There are no doubts: dinosaurs existed. These fascinating creatures lived for a period of time on the earth, so numerous and diverse that paleontologists have found evidences of their existence in sediments in all the continents, including Antartica. The study of the bones, the eggs, and the footprints of the dinosaurs reveals to us valuable information about their size, physiology, social habits, and their habitats.
In today's chapter, we invite you to learn more about what science has discovered about these ancient habitants of our planet. Origins Recognizing the existence of dinosaurs and studying about the impressive relics of their time on earth opens to us a story of the world that is up until now, not well known. A time hidden in the past in which our planet enjoyed different forms of life: even more than what we now see in existence.
There are today more than 600 types of dinosaurs that have been properly classified and catalogued according to their species. Though there is still a debate as to whether these numbers are really legitimate or if they've been overestimated, the consensus is clear: there still remains many species to discover. Nonetheless, one objection needs to be done.
Contrary to common belief, not all strange, extinct creatures buried in the Mesozoic layer are dinosaurs. There are more than 20 characteristics that distinguish dinosaurs from the other beings that coexisted and were buried with the dinosaurs. Including those reptiles that, although they appear in the fossil record, we can still see alive in present times.
In meticulously observing the details of their marvelous anatomy, it is hard to believe that these creatures can be results of chance. The numerous amount of evidences and the complexity of their physiology once again fascinate us with the question: what is truly a dinosaur? The very dynamics of the function of their skeletons allowed dinosaurs to stand up erect on their hind legs which is similar to most modern mammals, but distinct from the majority of other reptiles, whose appendages extend from the sides.
Perhaps, it is for this reason that the arms and legs of the dinosaurs also provide us with many distinguishing characteristics. The strong and complex muscles and bones of some dinosaurs seem strategically designed to give these creatures an excellent performance. But perhaps, one of their most particular characteristics is the form of their cranium.
What could we discover from studying in depth the structure that maintains such filed and complex teeth, or perhaps what seem to be evidences of such great, frightening eyes? And what is there to say of the extraordinary horns and heavy collars that some used when distressed? After meticulously analyzing the characteristics of the skeleton of a dinosaur, and finally recognizing it as such, it is still possible to observe other factors related to the species that it belongs to.
To do this, we must first pay attention to its hips and then to the number of toes on its feet. Ad as we go on recognizing more and more characteristics, we can begin to classify them into what science calls the chlydogram of the dinosaurs. It's important that we mention that the dinosaurs, practically all of them were herbivores.
Sometimes, because of the ideas that movies have instilled in us about dinosaurs, we imagine that they were extremely carnivorous; That they were violent, and were very big. But of the Ornisthischian dinosaurs, almost all of them were herbivores. In the Saurischian dinosaur group, we have two subgroups: the theropods, as well as the sauropods and prosauropods.
The theropods are the carnivorous dinosaurs, like the Tyrannosaurus rex. They were more violent--butchers. But of the sauropods, which were the gigantic dinosaurs, the greater part of them were also herbivores.
Thus, if we consider the context as a whole, the literature mentions that perhaps for every carnivorous dinosaur, we have 8 or 9 herbivores. So if we look at everything as a whole, there were many more herbivores than carnivores. Another important aspect is: "What is the size of the dinosaurs?
" We can observe that the sauropods were perhaps the biggest, such as the Argentinosaurus, which is perhaps the biggest dinosaur. These were herbivores and they weren't predators. Thus, the idea that the greatest dinosaurs were the biggest and were carnivorous is not very correct.
Because today we know that the majority were herbivores and thus were not predators. They were prey. The study of bones, eggs, and footprints of the dinosaurs have given us valuable information about their size, physiology, social behavior, and habitats.
The dinosaurs were the biggest terrestrial animals to have ever lived on the earth, though there were some species that were also small. But there is something that all of these have in common: these animals were well adapted to their natural habitats, which included areas by rivers, beaches, areas near lakes, forests, swamps, deserts, and plains.
