Interesting Dinosaur Facts
♫ Monday, January 4th, 2010According to studies from complete skeletons, the Brachiosaurus is the largest or heaviest and tallest dinosaur. They are about 40 feet tall and approximately 70 to 80 tons in weight. Further studies about other dinosaurs like the Seismosaurus, Supersaurus, Ultrasaurus and Argentinosaurus are suggesting that the Brachiosaurus is not really the largest dinosaur. However, merely partial skeletons of these dinosaurs were discovered, making scientists uncertain if these are new species or they are also larger Brachiosaurus.
If scientists will just base their calculations on fossil records, the age of dinosaurs cannot be guaranteed. Although there were studies on their teeth’s growth rings, these were constantly replaced throughout the dinosaur’s lifespan. Thus, when compared to modern large mammals and reptiles, scientists estimated that dinosaurs could have lived for about 50 up to 150 years.
Paleontologists noted that the smallest dinosaur was the Compsognathus. It is even about the same size as a chicken. An adult Compsognathus can reach 2 feet in length, more attributed to its thin, long tail. The Troodon had the largest brain out of all the species. This is in relation to its actual body size. This is why they are thought as the most intelligent amongst other dinosaurs. In fact, most paleontologists regard them as smarter than an ostrich, making it smarter than any living reptile on Earth now.
Contrary to belief that the toughest dinosaur was the Tyrannosaurus Rex, it is the Deinonychus. This is because the T-Rex is more like a scavenger than a ferocious hunter. This made the Deinonychus the meanest ad toughest dinosaur. It is merely 2.7 meter long, 1.5 meters tall and it weighs just like an average man. Despite their small size, they are noted as “the most extraordinary predators of all time”. Due to its large serrated teeth, keen eyesight, great agility, grasping hands and sickle-shaped 5-inch long claws on every hind’s foot, this dinosaur variety is a very ferocious enemy.
Despite the size of dinosaurs, their eggs are quite small. In fact, the gigantic Sauropod’s eggs are no bigger than volleyballs. One reason is the fact that a bigger egg entails thicker shells so that it will not collapse. A very thick shell can actually pose 2 big problems. The 1st problem is that it is too thick for the oxygen to permeate. This means, the embryos will not be able to breathe. The 2nd problem would be the fact that the shell will be too thick to be pushed by the hatchlings.
The Galliminus which can travel about 35 mi per hour is considered as the fastest dinosaur. The Coelophysis ranks second at an estimated 25 mi per hour. The third in ranking is the T-Rex at 15 mi per hour. The Ancient Wing or the Archaeopteryx is a small creature with feathers. It is similar to a chicken but it can fly. It is actually the 1st known bird, showcasing how birds are descendants of dinosaurs. At current, paleontologists and scientists note that there are about 440 types of dinosaurs that existed. Even if no one actually heard the voice of a dinosaur, many scientists guess that the T-Rex had a raspy and deep voice, the Hadrisaur had a voice like a honking 5-ton goose and the Apatosaurus had a voice similar to a herd of snorting horses.
