Common Misconceptions About Dinosaurs/Paleontology

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I was just recently thinking about common misconceptions about dinosaurs and paleontology, and was surprised a thread like this has not been made yet. I have spotted many of these misconceptions in popular culture and like most people here, found it funny that people actually thought these were true!
Here are some:
Dinosaurs were scaly, cold-blooded monsters which were made to fight each other all the time.
Tylosaurus, mammuthus, quetzalcoatlus, and all other extinct animals are dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs were complete failures at life.
The ancestors of dinosaurs are lizards, snakes, turtles, and all other reptiles.
We do not know the colors of any dinosaurs.
Sauropods were aquatic.
The pubis or ischium on a dinosaur is its genitalia.

[CityRaptor]

We had one in the old Forum.

All Dinosaurs lived at the same time ( with cavemen )
Pterosaurs were bat-winged monsters with grasping feet.
Pteranodon had teeth and a long tail.
Dinosaurs are the ancestors of modern reptiles, especially Crocs and Komodo Dragons.

[SBell]

I was just recently thinking about common misconceptions about dinosaurs and paleontology, and was surprised a thread like this has not been made yet. I have spotted many of these misconceptions in popular culture and like most people here, found it funny that people actually thought these were true!
Here are some:
Dinosaurs were scaly, cold-blooded monsters which were made to fight each other all the time.
Tylosaurus, mammuthus, quetzalcoatlus, and all other extinct animals are dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs were complete failures at life.
The ancestors of dinosaurs are lizards, snakes, turtles, and all other reptiles.
We do not know the colors of any dinosaurs.
Sauropods were aquatic.
The pubis or ischium on a dinosaur is its-

If you can't say 'genitals' then you shouldn't hint at 'genitals'.  Like using the phrase "pop pop" to refer to love making (thank you, Arrested development).

[Himmapaan]

We had one in the old Forum.

And it (and several other threads on similar subjects) escalated into something altogether headache-inducing. I suggest we tread with care, folks. 

[CityRaptor]

I think it should be enough if we not put in anything related to that word that starts with c and ends with -ism.

Can we list some other popular, but wrong tropes? Like the Dinosaur Doggie Bone?
Also: Tyrannosaurus is the direct ancestor of the chicken!

[paleoferroequine]

CityRaptor spoketh:
"Can we list some other popular, but wrong tropes? Like the Dinosaur Doggie Bone?
Also: Tyrannosaurus is the direct ancestor of the chicken!"

Oh, and this one:  "most purple Dinosaurs are evil?"

[CityRaptor]

But it is true!
Megatron, Trypticon, SG Grimlock, Satanus, Barney ( especially that one )...also, while not directly evil, 2 of 3 Dinosaurs used by the bad guys in Dinosaur King are purple.
Sure, there are some good guys, but purple Dinosaurs are mainly evil!

[amargasaurus cazaui]

If you have ever worked a dinosaur excavation and seen how the skeleton generally appears and preserves,how it is or for that matter is NOT articulated, you will appreciate this comment.The way movies portray a scientist finding a nice complete dinosaur just laid out so nicely and perfect, not a bone missing, and flat ala Jurassic Park and the raptor. ugh And then to continue the thought, most people do not understand that a dinosaur more than 65 percent complete is classified complete. Complete does NOT mean every bone is there. Then to further augument the fiction, most assume when you visit a  museum and see a dinosaur, its the actual bones and material that were found . Most do not understand that most recent dinosaur mounts are copies made from a find, with missing elements replaced, and the entire kit often marketed to several instiutions to display.

[Takama]

"OMG thats to small to be a velociraptor". says a kid who dosent know the diffrence between real life and Jurrasic Park.


Name me a Dinosaur "Pterodactyl" says the kid on dino trivia.


"OMG THAT PTERODACTYL IS LIFTING HIM AWAY" says the girl who seen JP3

[ZoPteryx]

I said some of these on v1, but I'll say 'em again:

- Pangea existed up until a few thousand years ago
- Plesiosaurs = "Loch Ness Monster"
- most dinosaurs never really existed, they're just made up by paleontologists
- all dinosaurs lived at the same time
- snakes are ancient creatures like coelocanths and scorprions
- all dinosaurs died out 

[tyrantqueen]

Brontosaurus existing, and Oviraptor being an egg thief.

This also pretty worrying http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brachiosaurus-Nunn-Daniel-/120926521411?pt=School_Textbooks_Study_Guides&hash=item1c27c84843

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Brontosaurus existing, and Oviraptor being an egg thief.

This also pretty worrying http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brachiosaurus-Nunn-Daniel-/120926521411?pt=School_Textbooks_Study_Guides&hash=item1c27c84843

I had read something Bakker had written where he defended the name Brontosaurus and gave valid scientific reasoning for it. I do not think he was stating the specimen that was mounted by the name was valid, but that the naming for Apatosaurus was more correctly Brontosaurus. I cannot remember precise details offhand, but I felt he had made a solid argument for keeping the name itself in some fashion. Of course Bakker has done that with many things and my memory could be faulty.  I do know Gould wrote a detailed discussion about this in his book, "Bully for Brontosaurus", but it also seems to me Bakker did so as well in either his own book or in the book "Hunting Dinosaurs"

[tyrantqueen]

Brontosaurus existing, and Oviraptor being an egg thief.

This also pretty worrying http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brachiosaurus-Nunn-Daniel-/120926521411?pt=School_Textbooks_Study_Guides&hash=item1c27c84843

I had read something Bakker had written where he defended the name Brontosaurus and gave valid scientific reasoning for it. I do not think he was stating the specimen that was mounted by the name was valid, but that the naming for Apatosaurus was more correctly Brontosaurus. I cannot remember precise details offhand, but I felt he had made a solid argument for keeping the name itself in some fashion. Of course Bakker has done that with many things and my memory could be faulty.  I do know Gould wrote a detailed discussion about this in his book, "Bully for Brontosaurus", but it also seems to me Bakker did so as well in either his own book or in the book "Hunting Dinosaurs"

I like the name Brontosaurus better actually, but I've accepted that Apatosaurus is the correct name

Another thing that bugs me is seeing marine reptiles such as elasmosaurus depicted with a twisty, snake-like neck. It's hard to find a toy manufacturer that isn't guilty of doing this, (Bullyland and Carnegie for example) and the only company so far to get the neck thing correct is collectA, with their Attenborosaurus and Hydrotherosaurus replicas

[DinoLord]

I had a textbook in middle school saying that Archaeopteryx survived the KT extinction. 

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I've seen many times that people say tyrannosaurus had horrible vision and could only see moving objects. Everyone seems to say archaeopteryx was the 'first bird', but is it true that it was just ancestral to birds and not a bird itself?

[Gwangi]

I've seen many times that people say tyrannosaurus had horrible vision and could only see moving objects. Everyone seems to say archaeopteryx was the 'first bird', but is it true that it was just ancestral to birds and not a bird itself?

It probably was not even ancestral to birds. Just another feathered dinosaur.

[Horridus]

I've seen many times that people say tyrannosaurus had horrible vision and could only see moving objects. Everyone seems to say archaeopteryx was the 'first bird', but is it true that it was just ancestral to birds and not a bird itself?

It probably was not even ancestral to birds. Just another feathered dinosaur.

Birds ARE feathered dinosaurs, though. It's just become very hard to determine exactly where Archaeopteryx lies on the theropod family tree now that it's known that dinosaurs other than avialans had 'advanced' feathers.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I've also heard that people still think birds evolved from dinosaur-like reptiles, not dinosaurs, and that tyrannosaurus was 100% scavenger.

[Horridus]

I've also heard that people still think birds evolved from dinosaur-like reptiles, not dinosaurs, and that tyrannosaurus was 100% scavenger.

The latter is balls. The former is super duper Alan Feduccia balls.

[Metallisuchus]

Parasaurolophus, Corythosaurus, Lambeosaurus & kin were excellent swimmers, preferring a semi-aquatic lifestyle, eating marine plants.