Dinosaurs

This February marks the 200th anniversary of the first dinosaur to ever be given a name, Megalosaurus, which roamed the Earth more than 166 million years ago.

Megalosaurus

It was first described by scientist William Buckland in 1824.

William Buckland 1784–1856

At the time, Buckland was researching various different fossils.

Previously, scientists incorrectly thought some of these fossils belonged to elephants or mythical, human-like giants.

Buckland thought otherwise.

He studied jaw and leg bone fossils, and he recognized that they probably belonged to a giant lizard.

Buckland named the animal Megalosaurus, meaning “great lizard.”

Soon, it was recognized as being part of a new group of animals, dinosaurs.

dinosaurs

Since Buckland’s breakthrough, more than 2,000 species of dinosaurs have been named.

And today, scientists continue their research,

hoping to learn more about the life and behavior of these ancient animals.

So how exactly did dinosaurs walk, run, or fly?

Researchers from Yale University are closer to finding out.

They have come up with a new method to show how dinosaurs moved… by looking at birds!

Birds are related to some species of dinosaurs, and dinosaurs are likely to have moved in a way similar to birds.

Researchers took X-ray videos of birds.

The X-rays showed how the birds’ leg bones move as they walk.

They used this data to predict the movement of the bird’s relative, a dinosaur called Deinonychus.

Deinonychus

They made a 3-D model of Deinonychus bones and animated them based on the birds’ movements.

This has helped researchers figure out not just how Deinonychus walked, but also how it may have used its sharp claws to hunt.

Researchers hope to apply this technique to other dinosaurs, giving us greater insight into their behavior.

Some dinosaurs had wings and feathers, even though they couldn’t fly.

So what were they used for?

Based on an experiment with a robot dinosaur, researchers from South Korea claim they were used for hunting.

The robot dinosaur was designed with moveable wings and feathers.

Researchers placed the robot in front of a grasshopper to see if the grasshopper would jump, which would make it easier to catch.

Researchers counted how many times the grasshoppers jumped when the dinosaur’s wings and feathers were spread.

They found that the grasshoppers jumped more times when the robot had feathers.

This suggests that feathers helped dinosaurs drive prey out of their hiding spots, making them easier to hunt.

However, this is just one theory.

Other scientists think feathers may have helped dinosaurs in other ways, like running.

Ever since their discovery, dinosaurs have fascinated scientists.

But even after 200 years of research, there are still so many secrets to uncover.

Thanks for watching this week’s episode of Twig Science Reporter.

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