this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2023
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[–] [email protected] 43 points 2 years ago (2 children)

This is a serious issue with our perception of dinosaurs though. So many animals that look completely different to one another nowadays have quite similar skeletons. You really can't be too sure about fat distribution, muscles, cartilage, skin features, colours, textures in fossils.

Dinosaurs are traditionally represented in drab colours, with skin placed upon the skeleton with a process known as "shrink wrapping", tightly attaching the skin to the frame. But many animals that we know now really don't work like that.

[–] fieldhockey44 23 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Anyone who’s interested in this should check out the book All Yesterdays, where artists have tried reimagining dinosaurs with actual muscle and fat instead of the shrink-wrapped look. They updated some classic dinosaur designs based on recent findings, such as how triceratops may have had spines/quills along its back like a porcupine.

To demonstrate how unrealistic the shrink-wrapping style is, for the second half of the book they applied that technique to known modern animals with some terrifying results, like these swans.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Don’t forget All Tomorrows

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yeah, the way a brachiosaurus' skull is shaped, it's possible it had a trunk but that wouldn't have fossilized since it's all muscle and skin.

[–] pancakes 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Would a dinosaur having a truck result in different bone structure?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago

Well, if the animal drives everywhere instead of walking, we might see a deformation of the hips.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Reminder that penguins, along with all other birds, are technically dinosaurs

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Don't really need to say technically, they just are dinosaurs.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Well yes, but I said "technically" because the technical scientific definition of dinosaur is not the one most people think of.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

And it's not just technically: birds literally are theropod dinosaurs, and the only known dinosaurs to survive to modern age

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 years ago

Future archeologists are gonna assume I was skinny 🙌

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

That illustrates the point perfectly!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 years ago
[–] WheeGeetheCat 6 points 2 years ago

Chonkasaurus

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Eh, not likely, especially for dinosaurs that we have full skeletons of, because that much fat would be seen on the bones as damage from walking.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Who said it's fat, though? Sauropods are interesting in that they had systems of air sacs, like modern birds, that can puff up their apparent size without necessarily adding a lot of weight.

[–] pancakes 1 points 2 years ago

Also the curve of the neck at the base of the head doesn't look natural if that was all fat.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Yes please! 🥹

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

not a bad theory, but I assume penguins evolved their shape for swimming and insulation

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 years ago

wait so if a penguin commits war crimes how do you hang them