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Interesting
Dinosaur Facts
The tallest and heaviest dinosaur known from a complete skeleton is
the Brachiosaurus specimen that was discovered in Tanzania between
1907–12. It is now mounted and on display at the Humboldt Museum of
Berlin and is 12 m (38 ft) tall and probably weighed between
30,000–60,000 kg (33–66 short tons). The longest complete dinosaur
is the 27 m (89 ft) long Diplodocus, which was discovered in Wyoming
in the United States and displayed in Pittsburgh's Carnegie Natural
History Museum in 1907.
There were larger
dinosaurs, but knowledge of them is based entirely on a small number
of incomplete fossil samples. The largest herbivorous specimens on
record were all discovered in the 1970s or later, and include the
massive Argentinosaurus, which may have weighed 80,000–100,000 kg
(88–121 tons); the longest, the 40 m (130 ft) long Supersaurus; and
the tallest, the 18 m (60 ft) Sauroposeidon, which could have
reached a sixth-floor window. The largest known carnivorous dinosaur
was Spinosaurus, reaching a length of 16-18 meters (53-60 ft), and
weighing in at 9 tons. Other large meat-eaters included
Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex and
Carcharodontosaurus.
Dinosaurs in Popular
Culture
Notable examples of older fictional works featuring
dinosaurs include Arthur Conan Doyle's book The Lost
World; the
King Kong movies; and
Godzilla. The depiction of humans and dinosaurs
living together has been a recurring theme in
fiction. Films which famously portrayed this idea
include The Valley of Gwangi (1969) and One Million
Years B.C. (1966). Ray Harryhausen brought the
dinosaurs to life in both films using models and
stop motion animation. Older films and literature
generally depict dinosaurs as sluggish,
unintelligent, lizard-like creatures.
More recently, the portrayal of dinosaurs in works
intended for popular consumption has tended to
better reflect a more nuanced modern scientific
understanding of the animals. In particular, the
development and refinement of computer-generated
imagery has led to a revolution in the depiction of
dinosaurs on film. Perhaps the most prominent
example of CGI dinosaurs remains the film
Jurassic Park, directed by
Steven Spielberg and featuring special effects
by ILM. The success of Jurassic Park and its two
sequels, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic
Park III, demonstrates the continued popularity of
dinosaurs. The falling cost of computer-generated
effects has also recently allowed the production of
documentaries for television; the award-winning 1999
BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs is a notable
example.
Dinosaurs are often anthropomorphized in fiction. In
works intended for young children, they are imbued
with friendly, even loving personalities. Examples
of this trend include the 1960s cartoon The
Flintstones, the 1970s show Land of the Lost, the
1980s' Dino-Riders, and the 1990s' Dinosaurs and
Barney & Friends, along with Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers and one of its reincarnations, Power
Rangers: Dino Thunder. |
