Shutterstock.com (T. rex, eggs); SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images (Velociraptors)

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The Truth About Dinos

They were big. They were fast. And they’re coming back . . . or are they?

October 14, 2024
By Talia Cowen

As You Read: Why might movies make up information about dinosaurs?

When Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth
Watch a video to learn more about the periods of the Mesozoic era.

Dinos ruled Earth for 165 million years. Mighty Tyrannosaurus rex was the king of the jungle, while Velociraptor darted across deserts. Humans never crossed paths with dinos. But we’ve long been fascinated by them. Countless movies have been made about these incredible creatures. 

But movies don’t always tell the truth when it comes to dinosaurs. In fact, some things are completely made up. 

Lara Sciscio is a scientist who studies dinosaurs. She and other experts examine fossils to learn how the animals really looked and behaved. Sometimes what they find goes against what we see in movies. 

So what dino myths should we unlearn? We asked Sciscio to set the record straight.

Myth 1: T. rex was built for speed.

You’ve probably heard of T. rex. On the big screen, this giant, scary dino dashes after its next meal. In reality, T. rex couldn’t run very fast at all—just 12 miles per hour. 

“A track athlete could probably outrun T. rex,” explains Sciscio.

To find out how fast T. rex ran, scientists studied its bones and footprints. They realized that T. rex’s huge size prevented it from running very fast. The dino tipped the scales at more than 11,000 pounds.

“Running any faster would have led to T. rex shattering its bones,” says Sciscio. Ouch!

Myth 2: Velociraptor was as big as a person! 

The ground shakes as a Velociraptor stomps through the jungle. You may have watched scenes like that in movies. But Sciscio says Velociraptor wasn’t quite as big as some of the giant beasts we sometimes see on the big screen. In fact, it was only about the size of a turkey. How do we know? Scientists have found Velociraptor bones in Asia to prove it!

Still, Velociraptor was definitely vicious. The dinosaur had razor-sharp hooked claws, which it used to pierce and pin down its prey.

Myth 3: Dinos could return to Earth.

Some movies are based on the idea that scientists could bring dinos back from the dead. Could that happen in real life?

Probably not, says Sciscio. For one thing, we’d need a dino’s DNA. That’s the material in cells that determines how living things look and function. The problem? DNA breaks down over time. The oldest DNA scientists have ever found is about 2 million years old. 

“Dinosaur DNA is at least 66 million years old. It’s too old to be recovered,” says Sciscio.

So while we can’t bring dinos back anytime soon, you can always watch them in action at the movies. Just remember not to believe everything you see!

1. How did scientists figure out that Velociraptor was not as big as a person?

2. What common myth about T. rex does the article prove is wrong?

3. Why do scientists say it’s unlikely they could bring dinosaurs back from the dead?

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