this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023
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[–] [email protected] 100 points 2 years ago
[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 years ago (2 children)

The structure of their skulls also resembles those of elephants, so it's possible they also had long trunks.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This is an old theory that is no longer supported by most paleontologists AFAIK. Trunks require specific musculature, more blood vessels, and more nerves than a regular nose does, and those things leave evidence in the structure of the facial bones.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm no scientist and I've never seen one in real life, but I can promise you penguins do not have trunks iirc

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 years ago

Snuffleupagus.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Does anyone know if this is something that was actually possible? Like, how sure are we they looked one way and not the other?

[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 years ago (1 children)

“Every reconstruction involves some level of inference and speculation to literally ‘flesh out’ details not preserved in the fossil record,” Celeskey explains. “In the process of creating paleoart, artists and the researchers have discussions about how to fill in these missing pieces, which helps everyone involved to think about how they are interpreting the actual evidence at hand.” From a NatGeo article I found

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 years ago (2 children)

“I asked around the office and everyone agreed that giving the t-Rex wings looked dope”

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago

Similarly, "I asked around the office and everyone agreed that giving dinos the feathers we now know they had would look too silly"

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

"Triceratops had cat ears because of reasons."

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Nope, sauropods were already right up against the limit of what's physically possible for a land animal on Earth. If they were that chonky they would have been too heavy and would have overheated just from their body heat.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Sounds like skinny dinosaur propaganda to me.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I was in an Avant-funk band called Skinny Dinosaur Propaganda.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Sorry to disappoint you, but it didn't. I made it up as a joke 🤷

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Would it help if I pointed out that your hair looks nice today?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Thanks, I got it on sale :]

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Nice! How much was it? I've been looking for a nice looking hair myself but they're outside of my price range!

[–] floofloof 2 points 2 years ago

Check your mammalian privilege.

Signed, dinosaurs.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 years ago

Of course it's possible. It's highly improbable due to weight, of course, but it's not impossible.

There's a lot of information that was not recorded in fossil, and we have very few fossil recorded, compared to how many animals of a species lived. How we reconstruct existinct animals keeps on changing with every new information, so it's always cool to challenge the way we view a creature.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 years ago

Not very likely due to the weight. Same with the trunk suggestion, there was a lot of air space and gaps in the few skulls that were preserved to make them weight less.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Do you think a penguin of that size could get anywhere? The process of reconstruction is a very complex one, but basically they look for clues in the remains and speculate what is evolutionarily most likely.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Okay but perhaps he just took the bus most of the time 🐧 🚎

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Actually, they preferred bullet trains and cable cars, dependent on distance.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Isn’t that a song off ulver’s newest record

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

No idea who ulver is, so I'm gonna go with maybe 🤷

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 years ago

Is that a long neck between your shoulders or are you just happy to be a skeleton?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 years ago

C H U N K Y B O Y

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago

Chonkosaurus

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

I can't believe people care about dumb shit like someone's height in fields where it doesn't actually matter. That 5'1" little brown woman in office with her finger on the big red button is always going to be much more of an actual objective threat than some 6'11" massive chungus of a dude with no real charisma to speak of.

Hell, just give the little brown woman a gun and pit her against Big Chungus on the street and see who comes out on top.

People who analyze each other's body condition and size and prioritize it for everyone other people do are such worthless fucking knuckledraggers.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I don't think you commented on what you thought you did

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Yeah, I just realized this is the wrong thread :P It's okay, I moved it. Sorries

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Cuz, but I deleted it. Is the post still showing up for you?

EDIT: I just checked and my comment still shows up for everyone else even though I deleted it. What in the actual fuck? Lemmy is fucking worthless garbage.