Dinosaur Diets

As you walk down the stairs, you will enter the age of the dinosaurs- the Mesozoic era.

Dinosaur Diets from Ted Rogers on Vimeo.

Dinosaurs have captivated the public's attention since the middle of the 19th century. Even when the idea that giant reptiles could have walked around the earth before us went into vogue, some misconceptions had to be cleared up. Early paleontologists thought that dinosaurs were like bigger versions of reptiles today, slow moving, cold blooded behemoths.

These interpretations lead to some awkward models on dinosaur behavior. Paleontologists originally thought that dinosaurs dragged their tails and walked on splayed legs like lizards. Early drawings had "Brontosaurus" walking with its legs out to the side, belly dragging on the ground. Models of Tyrannosaurus had the beast standing upright, using its tail like a tripod.

As more research was put into dinosaurs, many of these mistakes were cleared up. As evidence that dinosaurs were related to birds became more obvious, paleontologists reconsidered the idea that dinosaurs were cold blooded. Studies of dinosaur tracks showed no evidence of belly or tail dragging.

Today, we know more than ever about these giant reptiles. As new fossils are uncovered, we gain more windows into the past .