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Dinosaurs

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If this is a mismatch we can go with the larger 8m or higher specimens for majungasaurus and Utahraptor was never proved. Having simply a large amount of predators in the same area is not proof.

Edited by Soulking

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I was reading these articles. There's also this.

Ahaha, okay, I did laugh at that list. x3

 

(Also can't believe I didn't mention Oviraptors earlier because I think they're really neat, too!)

 

It's interesting how much we can know/think we know and how much we really just don't know and can only make guesses for. Who knows? Chemistry affects the different kinds of animals that can evolve (more Oxygen in the environment makes for feet-long millipedes for example) so perhaps that also affected the behavior/brain capacity/"intelligence" of creatures?

Actually, I wonder if there's anything out there now comparing the "intelligence" (or

'EQ') of animals in different regions/climates even? Might have to go look. o3o

 

Actually those classes sound kind of fun to me. xd.png I might get a bit tired of drawing, but I do really like learning things like names and taxonomy and anatomy and things like that. o3o Maybe I would enjoy it, who knows.

 

Let's just take paleontologist classes together so it'll be more fun! :DDDD

 

Really though, I don't think I'll actually ever go into paleontology except as a hobby. I really want to do game design and even the art and possibly programming and/or music. o3o I'd love to incorporate lots of dino goodness into my games, though. c:

 

Well, mine was just one 3/4th of a semester so it was corals and fans and shells. The class was fun learning the anatomy and behavior! But the lab was all the drawing and names and although I'm good at memorization, I am not good at drawing. x3 And nearly every lab required us to come in multiple times to finish up. =p

 

But yes, classes together!

 

I am happy keeping paleontology a hobby, though. I enjoy checking out the occasional dino book from the library just to read up on various critters. o3o

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It's interesting how much we can know/think we know and how much we really just don't know and can only make guesses for. Who knows? Chemistry affects the different kinds of animals that can evolve (more Oxygen in the environment makes for feet-long millipedes for example) so perhaps that also affected the behavior/brain capacity/"intelligence" of creatures?

Actually, I wonder if there's anything out there now comparing the "intelligence" (or

'EQ') of animals in different regions/climates even? Might have to go look. o3o

Ooh maybe! I'm gonna have to remember to look that up when I'm not busy.

 

It sounds logical, though. Considering how my oxygen the brain needs anyway, maybe it was really easy to get it, so they could process stuff more or something, better than we can now? I've noticed that when I really get my blood pumpin' and delivering oxygen to my brain, I have this enlightened moment of absolute clarity and it's really easy for me to think and puzzle solve. idk if it's exactly the same thing, but maybe!

 

It's possible that, due to the large bodies, it's actually sort of an illusion...of sorts. o3o Basically, the ratios are deceiving only because their bodies were much larger and we're judging on a brain to overall size scale relevant to now, but we need to pretend like they're a lot smaller when considering that kind of intelligence scale.

 

...does that make sense?

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Ooh maybe! I'm gonna have to remember to look that up when I'm not busy.

 

It sounds logical, though. Considering how my oxygen the brain needs anyway, maybe it was really easy to get it, so they could process stuff more or something, better than we can now? I've noticed that when I really get my blood pumpin' and delivering oxygen to my brain, I have this enlightened moment of absolute clarity and it's really easy for me to think and puzzle solve. idk if it's exactly the same thing, but maybe!

 

It's possible that, due to the large bodies, it's actually sort of an illusion...of sorts. o3o Basically, the ratios are deceiving only because their bodies were much larger and we're judging on a brain to overall size scale relevant to now, but we need to pretend like they're a lot smaller when considering that kind of intelligence scale.

 

...does that make sense?

Yeah, that makes sense. o3o I know the present is the key to the past (in geology at least, but I assume that has to transfer over to paleontology a bit), but there are so many different factors that we just can't recreate, so anything is possible, I think. =o

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Ooh, dinosaurs! *comes out of lurk mode*

 

I find that dinosaur intelligence in popular culture is either overdone (super-intelligent dromaeosaurs) or underestimated (for example, the somehow still-persisting notion that all dinosaurs were dumb and scaly lizards), contrary to the few shreds of evidence from actual studies which seem to suggest that the brain structures of the most intelligent maniraptorians are probably most similar to those of 'primitive' birds such as emus. Not sure about sauropods and other large herbivores, though.

 

Troodontids are still the kings of dinosaurs as far as brain-to-body ratios go, although I'd imagine them being as dumb as fence posts compared to moden birds such as corvids. Something I find interesting is the supposed omnivorous diet of Troodon and its relatives (as evidenced by leaf-shaped teeth) and whether omnivory led to a greater brain size because of the need to process more information due to a selective diet.

 

Pack hunting vs. solitary hunting in 'raptors' is also a pretty interesting debate, although it's likely that every genus and species differed in its degree of sociality, just like with animals today. Tenontosaurus is a prime example of a large herbivore shown to be at least consumed by 'raptors' and I pretty sure more than one fossil was found with multiple Deinonychus skeletons surrounding it, although this isn't necessarily an indication of pack hunting.

 

I tend to lean more towards the idea of 'raptors' preying on smaller animals and using their infamous claws to pin prey, similar to how eagles use their talons when hunting. The idea of dromaeosaur sickle claws to being used to slice through the muscles and abdomens of big hadrosaurs and such is odd, in my opinion, considering how sickle claws don't seem suited to this in any way (no serrations). However, in the remarkable Velociraptor vs. Protoceratops fossil there's a clear indication that the former is defending itself (or attacking) by targeting the neck of the latter with its sickle claw, perhaps trying to slash a vein or the windpipe.

 

Then again, we'll probably never really know much about dinosaur behaviour. There's only so much information to be found when looking at some old fossils, and the rest is often speculation. Fun speculation, though biggrin.gif

 

 

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I imagine the claws could definitely slash it they wanted them to, but were probably more for gripping and puncturing the neck.

 

I...don't know if I've ever heard of serrated claws? Maybe that is a thing, but I thought it was really mostly for teeth? I mean, your nails aren't serrated, but you can still scratch someone and draw blood if they're long enough (and even more so if they're sharpened). Cat claws are also pretty freaking sharp.

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I imagine the claws could definitely slash it they wanted them to, but were probably more for gripping and puncturing the neck.

 

I...don't know if I've ever heard of serrated claws? Maybe that is a thing, but I thought it was really mostly for teeth? I mean, your nails aren't serrated, but you can still scratch someone and draw blood if they're long enough (and even more so if they're sharpened). Cat claws are also pretty freaking sharp.

i've never heard of Serrated claws, only Hooked ones.

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Sickle claws would be terrible for that sort of thing. Dinosaurs have scales on their skin. So it wouldn't do as much damage as a serrated claw because those basically are knives attached to a bigger knife. Documentaries happen to be painfully inaccurate most of the time. We don't have proof if a female Trex happened to be larger than the male. JP happened to imply this was how it is and confused a lot of people.

And here's the size chart for the allosaurs including A. Amplexus

user posted image

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Scales doesn't necessarily mean "hard". While yes, killing an animal with plated, hard scales, like an alligator on its top side, would be difficult, I imagine most had a rough hide or even something like what most lizards and snakes have, which, while harder than skin, is still easily shred open.

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I absolutely love dinosaurs! My favorite ones are raptors, Utahraptor, Velociraptors, microraptors, etc. They used to call me a Dino name back in tenth grade

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Sickle claws seem to appear much the same in structure to the claws of mammals, such as cats, with a sharp point and a rounded inner surface. And since cat claws are not appropriately shaped for slicing through large quantities of muscle but actually holding down prey (even though they are sharp and capable of nicking an artery etc. in a fight), I figured that they would be used for a similar purpose in dromaeosaurids hunting larger prey.

 

Serrations are the most suitable surface for cutting through meat, which is why modern carnivores are as toothy as they are. Sickle claws don't tend to show these adaptations but instead have a rounded surface; I don't think it's out of the question to think that they were probably not capable of embedding themselves in a hadrosaur's side and scoring lengths of puncture wounds as popular paleoart sometimes shows.

 

That said, we don't know what keratinous extensions the claws could have had - preserved sickle claws are just the bone core of the claw (hehe) - maybe dromaeosaur sickles really did have steak knife serrations on them.

 

Moving on, while we're on the topic of favourites... Olorotitan is best dinosaur. biggrin.gif

Edited by Coorinna

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Yeah, like I said, it was probably more for pinning and puncturing. I don't think they would slash like a sword or knife, because I highly doubt the claws were serrated as I don't think I've ever seen serrated claws, but I don't think we'll ever know.

 

BUT, if you meant slashing like they punctured a hole in something and then kept pulling, which would be slashing, I can see that. They could maybe scratch like a cat with those claws. Course, since they were bipedal, I do think they pinned and punctured more than scratched, since, you know, even with their long tails, it was probably difficult to stand on one leg and kick out with the other to scratch prey, or worse, predators. o3o

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Well raptors would not be the best at fending off a predator. Most likely from the tyrannosaurid family as they lived very close. Though I see other maniraptors doing that.

My favorites are now Tyrannotitan and Eocarcharia

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I guess it's a difficult thing to imagine, because as far as I know there are no modern predators which use their claws in the way dromaeosaurs are popularly thought to use theirs.

 

And, something I just thought of, perhaps if they did use their feet to slash, they would have done so in a similar fashion to game roosters or ostriches. Karate dinosaurs... hehe, but I guess if something the size of a Utahraptor was running at you it wouldn't be as much of a laughing matter.

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I guess it's a difficult thing to imagine, because as far as I know there are no modern predators which use their claws in the way dromaeosaurs are popularly thought to use theirs.

 

And, something I just thought of, perhaps if they did use their feet to slash, they would have done so in a similar fashion to game roosters or ostriches. Karate dinosaurs... hehe, but I guess if something the size of a Utahraptor was running at you it wouldn't be as much of a laughing matter.

I thought they also had "spurs" that were the dew claws, though? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

 

Maybe they did do a lot of kicks. Maybe even, their wings were developed enough to give them just a little lift to help with it, too, like roosters actually. I can imagine a larger, terrifying chicken jumping up and lashing out with its feet, its arms a flurry of feathers as they flap wildly to keep balance or something.

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They probably didn't have fullblown feathers. Very primitive is most likely for something that lived that long ago. So i'm pretty sure they couldn't jump that high with their feathers.

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No, I don't mean anything super high. It might have been enough to keep them in the air very briefly or at least slow their fall. I think mostly they would have been for balance, like when you wave your arms around or when birds use their wings while on the ground as such.

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I thought they also had "spurs" that were the dew claws, though? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

Yeah, roosters and even some hens have backward-pointing spurs. They're used mainly in scuffles with other male birds in territorial defense - mostly harmless except in things like cockfights. On our chickens at least, they weren't particularly sharp or deadly-looking. I think I'd die if today's chickens had raptor claws.

 

Ostritches and other ratites are just plain terrifying. Excluding cassowaries, which are about as dinosaur as you can get, most of them don't have sharp claws or anything, but one darn powerful kick. Yeesh.

 

There's a bunch of theories as to why dinosaur feathers evolved. Although it's very likely long, late-stage wing feathers could be used for balance, although they may have initially evolved for display.

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No, I mean the raptors. They have the sickle claws, but then their dew claws are also backwards-facing like the spurs of roosters.

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Sooo. Some people are deciding to hold the specimens of a type of dinosaur for themselves. So nobody knows what the new dinosaur actually looks like. They need to stop being jerks like that.

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Sooo. Some people are deciding to hold the specimens of a type of dinosaur for themselves. So nobody knows what the new dinosaur actually looks like. They need to stop being jerks like that.

Honestly if I had the ability to buy whole skeletons or something, I totally would and then keep it all to myself. Course I wouldn't do it unless it was a dino there was already an abundance of.

 

I don't think they're jerks, though, but I do think that there should be a period where scientists can still study the fossil.

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So what even IS the deal with raptors? I've been hearing a lot about how now they're mostly thought to have been ambush predators that dropped down on things, because most of them had awful legs for running.

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So what even IS the deal with raptors? I've been hearing a lot about how now they're mostly thought to have been ambush predators that dropped down on things, because most of them had awful legs for running.

I remember hearing that, too, but I've also seen a lot of things about how they definitely had powerful running legs, even if they were "stocky" like I remember one article described them. :\

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