How It Works-Book Of Dinosaurs

While not the biggest or smartest, the Tyrannosaurus

rex was no doubt the closest to a king the dinosaurs ever

had. A colossal bipedal carnivore, the T-rex measured in

at over four metres (13 feet) tall and over 12 metres (39

feet) long, weighing over seven tons. It was no slow-

poke either, with computer models estimating that the

dino was capable of hitting a top speed of around 29

kilometres (18 miles) per hour chasing prey. When it

caught up it could quickly dispatch them with a single

bite that had a force of three tonnes – the equivalent

weight of a fully grown African elephant. Yikes!

King of the dinosaurs

Although technically not a

true ‘dinosaur’, Ichthyosaurus,

or ‘fi sh lizard’, fi lled the same

niche in Earth’s oceans and

was one of the most dominant

marine species of the

Mesozoic era (252-65.5 Ma)

Resembling today’s dolphins,

Ichthyosaurus measured in at

roughly two metres (6.6 feet)

in length and was capable of

cruising through the water at

around 40 kilometres (25

miles) per hour, enabling it

to catch fi sh and squid with

ease. The fact that

Ichthyosaurus had a very

large pair of eyes protected by

a pair of bony, structural-

supporting rings has led some

palaeontologists to believe

the species frequently hunted

at great depths where

pressure was very high.

Ichthyosaurus

Timing problems

Jurassic Park portrayed

many famous dinosaur

species, including T-rex

and Triceratops, but

most of the animals

shown actually lived in

the Cretaceous period,

not the Jurassic.

Jurassic lark

Five factual bloopers from the famous Hollywood fi

lms

No grudge match

In the third fi lm, the

Spinosaurus is shown

going toe-to-toe with its

supposed arch-nemesis,

the T-rex. In reality they

never met as they lived

on different continents

of prehistoric Earth.

Spit on a grave

Another creative

addition was

Dilophosaurus’s abilit y

to spit out venom.

However there is no

evidence to suggest it

could do this; neither did

it have a frilled neck.

Feather-brained

Another massive

omission in Jurassic

Park was the lack of

any feathers. Most

dinosaur species,

especially sauropods,

had some plumage on

their bodies.

Out of proportion

One thing the fi lm’s

producers defi nitely need

punishing for is the

depiction of the park’s

Velociraptors. Portrayed as

being as tall as a man, in

reality they barely stood

0.5m (1.6ft) off the ground.

One of the most prolifi c dinosaur
hotspots in the world is Lufeng in Yunnan
Province, China. Since 1938, 33 species,
each with its own complete fossil, have
been found there. Some of the fi nds have
been record-breaking, with many of the
vertebrate fossils uncovered the oldest
on record – the Lufengosaurus fossil
(right) dates from 190 million years ago.
Lufengosaurus was a genus of
prosauropod that lived during the Early
Jurassic period. Excavated fi nds can be
seen at the Lufeng Dinosaur Museum.

Lufeng: a fossil

treasure trove

Skull

A heavy skull was adapted to

withstand biting and shearing

forces, with particularly

strong nasal bones

Forelimbs

The T-rex’s front limbs were

short and stocky, with each

exhibiting a thick cortical

bone. They were used to

hold on to struggling prey

Heart

With a body bigger than a bus,

the T-rex needed a huge pump to

transport blood at adequate

pressure. Current estimates

suggest its heart was over 100

times bigger than a human’s

Stomach

The T-rex had a hardy stomach

due to its high-meat diet and the

fact that it scavenged frequently

from long-dead carcasses.

Analysed T-rex dung has revealed

many fragments of bone

Lungs

Evidence of honeycomb

structures within its vertebrae

suggest that T-rex breathed

through a complex system of

pockets and air sacs

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Eyes

Large eyes were protected by rings of

bone to keep them intact at great depths.

Fins

Stunted limb-like fi ns were used for stability

and manoeuvring rather than propulsion.

Body

Its body was streamlined, with a curved

spine and no neck. By undulating its body

it could alter its speed and direction.

Teeth

The jaws were lined with rows of sharp,

conical teeth, primed for shredding soft

prey such as squid.

Prey

Fish, squid and marine reptiles were the

main food of Ichthyosaurus, but the sharp

teeth could crush shellfi sh as well.

Tail

A top speed of 40km/h (25mph) came

courtesy of the bilobed, shark-like tail.

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THE PREHISTORIC WORLD

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