Dinosaurs: Not so big anymore
Scientists have declared dinosaurs may actually not have been as big as previously believed
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Monday, 22, Jun 2009 08:27
Scientists have declared dinosaurs, famed for being the biggest creatures ever to walk the Earth, may actually not have been as big as previously believed.
A new report published in the Journal of Zoology claims the estimated size and weight of dinosaurs may have been exaggerated due to faults in the original statistical model used to calculate their mass.
The authors suggest, for example, the estimation for the mass of Apatosaurus louisae, one of the largest dinosaurs, may actually be double the actual figure – 38 tonnes compared to 18 tonnes.
Commenting on the discovery, Gary Packard from Colorado State University, said: "Paleontologists have for 25 years used a published statistical model to estimate body weight of giant dinosaurs and other extraordinarily large animals in extinct lineages.
"By re-examining data in the original reference sample, we show that the statistical model is seriously flawed and that the giant dinosaurs probably were only about half as heavy as is generally believed."
The authors of the report claim the new predictions have implications for numerous theories about the biology of dinosaurs, ranging from their energy metabolism to their food requirements and to their modes of locomotion.