Scientists Learned Dinosaurs Roamed Polar Regions

One of the most fascinating dinosaur discoveries expanded our understanding of how well dinosaurs could adapt to extreme environments. This challenged scientists’ previous claims about their distribution and where dinosaurs likely roamed. There may have been a different species of dinosaur roaming in a warmer Arctic more than 70 million years ago. This is thanks to the rare piece of jawbone thought to belong to Dromaeosaurids.

Scientist Anthony R. Fiorillo said, “This study of a predatory dinosaur jaw from a baby provides the first physical proof that at least some dinosaurs not only lived in the far north, but they thrived there. One might even say, our study shows that the ancient north was a great place to raise a family and now we have to figure out why.” Suddenly, this leaves scientists speculating how differently dinosaurs lived and where they previously roamed (Irish News).

Dinosaurs May Have Been Semiaquatic

Scientists previously believed dinosaurs were only land-dwelling creatures that never really went into the water. But in recent years, scientists made discoveries regarding the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus which may suggest this species of dinosaur lived a more aquatic lifestyle. It lived in what’s now considered Northern Africa, around 95 million years ago. Paleontologists concluded that the “Spinosaurus aegyptiacus is best understood as a semiaquatic bipedal ambush piscivore that frequented the margins of coastal and inland waterways.” Additionally, paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim said, “The animal we are resurrecting today is so bizarre, it is going to force dinosaur experts to rethink many things they thought they knew about dinosaurs. So far, Spinosaurus is the only dinosaur that shows these adaptations.” It was considered an awkward swimmer thanks to its massive body and bone density (Sci News).

Tyrannosaurus Rexes Walked As Fast As Humans

What if we told you that the king of dinosaurs wasn’t very speedy and that you could keep up with a T-Rex? You probably can’t even begin to imagine having a T-Rex match your pace! Most of the time, T-Rex’s preferred to stroll around at about 3 mph. To study this, scientists recently built a 3D computer model to understand the ideal “resonance” of the bodies of the T. rex.

According to author Pasha van Bijlert, “Many animals have a roughly similar preferred walking speed,” and for the T.rex, it was between 2.2 and 3.1 mph. They may have had more of a similar walking speed to elephants. They were masters of resonance, which is finding a sweet spot that maximizes energy efficiency. But this doesn’t mean T.rexes couldn’t outrun a human. It turns out they could hit a peak of 25 mph but at huge risks. Anything above 12 mph, and the dinosaurs would risk shattering their bones (Business Insider).

There Were More T. Rexes On Earth Than Scientists Realize

With recent discoveries, there may have been as many as 2.5 billion T.rexes roaming the Earth. To determine this, the study looked at the average size of a T. rexes territory, which spanned across 40 miles. They studied how much they would have eaten, in addition to other resources throughout the 2.5 million years of their existence. As many as 20,000 adult T. rexes were alive at any given time. But scientists have only managed to uncover about 100 of them.

Paleontologist Charles Marshall said, “It looks like what she’s done is very clever and a significant advance beyond the data that we use in our study. I’ve got no complaints. It looks like a better set of survivorship curves than we used.” Determining the exact amount requires difficult calculations, and though scientists have had a tough time giving an exact number, their estimate is more than they previously thought (Business Insider).

T. rexes Were Not The Only Dinosaurs With Tiny Arms

It comes as no surprise that T. rexes have comically tiny arms. There’s no end to the hilarious memes and photos online depicting their tiny arms, razor-teeth-filled heads, and giant bodies that make their arms seem unnecessary. Another huge carnivorous dinosaur, the Meraxes gigas, also had tiny arms. They lived millions of years apart and were not closely related, though their arms were very similar in size. While scientists previously thought their forearms were pointless, they served a purpose. It was too coincidental to not serve any purpose. Some suggested they had small arms so they wouldn’t get bitten off during a feeding frenzy, others suggested it was to hold mates close during reproduction (Big Think).

Dinosaurs May Have Experimented With Powered Flight

The small, feathered dinosaurs Yi qi and Ambopteryx had membranous wings, very similar to the wings of a bat. This made scientists question the evolution of flight and how dinosaurs may have experimented with powered flight. Scientists discovered the first dinosaurs to take flight were failed experiments. Before birds, they owned the sky. But once birds evolved, they were pushed out because they were bad at flying in comparison. Scientist Alex Dececchi said, “They were badly designed gliders. They got squeezed out.” They never had a chance (New Scientist).

Dinosaur Biodiversity Declined Before The Asteroid Impact

For a long time, scientists debated if the dinosaur species started to decline well before the asteroid impact. It truly remains unsolved, why dinosaurs went fully extinct 66 million years ago from an asteroid alone. But it turns out that dinosaurs went through a decline well before the asteroid. This was thanks to climate cooling and herbivorous diversity drop. They were unable to adapt to changes in the environment, so by the time the asteroid came, they were already in a large decline (Nature).

Advances In Technology Led To Soft Tissue Preservation

Thanks to advances in technology that scientists previously never had, they discovered well-preserved dinosaur soft tissues. This has provided scientists insights into the physiology and biology of dinosaurs. Previously, conventional wisdom claimed that when dinosaurs fossilized, they lost all the organic material, from the bones to the blood. But scientists have discovered chemicals in a 145-million-year-old fossil that was present when the animal was alive. Other groups have also found proteins in dinosaur bones, which may help breathe new life into the ways dinosaurs lived and challenge previous notions (New Scientist).

Scientists Discovered The Lost Species Of Titanosaurs

Paleontologists uncovered the fossilized remains of a titanosaur in Argentina, believed to have roamed this planet 98 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. This challenged many scientists’ previous conceptions about the titanosaur’s distribution across the planet, considering the ecosystem in South America challenged the previous claims of where they thrived. Scientists found 223 bones from seven different individuals, concluding it was the largest animal to ever roam this planet. They also discovered this dinosaur in Egypt. These dinosaurs were more widespread than paleontologists previously thought (Sci News).

Long-necked Herbivores Took Soft Steps

For a long time, scientists wondered how the largest animals on this planet turned out so large if they only lived off of plants. A recent study discovered something called the pedal pad, where they used engineering techniques to study the sauropod feet. These dinosaurs needed cushioned pads to break the stress of walking thanks to their large bodies. These pads allowed the evolution of dinosaurs so they could grow to larger and larger sizes over time (Science).

T. rexes May Have Had Feathers

Could you imagine furry, feathered dinosaurs roaming this planet? It makes them seem a lot cuter than they were. Discoveries of the feathered T.rexes have raised questions about how these dinosaurs lived, and how common feathers were on theropods. Young T.rexes likely had feathers to keep them warm, whereas larger T.rexes didn’t need feathers for their massive bodies. That’s because these large warm-blooded animals generated enough heat to keep their bodies warm, all on their own. They may have had patches of feathers on their bodies for display (NY Times).

The Reaper of Death Changed Our Understanding of Evolution

This species, also called the Thanatotheristes degrootorum, is older than the T.rex. It has razor-sharp teeth and a two-ton frame. It’s at least 2.5 million years old. Paleontologist François Therrien said, “Prior to the discovery, we knew all the most famous tyrannosaurs like T. rex, Albertosaurus, Gorgosaurus, were all coming from the last 10 or so million years of the Cretaceous. Now, with the new species we’ve actually pushed back the record of tyrannosaurs.” This mind-breaking discovery changed the timeline of dinosaurs paleontologists previously had (NY Times).

Scientists Have Newly Identified Dinosaurs

Thanks to ongoing fieldwork in countries like Argentina and China, scientists have discovered many new dinosaur species, including some with unique characteristics. This has helped extend scientist’s understanding of dinosaur diversity. A newly discovered ankylosaur may have previously called the Isle of Wright its home. You probably never thought dinosaurs would have called England their home! Scientist Stu Pond, who’s worked on discovering the dinosaur, said, “This is the first ankylosaur from the Isle of Wight for about 142 years, which is when the last one was officially described. It has been quite exciting. The specimen was excavated in the early 90s and was eventually accessioned to the Dinosaur Isle Museum, which is where we started working on it.” This dinosaur dates back 125 million years, during the Early Cretaceous (NHM).

Baby T. rexes Were Small, Fuzzy, And The Size Of A Turkey

When you think of a T.rex, you probably think of a massive animal that’s indestructible. But they didn’t start that way. When T.rexes were babies, they were surprisingly vulnerable. They had a 60% chance of dying within their first year of life, and they were only the size of a turkey. However, these dinosaurs experienced a large growth spurt and could gain up to 1,700 pounds per year until they reached the age of 20. They even resembled small penguins running around. If they made it to the age of four, they could hunt and prey. There has never been any T.rex that has lived past the age of 28 (Watson Adventures).

Early Dinosaurs Laid Soft-Shelled Eggs

With this recent dinosaur discovery, scientists had to completely rethink and rewire their understanding of dinosaur evolution. Paleontologists assumed dinosaurs lay hard-shelled eggs because of birds and crocodiles. But in a 2020 analysis of the Gobi desert, scientists revealed that the Protoceratops birthed soft-shelled eggs, similar to those of snakes and turtles. This explains why scientists may have not uncovered eggs from certain dinosaurs.

Lead author of the study, Mark Norell, said, “We have all these other animals, but we don’t have any eggs. It’s bizarre. My guess is they were all laying soft-shelled eggs.” Eggs of the Mussaurus dinosaur, one that lived more than 200 million years ago, were hard to spot in modern times. Upon discovering fossilized embryos, they found egg-shaped halos around the skeleton, suggesting soft-shelled eggs (SN Explores).

A New Species Of Ceratopsians

This horned dinosaur, called the Spiclypeus shipporum had distinctive spikes and frills on its skull. It’s one of several new species that scientists recently discovered in 2020, specifically in Montana. Scientists explained that “Spiclypeus is a combination of two Latin words meaning ‘spiked shield,’ referring to the impressive head frill and triangular spikes that adorn its margins.” Scientists also discovered these species in Canada and Mexico, concluding it was one of the most widespread and diverse species of dinosaurs that roamed this planet. Dr. Mallon, who studied this dinosaur, said, “Ceratopsids are most easily distinguished by their horned crania and expansive parietosquamosal frills, which were typically ornamented for display.” With these recent discoveries comes a widened understanding of this species of dinosaur (Sci News).

Fossilized Dinosaur Nests Provided Insight Into The Animal’s Social Life

In a study conducted in 2021, scientists found the fossils of 100 eggs and 80 skeletons at one site in Patagonia. They called this site the “Cemetary of Giants.” These dinosaurs, of the Mussaurus patagonicus species, may have lived together, in a social herd. Scientists realized this because the eggs were clustered in groups of 8 or 30, suggesting it may have been a breeding ground. They also found remains of juveniles and adults at the site. Researcher Diego Pol went to the site with the hopes of discovering one nice dinosaur skeleton, and came back with 80 skeletons and 100 eggs, suggesting the dinosaurs were more social than scientists previously believed (Jason Gil Christ).

One Species Of Dinosaur Had A War Club Tail

Recently, scientists discovered a new species of dinosaur with a “war club” tail. They found these unique remains in southernmost Chile. They named it Stegouros. It measured 6.5 feet long. It had a long tail with seven pairs of blades lining the tail. They supposedly used it to fight off predators. Paleontologist Sergio Soto said, “For now, we can only imagine how might Stegouros have used this weapon – and tail-swinging side to side as a self-defense mechanism is a good guess.”

Co-author of the study, Alexander Vargas, said, “The macuahuitl was an Aztec war club used in close combat by Aztec warriors, probably in a similar way to a sword, causing massive damage to the opponent. The tail weapon of Stegouros roughly resembles a macuahuitl.” This defense mechanism provided scientists insight into this species they previously did not have (Reuters).

They Can Now Determine Dinosaur Skin Color

Thanks to cutting-edge technology in 2016, scientists recreated the color of this dinosaur, called Psittacosaurus. This means “parrot lizard.” They used melanosomes, or bits of cells that make a component that determines the color of the skin. It’s similar to melanin seen in humans. This technology provided insight for scientists to determine the skin color of this 120 million-year-old dinosaur. It had a parrot beak and measured five feet in length. It had a bushy tail, brown skin, and a slightly lighter underbelly (Business Insider).