DINOSAURS, EVOLVED?

Dinosaurs, like any other species, have evolved over time from an ancestral species to better suit their needs and requirements. It is predicted that dinosaurs have evolved from the crocodilians, birds and other archosaurs. These were believed to be small, meat eating reptiles. A possible ancestor is the Lagosuchus, meaning rabbit crocodile. The Lagosuchus was a genus of the archosaurs, and lived in the Triassic period. The fossils of the Lagosuchus are found in present day Argentina. The comparison between the Lagosuchus and many fully developed dinosaurs is in its homologous structures. An example would be the similarities in the S shaped long neck.

 

The evolution of dinosaurs is similar to any species. They too adapted to better fit their surroundings. In the Jurassic period, continental plates began to shift and move, and dinosaurs began to evolve to adapt to the new surroundings and climate change. Physical size and skeletal structure began to change and branch off. Some dinosaurs such as the Brachiosarus began to grow longer necks and legs, and other sauropods remained smaller to eat small vegetation.

 

Dinosaurs are surprising similar genetically to birds, as suggested by a study of collagen in T-Rex bones. Collagen is a major protein found in bones, and this study employed a well preserved T-Rex thigh bone. The bone was demineralized, and was tested for collagen with chicken antibodies. The antibodies recognized the T-Rex bone sample, meaning that its collagen showed similarity to chickens. The proteins were compared at a molecular level using mass spectrometry and it concluded that the T-Rex collagen was very similar to chicken collagen. This study suggests that some dinosaurs are somewhat related to chickens, or come from a common ancestor. Perhaps more studies can be done to compare other kinds of proteins with present day organisms to compare their similarities?