to stretch its neck above water - gravity does not allow
Surely you've heard of Nessie, the Scottish lake monster? They say it is a plesiosaur. But imagine: plesiosaurs are not dinosaurs at all! Remember, we have already found out: dinosaurs are terrestrial animals? Therefore, their aquatic, like winged (pterosaurs), dinosaur cousins are not listed.
Plesiosaurs had a large, thickened body and short tail, the length of the animal varied from 2.4 to 14 m. A long neck was crowned with a small head, and instead of limbs there were large flippers. There was a variety of plesiosaurs with a shorter neck and a larger head. The fins helped the reptile to quickly change direction and turn, however, these animals swam slowly. Long necks gave them the opportunity to grab prey floating on the surface of the reservoir from under the water. In pictures, the head of a plesiosaur usually sticks out above the water surface, but a real plesiosaur could not. His neck did not twist like that, and if it did, the force of gravity would simply knock the animal upside down.
Now you know that the pigeon begging for breadcrumbs is a kind of dinosaur. Will you become more respectful of him? And how do you react to the stormy story of a friend who "saw" Nessie's head above the water? Will you chuckle to yourself or will you start explaining the laws of physics? Dinosaurs are slowly but steadily revealing their secrets to us. What other discoveries are ahead of us?
Tatiana Preobrazhenskaya