For the opening of the new temporary exhibition, its curator Stephan Lautenschlager introduces the world of dinosaur research.
Long before they appeared on the big screen in Hollywood movies, as toys on the shelves in children’s (and some adults’) rooms, and in a seemingly uncountable number of books, dinosaurs have captured our imagination from the very beginning. This beginning dates back exactly 200 years since the first dinosaur fossil was given its official name. Although dinosaur fossils had been found before, this new fossil was special. In February 1824, palaeontologist William Buckland stunned the scientific community with a discovery from a quarry about 50 miles from Birmingham. Rumours about a giant reptile found by workers in the English countryside had already spread, with fossil bones unlike any known living reptile. It was the first dinosaur to be scientifically described, and Buckland named the new animal Megalosaurus - the great lizard.
Illustration of the jaw bone of Megalosaurus by William Buckland (public domain image).
Since then, extensive research on dinosaurs has enabled new understanding of these reptiles and other extinct animals and their evolution. New fossil finds and new methods, including modern computer imaging and simulation techniques, have changed our perception of these animals which have been extinct for the last 66 million years or more. Traditionally portrayed as cold-blooded, sluggish monsters that lived in swamps to support their enormous body weight, we now know that dinosaurs came in all sizes, shapes, and colours (yes, palaeontologists even know about some of those). Ranging from small pigeon-sized species walking on two legs to the 40-ton sauropods that walked on all fours, from giant meat eaters to plant eaters big and small, from those covered in reptile-like scales to others that had the first colourful feathers reminiscent of modern birds, we now count nearly 1000 different species of dinosaurs that have been unearthed in the last 200 years, with 50 of them found on the British Isles alone.
Detailed studies of their anatomy have allowed palaeontologists to understand how they were all related, and that birds evolved from the two-legged theropod dinosaurs. Modern computer technology lets us reconstruct what the brains of dinosaurs looked like and what they were possibly able to hear and see. Palaeontologists can estimate the bite force of T. rex (which is about 100 times stronger than that of a typical human) and how fast it may have been able to walk or run. Cross-sections through dinosaur bones reveal growth rings similar to those of trees and we get an idea of how quickly they were growing and how old they may have gotten. And chemical analyses can reveal what their specific diet was and even what colour some of them had.
The new temporary exhibition at the Lapworth Museum of Geology, University of Birmingham provides a small glimpse into the world of dinosaur research. This includes several studies from Birmingham palaeontologists (including undergraduate students, PhD researchers, and academic staff) that have contributed to this wealth of knowledge. Over the coming months, we will also share some insights into dinosaur research from different perspectives with new posts here each week.
Associate Professor in Palaeobiology
Staff profile for Dr Stephan Lautenschlager, Lecturer in Palaeobiology in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham.
