Why were dinosaurs so big compared to animals today?
dinosaurs are by far the largest animals to have ever existed on the planet. They were giants! Some of the largest dinosaurs were the long-necked, duck-billed dinosaurs such as Ankylosaurus. These herbivores could grow up to 30 meters long and had skulls at least twice the size of a human’s. Other dinosaur species were the sauropods which looked more like prehistoric elephants, they were as long as a school bus. The largest dinosaur ever discovered was
Why were the dinosaurs so big compared to animals today?
Theropod dinosaurs the group of dinosaurs that includes the T. rex and the Velociraptor, were the top predators of the Mesozoic era, which is the time period of about 252 to 66 million years ago when dinosaurs first evolved. Theropods had powerful, long and sharp arms and legs for slashing and tearing prey. They also had sharp teeth for grabbing and tearing flesh. These dinosaurs were the size of an African elephant and larger, and about 90% of all
Why did dinosaurs get so big?
Dinosaurs were the top predators of the Mesozoic era, and they were wiped out by smaller, more maneuverable mammals at the end of the Cretaceous period. Large body size is an effective way to combat predators. A large body covering can help them blend into their surroundings and appear less vulnerable. Large bodies also help them generate more force when running or fighting.
What was it about dinosaurs that made them so big?
The conventional answer is that dinosaur gigantism was driven by the competition for mates. With so many males fighting over the same females, it only made sense for them to get huge in order to win. But there is more to this story than simply sexual selection. There is a strong argument that the extreme body size of dinosaurs was actually an early form of gigantism that evolved as an anti-predator adaptation.
Why are dinosaurs so big?
The biggest dinosaur species, such as the carnivorous Tyrannosaurus rex, weighed 20 tons or more, about the same as a small whale or small African elephant. To put that in perspective, a healthy human weighing 150 pounds would have to stand on the back of a dime.