Dinosaurs evolve.
When I was a kid, dinosaurs were heavy, cold-blooded, scaly creatures that dragged their tales across the ground and lived in swampy areas because their bones couldn’t support their weight. I loved those dinosaurs.
Today, dinosaurs were light-weight, warm-blooded, feathered animals that carried their tails up and were descendants of birds. I love those dinosaurs too.
One fact never changed.
Dinosaurs lived on land.
If they swam in the water or flew in the sky, they were reptiles. If you go to the Scholastic website, they are firm on this. Even I was firm on this fact. Dinosaurs lived on land.
However, that might not be entirely accurate.
New research on the spinosaurus, a giant (bigger than a T-rex), sail-backed predator, shows that it might have lived in the water in the same way that alligators do today. That’s right, a dinosaur lived in the water. I love this dinosaur, too.
I learned about this new research from a Short Wave episode. The paleontologist who made this discovery is the luckiest guy around.
One of the things I love about science, and dinosaurs, in particular, is how the evidence improves our knowledge. As techniques and fossil collections improve, we will learn more about these amazing creatures and, in the process, learn more about ourselves.
I look forward to the next great discovery.