Over the past few weeks we've collected your questions relating to

dinosaurs and asked our experts to answer them. Take a look at the
most frequently asked questions:
1.

Why is the programme not called 'My Pet Human'? If

the dinosaurs had not been wiped out, would humans
still have been the dominant species?David Higham

2.

Considering the brains of dinosaurs were increasing

as they evolved and birds are their descendants, why
have birds' brains remained small? Mike Walker
Wouldn't the ice age have wiped out quite a few
dinosaur species anyway? Jon Dyer
Which modern bird is most like what we think of as a
'classic' dinosaur? Nick Laurie
Are there any ideas on what dinosaur meat would
taste like? Would it vary significantly from carnivores
to herbivores, or would it all taste like
chicken? Matthew Woolridge
What possibility - if any - is there of recreating a
dinosaur from preserved DNA like in the film
'Jurassic Park'? James Mullineaux

3.
4.
5.

6.

7.

Why did dinosaurs develop into such large creatures

and why are there no longer any land animals of a
similar size alive today? Derek Moffett

Why is the programme not called 'My Pet Human'? If the

dinosaurs had not been wiped out, would humans still have
been the dominant species? David Higham

A hugely diverse
group of dinosaurs still
survives today.

This film was an interesting experiment for those of us engaged in

dinosaur science. We really had to 'suspend' all that we know about
the reality of life as we know it now - erase all of the other vagaries
of life for dinosaurs between the Cretaceous period and now - and
imagine what it would really be like to live with dinosaurs in their
Mesozoic forms. The chances are good that humans would not have
ever become a dominant species if dinosaurs hadn't been wiped out
at the end of the Cretaceous period. Mammals had been around just
as long as dinosaurs, but didn't get their 'big break' until the K-T
extinction event gave them a chance. The other really interesting
thing to consider here is that, in terms of 'successful' or 'dominant'
groups of animals, dinosaurs are among the best. Not all of them
went extinct 65 million years ago. A hugely diverse group of
dinosaurs still survives today that has exploited the sky, the sea
(e.g. penguins), and even the land (e.g. ostriches). Compare that
'success' rate to that of humans. We've got a long way to go to
really give dinosaurs a run for the money.
Kristi Curry-Rogers, Curator of Paleontology, Science Museum of
Minnesota and Visiting Assistant Professor of Geology, Macalester
College
BACK: To top

Considering the brains of dinosaurs were increasing as they

evolved and birds are their descendants, why have birds'
brains remained small? Mike Walker
Mike, very insightful question. Remember, not all dinosaurs were
increasing their brain size relative to their body size. However, the
theropod dinosaurs did show an increase in brain size relative to
their body size, and birds do have a relatively large and welldeveloped brain size relative to their body size. Birds today are
considered some of the most intelligent of all modern non-human

Birds today are

considered some of the
most intelligent of all
modern non-human
animals.

animals, right up there with dolphins and whales.

Brent Breithaupt, Paleontologist and Director University of
Wyoming
BACK: To top

Wouldn't the ice age have wiped out quite a few dinosaur
species anyway? Jon Dyer

Dinosaurs have
proven to be an
extremely evolutionary
flexible and innovative
group of animals.

Dinosaurs were doing quite well at the end of the Cretaceous period,
and their global distribution documents their ability to adapt in a
number of climates (including within the Cretaceous polar circles).
That said, the Earth was generally a warmer place back in the days
of the dinosaurs, and chances are good that the large-bodied
dinosaurs might have struggled with large-scale climate change
wrought by ice ages. However, dinosaurs have proven to be an
extremely evolutionary flexible and innovative group of animals.
Some of them even seem to have the prerequisites for surviving ice
ages: insulation, in the form of feathers. Perhaps at least some
dinosaurs would have adapted and survived.
Kristi Curry-Rogers, Curator of Paleontology, Science Museum of
Minnesota and Visiting Assistant Professor of Geology, Macalester
College
BACK: To top

Which modern bird is most like what we think of as a 'classic'

dinosaur? Nick Laurie

The large, flightless

ground birds are good
small theropod
dinosaur examples.

Nick, very good question. However, what is a 'classic' dinosaur?T.

rex? Triceratops? Diplodocus? Velociraptor? I like to think of the
large, flightless ground birds like emus, cassowaries, and rheas as
good small theropod dinosaur examples because of their feet and
footprints. However, there are feathered dinosaurs
like Archaeopteryx and those being found in Asia which would be a
lot like various flying birds today. The Hoatzin from South America,
is another form which may be 'dinosaur-like' as it has claws on its
hands (wings) when young.
Brent Breithaupt, Paleontologist and Director University of
Wyoming
BACK: To top

Are there any ideas on what dinosaur meat would taste like?
Would it vary significantly from carnivores to herbivores, or
would it all taste like chicken? Matthew Woolridge

Diets definitely
affect how animals
taste.

That is a very good question, Matthew. As modern birds are

dinosaurs, I imagine that non-avian (not bird) dinosaur meat might
taste a bit like the meat of some of the large ground birds like emus
and ostriches. Their meat is very lean and has a bit of a gamey
taste. Alligators are a cousin to the dinosaurs and their meat tastes
gamey as well, and somewhat bird like. Having tasted emu, ostrich,
and alligator meat (which are all delicious), I would imagine that is
the closest I would get to knowing what non-avian dinosaur meat
tastes like. None of these actually tastes very chicken like, as all
have a bit more of a wild game taste. Diets definitely affect how
animals taste. So yes, the carnivores and herbivores would taste
very different, just as herbivores and carnivores taste different
today.

Brent Breithaupt, Paleontologist and Director University of

Wyoming
BACK: To top

What possibility - if any - is there of recreating a dinosaur

from preserved DNA like in the film 'Jurassic Park'? James
Mullineaux

We don't have
amber with bloodsucking mosquitoes
from dinosaur times.

Great question. I'm afraid, and sometimes relieved, that we will

never be able to bring dinosaurs back to life. We are already finding
what may be tiny fragments of their DNA inside their bones but I
don't think we will ever find the complete long sequence of that DNA
code in a properly preserved condition to even begin to think about
finding a way to bring them back to life. Certainly the 'Jurassic Park'
way would not work. Remember, they got their DNA from
mosquitoes that sucked dinosaur blood and were preserved in
amber, then added frog DNA to the parts that were lacking. That
doesn't work for many reasons. We don't have amber with bloodsucking mosquitoes from dinosaur times. If we did we couldn't tell
whether the blood came from a dinosaur. And if we made up the
many missing bits of dinosaur with a frog's DNA and cloned that,
we'd have a 'frogasaur'!
Don Lessem, Freelance paleontologist, author and consultant
BACK: To top

Why did dinosaurs develop into such large creatures and why
are there no longer any land animals of a similar size alive
today? Derek Moffett

Non-avian dinosaurs
appear to have had a
unique physiology.

Excellent question, Derek. I get asked this a lot. First, please keep in
mind that many of the non-avian (not bird) dinosaurs were similar in
size to modern-day animals, which ranged from wee, chicken-sized
ones to large, elephant-sized animals. However, there were a number
that reached enormous sizes. To reach those sizes the environment
had to be conducive for animals getting so big. Basically, there has to
be enough to eat. It also might relate to a certain level of continuing
growth in these animals throughout a relatively long life span. Nonavian dinosaurs appear to have had a unique physiology (which is still
under study) that may have allowed them to grow to such enormous
sizes. There are many advantages to being big, such as protection
from predators and temperature changes. Mega-herbivores and megacarnivores around the sizes of the largest non-avaian dinosaurs may
not be able to survive today, as environments and plants have
changed.
Brent Breithaupt, Paleontologist and Director University of Wyoming
BACK: To top