Secrets Of Dinosaurs

Exploring rocks that are millions of years old can lead to exciting discoveries. Finding a dinosaur bone is just the beginning of uncovering their story. Movies often take artistic liberties with dinosaur depictions. New fossil finds and technology are providing unprecedented insights into the prehistoric world. We can now recreate dinosaur movement and determine their color and behavior. Recent discoveries challenge our preconceived ideas of dinosaurs based on movie portrayals.

We are able to bring dinosaurs back to life and learn about their color and habits. Recent discoveries challenge the Hollywood representation of dinosaurs. We are closer than ever to understanding the truth about dinosaurs. My interest in dinosaurs began with The Flintstones, which is not an accurate portrayal of them. I have always been fascinated by the diversity of dinosaurs. I wanted to study some of the largest dinosaurs, which are rarely well-preserved. Titanosaurs, a group of plant-eating dinosaurs, are particularly mysterious. I was drawn to discovering more about these creatures. The process of finding a dinosaur involves a lot of research and excavation.

I often get asked about finding dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are typically found in rocks from the Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous period. I search for rocks that are at least 66 million years old, like the green colored cretaceous rocks. The Congo basin has rocks but too many plants. Northern Patagonia has the right aged rocks but has been extensively studied. Southern Patagonia is where I found everything I was looking for. It's a vast, beautiful place known as "Fin del Mundo". It's a remote location, requiring multiple flights and rough Jeep rides. I was the only paleontologist in the area for miles. I searched for bones sticking out of rocks on the ground. In 2004, a month into the expedition, we hadn't found anything great yet, adding pressure to our work.

We found a giant Titanosaur skeleton on top of a mountain.

It was 70% complete, the most complete ever discovered.

We calculated its weight to be 59 metric tons, or 65 short tons.

It was as heavy as 13 African elephants.

We wondered if it was a new species and needed to study it in detail.

It was housing these hugely powerful muscles that would go from its leg to its tail. When we looked at it carefully we realized that these muscles would have provided powerful leverage in the tail. We thought, oh, if they pull on this fast enough, that's going to hurt. It's not only that it was so big that nothing wanted to eat it. It was that it was weaponized in the case that something did try. This was something we hadn't seen before in Titanosaurs. This was a tail that could kill or maim the largest predators. I think in comparison to other Titanosaurs Dreadnoughtus looks like about the toughest that I've ever seen. I think that plant eating dinosaurs probably are often made out to be these, you know, like sort of gentle giants. But we're starting to understand that just eating plants does not, by nature, make you docile.

The bones of Dreadnoughtus were big and strong, allowing it to easily walk on land. There was an anomaly in the tail, where pairs of bones flared out into big paddles for muscle attachment. This puzzled researchers. This unique feature set Dreadnoughtus apart from other dinosaurs. The 3D scans helped us understand the anatomy of this amazing creature. Through biomechanical experiments, we learned how Dreadnoughtus may have moved. The virtual environment enabled us to manipulate and study the bones in detail. Our analysis of its skeleton helped us reconstruct the life of this massive dinosaur.

This incredible fossil, known as Borealopelta markmitchelli, was carefully excavated and revealed to be a new type of nodosaur. Named after the preparator who worked on it, this dinosaur lived around 110-112 million years ago. Its well-preserved skin and unique features, such as body armor and shoulder spikes, make it a truly special find. The process of uncovering and reconstructing this dinosaur was like solving a fascinating puzzle, and the end result is truly magical. With such detailed preservation, there is potential to uncover new information about this ancient creature.