Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

DNA has too short a half-life to survive that long, unfortunately. It's possible we could reverse-engineer them from fossils and living birds, but it'd only be our best guess at what they were like.

Frazz, that was pretty much my point. They are consistently referred to as 'Velociraptors', even though Velociraptors are only knee-high. Even Deinonychus is only hip-high (although definitely capable of killing a person). Utahraptor is too big, even the smaller one shown, to be the critter in the movie.

I'll grant you that there HAD to be a transitional form between Deinonychus and Utahraptor that would be that size... but we haven't found that one as yet.

 Vulcan wrote:
Frazz, that was pretty much my point. They are consistently referred to as 'Velociraptors', even though Velociraptors are only knee-high. Even Deinonychus is only hip-high (although definitely capable of killing a person). Utahraptor is too big, even the smaller one shown, to be the critter in the movie.

I'll grant you that there HAD to be a transitional form between Deinonychus and Utahraptor that would be that size... but we haven't found that one as yet.

Well to be far, we don't know that.
But agreed Velos and Deins are smaller, much more "pissed off" vulture sized.

A transition form might easily only have lasted a few dozen generations, so therefore practically not exist.

 p_gray99 wrote:
A transition form might easily only have lasted a few dozen generations, so therefore practically not exist.

Deinonychus is perfect size. Oops it even says thats what they were thinking of:

http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/carnivorousdinosaurs/p/deinonychus.htm

Yeah, but who can pronounce that? Not the paying movie audience and certaintly not the actors

Dienyhhinkcuss???

Lets go with Velociraptor, so much easier to say

 Grey Templar wrote:
Yeah, but who can pronounce that? Not the paying movie audience and certaintly not the actors

Dienyhhinkcuss???

Lets go with Velociraptor, so much easier to say

Ayah Deinonychus sounds like a gladiator or a Greek hoplite. They needed less greeky more scary.

"Nychuses? You bread deinononononich forget it killer screaming dinos?!?"

I'd like a T-Rex to keep the neighbor kids off my lawn.

Deinonychus?

We're being chased by the greek god of wine and orgys?

 Grey Templar wrote:
Deinonychus?

We're being chased by the greek god of wine and orgys?

Hey whats scarier running at you? A killer chicken or a drunken sex god?

hmmm, meditate on this I must.

It's basically a choice between an unevolved bird and slaanesh. A difficult choice indeed.

I may have to go with the bird, I like birds.

 p_gray99 wrote:
It's basically a choice between an unevolved bird and slaanesh. A difficult choice indeed.

Eaten or ed to death. Yikes!

I'll add it to the great philosophical questions Dakka has tackled.

Erm...

Dionysus - Greek god of wine and ecstasy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus

Deinonychus = Terrible claw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinonychus

But which is better? There's only one way to find out...

FIGHT!

My money is on the god of hard partying.

Im going with the wee birdy. Ive just got to reach the very local barracks in time....... (besides being ass-fethed to death is a miserable way to go but tackling a killer dino-hell yeah )

Speaking of dinosaurs failing..

Spinosaurus would die if he fell over. His "sail" was connected to the spine, essentialy breaking his spine if it tripped badly.

It might not even have been a sail - they've assumed it was. It could also have been a hump

wikipedia wrote:
The distinctive spines of Spinosaurus, which were long extensions of the vertebrae, grew to at least 1.65 meters (5.4 ft) long and were likely to have had skin connecting them, forming a sail-like structure, although some authors have suggested that the spines were covered in fat and formed a hump.

I always thought that a strong wind would screw him over if it was a sail. He'd have to run by tacking into the wind

Besides, we all know Ankilosaur is the best dinosaur. It's an armor plated battering ram with flail for a tail.

I agree - It's definately better than triceratops - a study showed if triceratops charged something like a t-rex, he'd break his own face.

Ank was a sturdy dino

Obviously the best dinosaur. It has it's own website.

http://www.thebestdinosaur.com/

 Soladrin wrote:
Speaking of dinosaurs failing..

Spinosaurus would die if he fell over. His "sail" was connected to the spine, essentialy breaking his spine if it tripped badly.

Couldn't have been that big a deal. If it was that big a deal we probably wouldn't see much evidence of their existance.

As opposed to the completele overflow of spinosaurus fossils, right?