There’s a lot we’re still learning about dinosaurs and prehistory in general, but there is one thing we can be at least a little certain about, and that’s the fact that Tyrannosaurus was probably an absolute demon in the sack.
The GOAT team recently sat down with paleontologist Dr. Anne Musser and Michael Harvey from the National Maritime Museum to chat sea monsters, evolution and how well each species of dinosaur would treat you in a relationship. Check it out below…
When asked about T-Rex, Dr. Musser was quick to point out that his ‘little arms’ aren’t an over-compensation. “They were actually quite useful, in the sense of the balance of the animal,” Dr. Musser explains. “Don’t laugh at the arms…They were little strong arms.”
Then there’s Tyrano’s ability as a lover, which according to Dr. Musser, wasn’t so bad either. “A study has come out about the sensitivity of these guys,” she said. “They had very sensitive lips – or sensitive over the teeth, you know. They had lots of little nerve endings there, so they thought that might be for the ‘big act.’”
Mind, blown.
During our chat with Dr. Musser and Michael Harvey, we also spoke about convergent evolution and why some species of animals we know and love today still resemble prehistoric ones, how batsh*t crazy prehistoric oceans would’ve been and why kids are so obsessed with dinosaurs.
In response to that, Harvey said, “role playing a dinosaur when you’re a kid is just so much fun. They’ve all got weird-sounding names [which kids] find, remember and learn which few adults are able to retain – you wind up in a conversation with a six-year-old and they know all the names.”
“They’re real, they’re not made up. Yet they speak to a whole range of things that are in fantasy, for example dragons and dinosaurs. And they’re also safe because they’re extinct.”
Suddenly, I’m six years old and have a whole new appreciation of our prehistoric buddies.
You can check out the Sea Monsters exhibition at the National Maritime Museum until the 27th of April 2020.
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