Some Dinosaurs Crawled Before Walking, Just Like Human Babies
According to fossil studies, the shift from crawling to walking was made by a few animals in our history, and among them, we can also find dinosaurs, such as the “mouse lizard.” Besides humans, only a couple of other individuals in the animal kingdom manage to make this transition, and they belong to the dinosaurs family.
More Evidence to Support This Theory
Recently, researchers brought some clarifying evidence for one specific dinosaur. More precisely, we’re talking about the sauropod named Mussaurus patagonicus. When hatching, this dinosaur would have just fit the palm of your hand, which is why scientists gave it the genus name of “mouse lizard.” However, once it grew up, even though it fed itself only on ferns and plants, it would reach a weight more significant than a ton!
Along with the changes in its size and shape, there came a shift in the motions of the animal. All this information was published in detail recently in the journal named Scientific Reports. For this study, the scientists relied on a series of almost complete fossils showing the three stages of life. With them, they managed to recreate some fascinating 3D models of the dinosaurs that lived at the beginning of the Jurassic.
The Evolution
From what it seems, early in life, the dinosaur’s head and neck would have triggered its body to tilt forward. This would have supported the forearms, which were by then quite well-developed. However, as the tail enlarged, the center of gravity needed to shift so that it offered the animal better balance.
As such, it shifted towards the pelvic region, slowly making the animal stand up and thus, eventually, walk on two legs, in a way similar to what humans do. Even so, scientists are not sure if this is the same process that applied to all sauropods, or if this was just an exception among their kin.
Tommy’s hobby has always been playing video games. He enjoys competing in video games tournaments and writing about his experience. It’s not a big surprise that he mostly covers the latest trends from the gaming industry.
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