Top Five Strangest Dinosaurs!
The Jurassic Period has its fair share of famous dinosaurs, like Tyrannasaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velocirator. Others may not be as famous, but they are just as astounding … maybe even more so! Here’s a rundown of the five most bewildering dinosaurs!
1. Gigantoraptor: a gigantic oviraptorosaur!
Both stunning and strange, Gigantoraptor was a giant among the group of creatures known as oviraptorosaurs which shared a lot of bird-like features. Giant is not overstating it… Gigantoraptor was nearly 9 metres long and weighed over 2 tons, putting it in the same weight class as Tyrannasaurus rex! Its mouth looked like a bird’s beak, except it had no teeth, and it had large claws on its front and hind legs. Scientists suspect it was probably feathered but aren’t certain whether it had feathers on parts of its body or if it was fully covered with them. As far as what it ate, this has proven tricky to figure out, if only because of its very peculiar physical characteristics. Seeing as only one Gigantoraptor specimen has ever been found, more fossils will need to be discovered to better understand this mysterious giant.
2. Nigersaurus: the dinosaur with spare teeth… you know, just in case!
One of the smaller members of the sauropod family, Nigersaurus was a herbivore about the size of a modern-day African elephant. Over 100 million years ago, it grazed in what we know today as the Sahara Desert. But its most distinguishing trait was its mouth. Nigersaurus’ jaw was not only wider than its skull, but it looked like the head of a vacuum cleaner! Let's say it really had the chops for grazing! Plus, his jaw was lined with replacement teeth. Every adult tooth it had came with nine replacement teeth stacked underneath. When any of its teeth got worn down, the next one was ready to go. So how many individual teeth could you find in the immense jaw of Nigersaurus? Five hundred! That’s a whole lot of work for the tooth fairy, wouldn’t you say?
3. Dracorex hogwartsia: Dragon from Harry Potter or young Pachycephalosaurus?
If only because of its name, Dracorex hoswartsia (Latin for "Dragon King of Hogwarts," of Harry Potter fame) stands out from the crowd. Its appearance certainly lives up to its name! Its head had little bones jutting out that looked like a thorny crown, which it may have used to defend itself from attacks, much like goats do with their horns. Even more fascinating is the ongoing debate between paleontologist about this unique specimen. Some claim Draconex is not a distinct genus but in fact just a young Pachycephalorsaurus, which was another dinosaur with a skull that had bones jutting out the back, except its thorny crown was accompanied by a most unusual dome. For now, the debate continues…
4. Parasaurolophus: a real head turner!
Here’s another specimen with a peculiar head. Parasaurolophus was a duck-billed North American hadrosaurid. It was really hard to miss, what with that long cranial crest projecting back from its skull. If you include this long crest, the Parasaurolophus’ skull was between 1.6 and 2 metres long! No one is quite sure about the purpose of this strangely curved tube. Maybe it amplified sound and helped the Parasaurolophus communicate or maybe it helped regulate its body temperature… or maybe it helped attract mates. Maybe it did all these things!
5. Amargasaurus: the dinosaur with a spine that inspired Pokémon!
Amargasaurus was a four-legged herbivore that had no trouble making its presence known to its predators. I mean, look at those two rows of neural spines projecting from its back! The longest ones projected from its neck and the smallest ones projected from its tail. If it looks a little familiar to you, that might be because Amaragasaurus is the dinosaur that inspired Pokémon Amagara and Dramara!
Sources:
https://www.thoughtco.com/things-to-know-gigantoraptor-1093788
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001230
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/amargasaurus.html
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.318.5854.1236
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/17-of-the-weirdest-dinosaurs-to-walk-the-planet/
https://www.thoughtco.com/things-to-know-gigantoraptor-1093788
Come meet the Amargasaurus and 19 other life-size animated dinosaurs in the exhibition Dinosaurs Around the World exhibition, until March 12, 2023.
