Swiftest Dinosaur: Velociraptor or Apatosaurus? The debate rages on.
That old notion from way back in the 60s had folks thinking all dinos were slow, cold-blooded beasts. But John Ostrom and his crew changed the game in 1964 with their discovery of Deinonychus. This dino was light, nimble, and speedy, and it kicked off the dinosaur renaissance - a scientific shift that revolutionized our view of prehistoric creatures.
Turns out, the swiftest dinosaur was probably an Ornithomimosauria. According to Susannah Maidment, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, these skinnier-legged, bipedal dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous had all the right bits to move like a well-oiled machine. But how do we know for sure?
Back in the 70s, Robert McNeill Alexander pioneered biomechanics. By diving into physics and engineering, he managed to create some pretty accurate predictions about animal movement. And since we all know dinosaurs are animals (well, technically they're reptiles, but who's counting?), his theories apply just as well to them.
Alexander compared dinosaur stride distances, foot sizes, and leg lengths to those of modern-day creatures to guess at their speeds. But paleontologists like Eugenia Gold and William Sellers argue that trackways offer only a glimpse of the bigger picture. After all, how fast can you run when you're stuck in mud?
Sellers took things up a notch by utilizing evolutionary robotics and biomechanical modeling. By whipping up computer-generated skeletons and slathering on some physics-based magic, he managed to get a clearer picture of how these ancient beasts moved. Turns out, Compsognathus was the speed demon of the group, reaching record-breaking speeds of around 64 km/h (39.8 mph). Velociraptor wasn't far behind, clocking in at 38.9 km/h (24.1 mph).
Yet, Sellers only modeled a handful of creatures, and he's confident that the true speed champion is still out there, hidden among the dinosaur ranks. However, if we were to consider birds, the living descendants of dinosaurs, the title of fastest dinosaur would undoubtedly go to the peregrine falcon. This feisty falcon can reach top speeds of 322 km/h (200 mph)!
So there you have it - a quick dive into the world of dinosaur speed records. It's a wild ride, and who knows what dino secrets we'll uncover next? But for now, let's take a moment to appreciate the ancient aliens that roamed our planet millions of years ago. They may have been extinct, but they'll sure as heck never be forgotten!
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[1] https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/13/407444259/scientists-estimate-dinosaurs-were-not-slow-tireless-runners[2] https://www.rancho-dinosauro.com/compsognathus.htm[3] https://www.britannica.com/animal/Velociraptor[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982211000984[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1365266413001707
- Despite the advancements in understanding dinosaur speed, it's intriguing to consider how technology could further our understanding of medical-conditions, such as human gait and mobility, by applying the same biomechanical modeling and physics-based principles used for dinosaur studies.
- While sports enthusiasts currently admire the peregrine falcon for its top speed and memorable role in the natural world, we might one day uncover a dinosaur that could challenge this avian speed champion, thanks to ongoing research in space-and-astronomy and technology that continues to shed light on the mysteries of dinosaur evolution.
