this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023
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[–] Masimatutu@lemm.ee 96 points 2 years ago
[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 34 points 2 years ago (2 children)

The structure of their skulls also resembles those of elephants, so it's possible they also had long trunks.

[–] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 43 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This is an old theory that is no longer supported by most paleontologists AFAIK. Trunks require specific musculature, more blood vessels, and more nerves than a regular nose does, and those things leave evidence in the structure of the facial bones.

[–] SargPotTea@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm no scientist and I've never seen one in real life, but I can promise you penguins do not have trunks iirc

[–] Nelots@lemm.ee 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] Rexxiter@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago

Checkmate, penguinists.

[–] aeronmelon@lemm.ee 11 points 2 years ago

Snuffleupagus.

[–] DharmaCurious@startrek.website 21 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Does anyone know if this is something that was actually possible? Like, how sure are we they looked one way and not the other?

[–] GeneralVincent@lemmy.world 40 points 2 years ago (1 children)

“Every reconstruction involves some level of inference and speculation to literally ‘flesh out’ details not preserved in the fossil record,” Celeskey explains. “In the process of creating paleoart, artists and the researchers have discussions about how to fill in these missing pieces, which helps everyone involved to think about how they are interpreting the actual evidence at hand.” From a NatGeo article I found

[–] PeWu@lemmy.ml 26 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] casmael@lemm.ee 18 points 2 years ago (1 children)

“I asked around the office and everyone agreed that giving the t-Rex wings looked dope”

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

Similarly, "I asked around the office and everyone agreed that giving dinos the feathers we now know they had would look too silly"

[–] HenryWong327@lemmy.ml 31 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Nope, sauropods were already right up against the limit of what's physically possible for a land animal on Earth. If they were that chonky they would have been too heavy and would have overheated just from their body heat.

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.de 29 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Sounds like skinny dinosaur propaganda to me.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I was in an Avant-funk band called Skinny Dinosaur Propaganda.

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.de 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Sorry to disappoint you, but it didn't. I made it up as a joke 🤷

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.de 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)
[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Would it help if I pointed out that your hair looks nice today?

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.de 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Thanks, I got it on sale :]

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Nice! How much was it? I've been looking for a nice looking hair myself but they're outside of my price range!

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago

Check your mammalian privilege.

Signed, dinosaurs.

[–] Simulation6@sopuli.xyz 12 points 2 years ago

Not very likely due to the weight. Same with the trunk suggestion, there was a lot of air space and gaps in the few skulls that were preserved to make them weight less.

[–] pipows@lemmy.today 11 points 2 years ago

Of course it's possible. It's highly improbable due to weight, of course, but it's not impossible.

There's a lot of information that was not recorded in fossil, and we have very few fossil recorded, compared to how many animals of a species lived. How we reconstruct existinct animals keeps on changing with every new information, so it's always cool to challenge the way we view a creature.

[–] Masimatutu@lemm.ee 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Do you think a penguin of that size could get anywhere? The process of reconstruction is a very complex one, but basically they look for clues in the remains and speculate what is evolutionarily most likely.

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Okay but perhaps he just took the bus most of the time 🐧 🚎

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Actually, they preferred bullet trains and cable cars, dependent on distance.

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Isn’t that a song off ulver’s newest record

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

No idea who ulver is, so I'm gonna go with maybe 🤷

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago

Is that a long neck between your shoulders or are you just happy to be a skeleton?

[–] saltnotsugar@lemm.ee 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Chonkosaurus

[–] RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

C H U N K Y B O Y

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I can't believe people care about dumb shit like someone's height in fields where it doesn't actually matter. That 5'1" little brown woman in office with her finger on the big red button is always going to be much more of an actual objective threat than some 6'11" massive chungus of a dude with no real charisma to speak of.

Hell, just give the little brown woman a gun and pit her against Big Chungus on the street and see who comes out on top.

People who analyze each other's body condition and size and prioritize it for everyone other people do are such worthless fucking knuckledraggers.

[–] FlawedSyntax@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I don't think you commented on what you thought you did

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yeah, I just realized this is the wrong thread :P It's okay, I moved it. Sorries