Dinosaur Theory

Gerard and my friend Kelly have convinced me to share my somewhat wacky dinosaur theory with everyone and so I do so now.   Dana, you might ask, why do you have a dinosaur theory and what is it?  Well, when you think about it, dinosaurs are everywhere and very popular right now – on TV, in museums, in movies, etc.  How much do you really know about dinosaurs?  They lived millions of years ago and no one knows why they’re not around now. Sure, there are theories (asteroid, cold weather, cigarette smoking a la Gary Larson), but it doesn’t seem like a settled area of science.

       Over the years, I have had several doubts about the details of these extinct creatures and exactly how correct our understanding is.  I’m not saying that I don’t believe in the existence of dinosaurs, I’m just saying let’s stop and think about this for a minute.   

       Supposedly, they existed millions of years ago. Just on the face of it, it seems that accurate information would be hard to come by on anything that old. I understand about carbon dating and fossils, but scientists come out with brand new information or theory about dinosaur habits and habitat – the dinosaur lifestyle, if you will -- every 30 years or so. I’m not doubting that scientists and others have really found these bones, I just wonder if the bones are put back together wrong. Case in point: the brontosaurus, which was found in 1975 to be a mixed-up skeleton with an Apatosaurus body and a Camarasaurus skull. There is a funny article about why the brontosaurus isn’t around anymore at http://www.unmuseum.org/dinobront.htm  

       The most recent evidence of the oldest dinosaur is based on a fossilized footprint, not even a bone itself.

       If scientists are using bones and bone fragments to tell us about these ancient animals, how do they know what colors dinosaurs were? Are the skeletons so well preserved that bits of skin or hide remain to tell us that T-Rex is kind of orange/red with some striping, or did the creator of Jurassic Park make that up?  Back in the 1960s and 1970s, dinosaurs were depicted as being shades of either grey or green or brown.   (Does anyone remember the Land of the Lost TV show?)  Currently, dinosaurs are depicted as having stripes and some have very bright colors like yellows and oranges and pinks.                                                                                               

      

       I wonder how much marketing affects the science of dinosaur discovery.  There is no other scientific discovery that lends itself so easily to the sale and marketing of children’s toys and TV shows.  Off the top of my head, I can think of three dinosaur shows currently on TV: Barney (shudder), Dinosaur Train (dinosaurs ride on a train with a dinosaur conductor to visit and learn about other dinosaurs that live in other dinosaur eras, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me), and Dino Dan.  The Dino Dan show has a paleontologist on staff to check the accuracy of its facts, as we wouldn’t want to lead our children astray on dinosaur history.  There are movies about dinosaurs, numerous toys and dinosaur figurines; there is even a dinosaur breakfast cereal (Quaker Oatmeal Dinosaur Eggs).  I can think of no other animal that does not exist that has captured our imagination so much.

So, for me, dinosaurs are relegated to the category of creatures such as dragons and Hobbits and the Loch Ness Monster and maybe Big Foot.  Things that are depicted in print, on screen, and that capture our imagination.  But scientific accuracy? Not so much.