Velociraptors Were Very Smart and Worked in Teams
The movie Jurassic Park portrayed terrifying Velociraptors. In the film, they were large, strong, and exceptionally intelligent creatures that hunted in packs. However, real raptors were quite different.
These dinosaurs were actually about 1.5–2.07 m (4.9–6.8 ft) long. So they could barely reach the thigh of a human. The two-meter killing machines from Jurassic Park would more accurately be called Deinonychus.
By the way, both velociraptors and deinonychuses were feathered. But apart from the raptors’ size, the films also incorrectly depicted their behavior.
These animals were not as intelligent or as cooperative as many believe.
Studies of Velociraptor skulls have shown that their brains had well-developed olfactory regions and cerebellums, meaning these dinosaurs moved quickly and had a good sense of smell to detect prey.
However, other brain regions were poorly developed, so raptors and other dromaeosaurids did not have outstanding intelligence. They probably behaved like predatory birds, and not even as intelligent as a crow.
The belief that raptors were pack hunters that worked together to bring down large prey is a misconception. Paleontological evidence suggests they were solitary animals that were quite hostile to one another and didn’t shy away from cannibalism.
Velociraptors had too high a level of intraspecies aggression to form packs. They rarely attacked prey larger than themselves, preferring to scavenge small lizards from the ground.
So, unfortunately, real raptors were small, somewhat dim-witted, and aggressive. They were nothing like the intellectual hunters from Jurassic Park.
During the Dinosaur Era, Earth’s Gravity Was Lower
Dinosaurs were big. Sure, there were small species the size of a cat, but sauropods like Diplodocus reached truly impressive sizes. The famous Diplodocus, for example, could be up to 24 meters long or more. Quite a large creature.
Some proponents of alternative science, trying to find an original explanation for this size, claim that during the Mesozoic era, gravity on our planet was significantly weaker, which allowed the dinosaurs to grow so large. Then, supposedly, gravity suddenly increased, causing the dinosaurs’ bones to break under their own weight.
Why gravity increased so abruptly is a mystery. Maybe a heavy meteor fell, and the planet suddenly gained weight.
In reality, this theory belongs to the realm of science fiction. There is no natural mechanism that could suddenly change a planet’s gravity. To do this, you’d need to remove about half of Earth’s mass to enjoy reduced gravity, and then put the removed mass back to restore normal gravitational acceleration. However, no life would likely survive this process.
Dinosaurs didn’t need to defy the laws of physics to grow to their enormous sizes because, despite their dimensions, they had relatively low body mass.
The reason is that, during evolution, they developed air sacs, which were later inherited by their descendants—the birds—and hollow bones. Sauropods, for example, weighed between 20 and 120 tons. And this is a maximum estimate, which is probably exaggerated. They weren’t like Godzilla, weighing 82,000 tons, and the square-cube law was still in effect.
Such sizes were necessary to deal with predators—no Tyrannosaurus rex would easily risk attacking this walking crane. Moreover, a large body helped these animals store water more efficiently and survive during droughts.
Sauropods Preferred Living in Water
Another myth comes from children’s books about huge reptiles. Supposedly, sauropods were so heavy and clumsy that walking on solid ground was a real challenge. To ease their lives, they settled in lakes.
Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus, according to this idea, stayed submerged in water, which reduced the strain on their bodies. Only their heads poked out, hence their long necks.
This hypothesis was based on a reasonable assumption: in water, the stress on bones and muscles is lower. After all, a blue whale wouldn’t lie.
However, no sauropod would live long in a lake. The thing is, these creatures ate a lot—no elephant could compete. This wasn’t a sign of a disorder but a necessary lifestyle to fuel such a massive body.
Scientists compared this myth with numerous sauropod footprints, which indicated constant land travel. They concluded that the giants led a nomadic life and weren’t tied to lakes. Moreover, their narrow tails and broad bodies made these herbivores poor swimmers.
Because of their numerous air sacs, their bodies were essentially giant floats. Diplodocus, for instance, wouldn’t be able to dive properly. If a typical sauropod really wanted to reach the lake’s bottom, it would need a diver’s vest with lead ballast.
Nevertheless, despite their poor swimming abilities, sauropods did enjoy living near water. There was more vegetation, and water was always available for drinking. But they didn’t venture deep into the lakes.
Triceratops Speared Tyrannosaurs on Their Horns
In various children’s books about dinosaurs, Triceratops is often depicted as a herd-dwelling herbivore that valiantly defended its offspring. These stories describe how, when a tyrannosaurus attacked their peacefully grazing herd, adult triceratops would form a circle, shielding the young with their frills, and use their horns to stab predators daring to come close.
However, paleontologists have long debunked this myth. They have conclusively determined that Triceratops were solitary animals and did not form herds. Moreover, these dinosaurs did not care for their offspring: they laid eggs and then abandoned the nest.
The idea of standing in a circle and defending themselves, like the 300 Spartans, never crossed the minds of Triceratops. With small brains, they weren’t capable of devising tactical maneuvers. Instead, they would have thought, “Let’s go eat.”
If a wandering Tyrannosaurus happened by and decided it was time for lunch, Triceratops didn’t even try to charge it.
Research shows that the dinosaur’s horns and frill were used more for courtship displays during mating season and to show off their dominance to females, rather than for actual combat. Their horns were too fragile—trying to stab a tyrannosaurus would break them, and the predator likely wouldn’t even notice.
However, Triceratops could land a solid blow with its massive beak, but it did so rarely, preferring to simply run away from predators. That’s why most discovered skeletons of dead Triceratops bear multiple Tyrannosaurus bite marks on their hindquarters—when the chase didn’t end well for the horned dinosaur.
Dinosaurs Roared
In all the movies about extinct reptiles, dinosaurs roar dramatically. Tyrannosaurus roars louder than any bear could, ceratopsians and sauropods trumpet, velociraptors scream—basically, they all make the noises that audiences expect to hear.
But real dinosaurs couldn’t have roared. Scientists don’t know exactly what they sounded like, but it’s unlikely they would have roared like modern crocodiles or Komodo dragons. Structurally, these reptiles were closer to birds than to reptiles. And they weren’t capable of vocalizing like modern alligators.
Most scientists now believe that dinosaurs produced sounds using a special organ called the syrinx, which birds also use to chirp, cluck, and cackle. But the syrinx couldn’t produce a roar.
Have you ever seen a bird roar? That’s why it’s more likely that a Tyrannosaurus would have clucked than roared.
Paleontologists suggest that even large theropods didn’t roar like modern predators but cooed and rumbled. Professor Cynthia Fox of Washington State University says that if you want an idea of what it sounded like, listen to the sounds made by emus.
Of course, a typical theropod likely purred more loudly. And its cooing didn’t foreshadow anything pleasant.
Additionally, it’s doubtful that Tyrannosaurus or Allosaurus tried to intimidate their prey with sounds before an attack, like today’s lions or bears do. Modern birds chirp and scream to communicate with others of their species or to scare off rivals, but not during a hunt.
So, theropods may have cooed during mating season but attacked in silence. After all, why warn your lunch?
And by the way, dinosaurs didn’t open their mouths to vocalize.
Birds Descended from Archaeopteryx
This wild-looking bird is Archaeopteryx. The creature was about the size of a crow and was a sort of transitional link between reptiles and birds. Archaeopteryx lived about 150-147 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic period.
In many popular science books, this creature is mentioned as the primitive ancestor of modern birds.
However, this isn’t true. Archaeopteryx was indeed considered the ancestor of birds in the past, but modern paleontology has discovered many other species that were more advanced in their structure. Birds actually descended from these more developed creatures.
Archaeopteryx was an evolutionary dead end. Saying that birds evolved from it is like claiming that you are descended from a Neanderthal. There’s a connection, of course, but it’s not direct.
