What if you could prove one personnal theory about dinosaurs....?

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I thought I would pose a question that is actually deceptively difficult until you think about it. Suppose for the sake of discussion you could travel back to any point in the Mesozoic for just ten minutes and observe, and prove your favorite pet theory about dinosaurs.....what would you choose and when? What theory would you prove?Warm blooded? Feathers? Quills? Scavenger t rex? Pack hunting?Coloration? How they became extinct? Herding? What would your one thing be?If it is not a theory, perhaps an animal. Which animal would you select to watch for your ten minutes? Why? I thought this one over for a long time and finally settled on spending my ten minutes watching a herd of Brachiosaurs . My runner up was , watching an oviraptor nesting. What are yours?

[ITewan]

I would LOVe to find out what Deinocheirus actually was like

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I would LOVe to find out what Deinocheirus actually was like

Oh thats a good one, as long as you did it from out of reach of those massive arms, yikes

[Libraraptor]

One of the best ever forum thread questions! Well, I´d enter the time machine with the strong wish to observe Therizinosaurs! Did they sit there like panda bears, gathering food with their huge claws? Were they all feathered, even the biggest ones? How did they cope with the big "classic" theropods sharing their habitat?
Is a second wish allowed? Please!!! Okay, thanks! I´d try to find out about Triceratops and its kin about that qill thing.

[tyrantqueen]

I would like observe pterosaurs and flying reptiles (they're not dinosaurs, but are closely related, so that counts right? ) In particular I would like to see if their locomotion really was quadrupedal or bipedal.

[Gwangi]

I would actually like to travel to the Triassic to observe the very first dinosaurs. Dinosaurs like Eoraptor, Herrerasaurus and some of the early Dinosauromorpha like Langosuchus. I would like to see if feathers were present on these animals, if perhaps feathers really were there since the beginning of dinosaur evolution. This would of course go a long way towards telling us whether or not all or most dinosaurs had feathers. For ten minutes I would like to observe these animals. I believe that modern birds aren't much different in terms of behavior from extinct dinosaurs, that most of what they do are the same sorts of things dinosaurs did (aside from fly). I think if dinosaurs were around today birds wouldn't be anything special, just more dinosaurs only smaller and flying around. It would be interesting to see how far back behavior we associate with birds goes and if the first dinosaurs of the Triassic displayed bird-like behavior than it would imply that these behaviors extended to all the other dinosaurs that would evolve from them as well. I've seen modern dinosaurs, now I want to see the first dinosaurs. I must admit though, I would love to see the larger and more charismatic species as well but this trip is for science! It is not a vacation. 

[amargasaurus cazaui]

These are all great ideas. I had not even thought of most of them. And not one person has suggested knowing for sure how dinosaurs became extinct, which you would think would be the most pressing question. Amazing answers !!!

[Gwangi]

These are all great ideas. I had not even thought of most of them. And not one person has suggested knowing for sure how dinosaurs became extinct, which you would think would be the most pressing question. Amazing answers !!!

I feel pretty confident about what killed the dinosaurs. For me I don't care so much about how they died, I want to know how they lived.

[Gryphoceratops]

Same.  I think its much more interesting to learn what they were like while alive. 

As for me, since we know certain dinosaurs for sure had feathers, I'd want to go back and check out ones that we aren't so sure about like the non-coelurosaur theropods. 

Also I'd like to know what marginocephathelians were like when they were alive.  They were (to me) the most unique and interesting.  Quills?  Colors?  Behavior?  Whether or not that whole different growth stage theory is accurate or not?

[Gwangi]

You know, after thinking about it some more what I would REALLY love to see is the dinosaurs that lived in locations for which we have no fossils. I live in NY for example, aside from some Triassic footprints we have no dinosaur fossils. This is due to issues of preservation and also the destruction brought upon the landscape during the ice age. That goes for all of New England as well and many other places around the globe. It would be fantastic to see the dinosaurs that lived in places for which we know sampling of Mesozoic life. If I could go back again (after my first trip) it wouldn't be to the Morrison formation or Hell Creek, it would be to a place for which we no absolutely nothing about the dinosaurs that lived there. Just think at what you would find, I get excited thinking about.

[Horridus]

I would like observe pterosaurs and flying reptiles (they're not dinosaurs, but are closely related, so that counts right? ) In particular I would like to see if their locomotion really was quadrupedal or bipedal.

You might find this an interesting read, if you haven't seen it already. http://www.pterosaur.net/terrestrial_locomotion.php

I would most want to see how various theropods were decked out - whether feathers or no.

[ZoPteryx]

It's so hard to pick just one!    I think I'd travel to Cretaceous Brazil and explore the pterosaur colonies along the coast.  If I was lucky, I'd stumble across an Irritator, or maybe Oxalaia, strolling on the beach.  Seeing strange pterosaurs and dinosaurs, that's the ultimate combo for me!

[Patrx]

I would like to investigate Triceratops quills.

[andyshores]

I can not answer this honestly, as honestly I'd probably just go watch a Tyrannosaurus family since tyrannosaurs interest me the most, but for sake of not being predictable, I'll change things up.  I'd love to A. Go to cretaceous South America and see how exactly a Mapusaurus - or pack of them - went about taking down giant sauropods.  It'd also be jaw dropping to even be in the presence of a giant sauropod.  B. Watch any spinosaur family member hunt.  It'd be very interesting to see how close or not close we are on their hunting/eating behaviors.

This is an awesome question, this discussion should be a lot of fun.

[andyshores]

Gwangi - very nice point about going somewhere where we don't know about the dinosaurs, great answer

[Horridus]

It'd also be jaw dropping to even be in the presence of a giant sauropod

That's true. I'm so theropod-fixated that didn't even occur to me, but going back and even just seeing a Giraffatitan from a distance...wow. Take me to the TARDIS!

[Gwangi]

It'd also be jaw dropping to even be in the presence of a giant sauropod

That's true. I'm so theropod-fixated that didn't even occur to me, but going back and even just seeing a Giraffatitan from a distance...wow. Take me to the TARDIS!

And me being the person I am, I would want to go see perhaps the least impressive dinosaurs out there. 

[Joel]

Well, if I could travel back in time, I'd be more than satisfied just to see an adult Tyrannosaurus rex.  It could be sleeping, defecating, I don't care. Just to see the real thing alive would pretty much make my life feel complete.

Now, I do have a theory of how the dinosaurs were able to out compete the other animals in the Triassic, but it would take far longer than 10 minutes. I would need to take samples for all of the animals living along side the dinosaurs and the dinosaurs themselves. I'd love to say what the theory is, but I don't want someone stealing it. Maybe after I submit it for publication? (that may take a while, even IF they consider it).

[Gwangi]

Now, I do have a theory of how the dinosaurs were able to out compete the other animals in the Triassic, but it would take far longer than 10 minutes. I would need to take samples for all of the animals living along side the dinosaurs and the dinosaurs themselves. I'd love to say what the theory is, but I don't want someone stealing it. Maybe after I submit it for publication? (that may take a while, even IF they consider it).

How dare you tease us like that. Really though, I'm sure someone may have thought it up already. have you tried searching for papers pertaining to your theory?

[Joel]

How dare you tease us like that. Really though, I'm sure someone may have thought it up already. have you tried searching for papers pertaining to your theory?

Nope, no body's postulated what I have in mind (hint: bird brains for dinos and lactic acid build up for the Crurotarsi). There is certainly way more to my theory, but if I go into more details it will be trouble for me. If someone knows an honest, reputable scientific publisher I would most appreciative.