According to the latest study conducted by researchers at Texas University, dinosaurs did not roar, they cooed. It appears that the ancient reptiles communicated with each other in ways similar to birds rather than what Hollywood made us believe.
Up until now, archaeologists and paleontologists found that dinosaurs emitted loud, frightening roars that echoed through the lush vegetation, making themselves heard for many miles. However, knowing that their direct descendants are birds, scientists decided to check for any similarities in the vocal organs of the animals.
The researchers involved in the study analyzed the vocal cords of birds and then compared them to the fossilized vocal organs found in dinosaurs remains.
The results suggest that many dinosaur species were likely to vocalize with a closed mouth. That translated into a sort of pensive “umm” or a disapproving “hmm” rather than the roar that Jurassic Park movies featured.
Think about the way a pigeon coos. Now imagine the pigeon being 5 feet tall with long and razor-sharp claws and big pointy teeth. The coo is starting to sound awfully menacing and not adorable at all.
This is not the first dinosaur-related discovery made with the help of bird anatomy. Feathers are actually taking the place of scales when the animals are depicted in drawings.
Some researchers even went as far as mounting a prosthetic tail on a chicken in order to see how the dinosaurs moved around. According to their results, the head of the reptile was kept low, forming a straight line with the tail. They used to take large steps, making use of their long claws any chance they got.
Previous studies linked the lineage of birds with that of dinosaurs, explaining that they were probably covered in feathers and acted more like giant ostriches than gigantic lizards.
More details about the study will be made available next month when the article will be published. The paper is scheduled to appear in next month’s issue of Evolution magazine.
Now that science established that dinosaurs did not roar, do you think that they were not as frightful as they were pictured in movies and TV shows? Let us know what’s your opinion on how the dinosaurs sounded in the comment section below.
Image source: Wikipedia
