8 Lies About Dinosaurs You Need to Stop Believing

So there are a lot of misconceptions about dinosaurs floating around. From humans doing battle with them to Brontosaurus not really existing, join us as we explore 8 lies about dinosaurs that you need to stop believing.

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8. Humans Lived Alongside Dinosaurs

So I thought this wasn’t a common misconception but apparently it is, so stop believing this lie about dinosaurs immediately. Despite the common image of primitive cave men battling it out with dinosaurs there is no possible way humans ever encountered dinosaurs. With the exception of birds, dinosaurs went extinct 65 millions years ago while fossils of our earliest human ancestors date back a mere 6 million years ago.  

7. Brontosaurus Never Existed, sort of.

This one is fascinating. Everyone can remember that life crushing moment when they found out that Brontosaurus never existed. Fear not children, because old mate ‘Thunder Lizard’ is back!

The mix up began back in 1879 when famed Paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh mistakenly categorised some Apatosaurus bones or so we thought.

For the better part of the 20th century poor Brontosaurus faced a second extinction as the majority of paleontologists favoured Apatosaurus as the correct species. However, several notable studies, one from Oxford University and New University of Lisbon in Portugal, have published compelling evidence that the ‘Thunder Lizard’ should roam the textbooks once again.

Lead study author Emanuel Tschopp says that the most notable difference between Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus are the higher and less wide neck bones. The scientists conclude that there are three species of Brontosaurus: Brontosaurus Excelsus, the first type discovered as well as  B. parvus and B. yahnahpin.

Get the Mountain Dew, it’s celebratin’ time!

6. Mammals Only Appeared After Dinosaurs Went Extinct

Another widely held fallacy. Mammals and dinosaurs co-existed for some 150 million years. Admittedly though, mammals in the Mesozoic period were tiny, little furry creatures often too small to be disturbed by their giant dinosaur neighbours. They occupied tiny niches, feasting on insects and small reptiles. Then once the dinosaurs became extinct it opened up the playing field allowing mammals to diversify and evolve much larger.

5. Dinosaurs Are Evolutionary Failures

This is one of those lies about dinosaurs that is really persistent. Just because they no longer exist doesn’t mean they failed as a species. On the contrary they roamed the earth for an incredible 150 million years, that’s 750 times longer than the period modern humans have existed.

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