Random Mind-Blowing Facts About Dinosaurs That Make Us Question Everything (27 items)

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  (#21) Many Dinosaurs Were Smaller Than Originally Thought

  While massive dinosaurs may get all the attention, smaller species were much more plentiful. The discovery of the Acrotholus audeti in 2013 resulted in a revision of the timeline created for small, ornithischian dinosaurs - or bird-hipped species. Researchers found evidence of great diversity among this specific group. For instance, the Acrotholus audeti had a more developed, thick skull. This indicates that it evolved from a diverse collection of older small dinosaurs. 

  Additionally, scientists have posited that estimates of dinosaur size have been vastly overstated, sometimes twice as big as their actual body mass. This doesn't mean that large dinosaurs didn't exist, but rather that most known dinosaurs species were smaller than portrayed. 
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  (#4) Sauroposeidon May Have Been Six Stories Tall

  Sauroposeidon, whose name means "earthquake god lizard," has been identified as the tallest dinosaur on record. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma discovered this sauropod in 1994. Fossils from Sauroposeidon, found in Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming, revealed its neck was one-third longer than the next largest brachiosaurid. 

  Scientists estimate Sauroposeidon weighed more than 60 tons, stood more than 60 feet tall, and was about 100 feet long. 
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  (#23) Dinosaurs Had One Orifice For Waste And Reproduction

  Much like modern birds and reptiles, dinosaurs had a single, multipurpose orifice called a cloaca. It functioned to remove urine and excrement and was also used for reproductive purposes. It is unclear whether male dinosaurs had any other external reproductive organs.

  However, they likely engaged in a "cloacal kiss," which is the process of fertilization between male and female bird species. 
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  (#18) Dinosaur Feces Challenge The Herbivore-Carnivore Distinction 

  Dinosaur droppings provide a great deal of information about dinosaur diets. In 2017, coprolites, or fossilized feces, changed notions that Hadrosaurs were pure herbivores. Instead, this new research revealed that the duck-billed dinosaurs ate crustacean shells in rotted wood. 

  Scientists have also found evidence of worms and other parasites in dinosaur excrement, both of which are remarkable from an archaeological perspective but don't muddy the waters of the herbivore/carnivore distinction in the same way as the Hadrosaur coprolite discovery.
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  (#16) Pachycephalosaurus Had An Nine-Inch Thick Skull

  Pachycephalosaurus fossils, discovered in Montana in 1938, have since been found in Canada, parts of Asia, and on the island of Madagascar. Based on this evidence, the Pachycephalosaurus skull was more than 30 times thicker than that of a human. The bipedal herbivore could weigh more than 900 pounds and may have used its skull as a headbutting defense or mating tool.

  Contradictory evidence suggests that the dome was too weak for headbutting and the thick skull may have existed purely for identification purposes. 
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  (#7) Dinosaurs Had Really Big Fleas

  In 2012, scientists in Mongolia identified two types of fossilized fleas: Pseudopulex jurassicus and Pseudopulex magnus. These flea species lived between 125 and 165 million years ago and were much larger than modern varieties. These dinosaur fleas were close to an inch long; they had claws and a mouth large enough to pierce the toughest skin. 

  With their serrated mouths and needle-like beaks, a bite from one of these fleas would have been particularly uncomfortable. 

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