Our fascination with dinosaurs means they have become the stars of a huge number of books, TV shows and films. The Jurassic Park franchise is by far the best known, and while it has plenty of action and a certain amount of charm, it has perpetuated a lot of myths about these prehistoric creatures. Here, we debunk some of the myths and misconceptions about dinosaurs.
 

1. Velociraptor could eat you

In the original Jurassic Park movie, there’s an incredibly tense scene where two children are hiding from a pair of large, scaly Velociraptors that want to tear them to pieces. The truth is, Velociraptor was about the size of a turkey and covered in feathers. The dinos in the movie look much more like a Deinonychus. 
 

2. Dino palms turned downwards

T-rex isn’t only famous for its huge jaws and crushing bite - it also had comically small arms. One mistake many of us make is thinking that this ferocious dinosaur’s hands faced palm-downwards as if playing a piano. Many depictions show T-rex’s hands that way, but it couldn’t actually rotate its hands to do that. Its palms faced each other. 

3. Brachiosaurus and T-rex lived side by side

Often in fiction, large sauropods such as Brachiosaurus and Apatosaurus are seen living side by side with T-rexes. In fact, some 60 million years separated these two huge herbivores from the deadly predator. That’s almost as long as the amount of time between the last dinosaurs walking the earth and you being here today! 

4. You couldn’t outrun a T-rex

Being chased by a T-rex may not be as scary as you think. This giant could reach a top speed of around 9mph, and probably only over short distances. An average ten-year-old can run at about 10-12mph in short bursts, meaning you’d have a good chance of getting away. 

5. Dinosaur DNA could be cloned

For over 30 years now (thanks again to Jurassic Park), humans have been obsessed with the idea that the dinosaurs could be brought back to life if only we could salvage their DNA. This is, however, far from possible since DNA degrades when trapped in fossilised blood cells or tissue, and once exposed will break down rapidly. Currently the oldest DNA to have been found is about one million years old. 
 

6. Dinosaurs were all big

The most famous dinosaurs are the large ones: Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus, T-rex… But they weren’t the only dinosaurs roaming the earth. Dozens of species were much smaller, such as Microraptor, who appears in Dinosaur World Live, one of the most popular family shows in the UK.

7. The Mesozoic world was covered in jungles

While it’s true that the climate in the Mesozoic Era was warmer than today’s climate, dinosaurs didn’t all make their homes in tropical jungles. Some, like Pachyrhinosaurus and Antarctopelta, thrived in colder, polar climates (although the poles weren’t as cold as they are today), while others such as Oviraptor and Segnosaurus lived in desert environments. 

More dinosaur myth-busting

If you want to bust some more dino myths with your kids, the Dinosaur World Live family theatre show is a great place to start. Currently touring the UK, it offers up all the facts about a range of dinosaurs with the help of stunning puppetry. Search ‘family theatre near me’ and book your tickets at your nearest venue.