Despite Steven Spielberg’s best efforts, the dinosaurs in the original 1993 Jurassic Park weren’t exactly scientifically accurate. By the mid-90s, for instance, it was established that most species at that time would have had feathers.
But for Steve Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh, the film’s portrayal of dinos was revolutionary. “It was the first time that dinosaurs were shown as intelligent, dynamic – not just sitting around waiting for an asteroid to take them out,” he says. “Sure, there were errors – but it brought dinosaurs back into the public consciousness big-time.”
In his new book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, Brusatte showcases developments in palaeontology by comparing the Jurassic Park digi-dinos and their real-world equivalents. Ahead of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, he picks out some of the most memorable inaccuracies.
“The T. rex could definitely see you if you stood still,” Brusatte laughs. “CAT scans of T. rex skulls have allowed us to visualise the brain cavity. We’ve learned from this that the T. rex had binocular vision – and a great sense of smell. If a T. rex was after you, it was probably going to get you.”
“A raptor was only around the size of a poodle,” says Brusatte. “They would have been covered in feathers, and they were very agile and fast.” But could you train them, as in 2015’s Jurassic World? “These things would be trying to gut you every second. But intelligence-wise, probably.”
Jurassic World is also notable for the Indominus rex – a fictional, genetically-enhanced hybrid dino. “They’re getting a bit loopy,” says Brusatte. “There’s a danger that the public will see dinosaurs as monsters and not as real animals that actually lived on this Earth before we did.”
Jurassic’s biggest crime against palaeontology: the enormous aquatic Mosasaur in Jurassic World. “It was far too big. I don’t know if a water predator is even capable of evolving that large. Plus, they aren’t actually dinosaurs – they’re more closely related to things like Komodo dragons.”
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdomis out on June 6
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
