For many years, dinosaurs have been one of the longest standing archaeological studies. They continue to capture the interest of scientists around the world due to their high adaptability and species variation. One would think that after so many years of excavation we would stop finding new fossils, but that’s not the case. Archeologists continue to find new types of dinosaurs and learn more about their lifestyles and anatomy every year.
Spinosaurus
The first Spinosaurus fossil (discovered in 1912) was destroyed in WW2; since, many fossils have been discovered at various archeological digs, making the Spinosaurus the oldest verified terrestrial carnivore.
They were semi- aquatic and spent time both on land and in the water. That’s definitely worth a point in their favor as they had to adapt to regulate temperature in both water and sun. Along with this, they also had long neural spines protruding from their back which could have been for scaring off competition, fighting for a mate, and even temperature regulation. It has been suggested that their main diet consisted of fish and aquatic animals as their heads have an incredible similarity to those of modern day crocodiles. Because they were so well adapted, I think they deserve 5 stars on the cool dinosaur scale. I mean, just look at those teeth.
Rating: 5 stars
Diplodocus
Well known for their incredibly long necks, the Diplodocus is one of the most well known sauropods. Estimated to be 95 feet long, they have over 80 vertebrae in just their tails. They were first discovered in 1877 in Colorado, but the fossils were highly incomplete.
Later, more complete fossils were uncovered and we were able to discern that they were herbivores who primarily stripped leaves off of high branches much like a giraffe. Giraffes are pretty cool so who knows, maybe we have the diplodocus to thank for them. If so, that’s definitely a point for them. These massive dinos would get a five except there is no way that they didn’t get neck and back problems from the weight on their spines especially if humans like me already have back pain and we are miniscule compared to them. Because no one likes back pain, the diplodocus earns 4 stars for being big and tall enough to eat all the leaves they could want.
Rating: 4 stars
T-Rex
Is the T-Rex worthy of its reputation as the most fearsome beast of 90 million years ago? Personally, I’m not too sure. We have all been told that the T-rex was the most mighty and incredible dino of all time. Often, dinosaur media portrays the T-Rex as the ultimate predator of their time and, while they were one of the largest carnivores of all time, they feel a little overrated. I mean, have you seen their arms?
We as a society collectively make fun of them while simultaneously praising them. How’s that for a paradox? There was a time when it was thought that the T-Rex was a scavenger, but this was only because it was closely related to a scavenger; there was no direct evidence. Reptile teeth replace themselves and thus the lack of wear cannot directly point to scavenging habits. Although a T-Rex would scavenge a bit, they were mainly predators eating anyone who caught their eye. So yeah, if Jurassic Park was real you would definitely want to run. Overall they lose points for their dramatically short arms but are redeemed by having a striking reputation.
Rating: 3 stars
Chicken
The most well known dinosaur of all time, the mighty chicken. Is it even fair to the dinosaurs to associate them with chickens? They’re essentially the baby cousin of the family eating dirt from the garden. Chickens have no fear aspect, are kept in cages, and above all they have tiny beaks that can barely fit a piece of fruit much less the head of a prehistoric creature. But, we also have to consider the fact that the chickens survived and we aren’t seeing any T-rex’s that managed to make it to the 21st century now are we?
Let’s be honest here, who has ever seen a chicken and thought “wow, that is such an intelligent bird”. Yeah, no one. So, hypothetically chickens could secretly be waiting for the opportune moment to take back their reign over the world, but for now, they truly cannot earn a rating above a two as they are almost definitely a disappointment to their predecessors with being locked in cages and all that.
Rating: 2 stars
Overall dinosaurs are incredibly cool and were able to control the planet for much much longer than humans have existed. Finding fossils and other trace evidence of their behaviors and lifestyles is an incredible opportunity to look into the past. We have museums, movies, art, and even stuffed animals based on dinosaurs.
Who would’ve thought that the massive lizards of the past would become a cute toy for children to play with today?
They have completely revived (almost) in our society as we learn more about them and they continue to fascinate us. For the topic of dinosaurs as a whole, I give them 5 stars. They were incredible at adapting and surviving, they had massive species variation, and they continue to hold our attention even now.
We even have modern day connections to dinosaurs in the form of birds and many find it interesting to look at the similarities between modern day birds and reptiles and the dinos of the past. Oftentimes there are incredible traits that have managed to survive millions of years.
Birds and fossils are our strongest links to the past and to continuing to learn about the lifestyles of the dinos. It’s my hope that we uncover more and more fossils and one day we might even solve the controversy of their end. And who knows, maybe Jurassic Park will come to life and we’ll be able to see them for ourselves. I hope not.
Rating: 5 stars
