Scientists have significantly understated the growth of dinosaurs

Scientists have underestimated the growth of dinosaurs - some of the ancient reptiles were 10 percent higher than previously thought. The researchers reduced the appearance of the preserved bones of dinosaurs. However, until now experts are not taken into account in their work of cartilage, which are located in the joints of the bones. Cartilage is virtually not retained in fossil samples, so scientists "forgot" to add them in the reconstruction of complete skeletons of dinosaurs.
Authors of new work examined the surface of the bones of some dinosaurs, and concluded that between them should have been placed sufficiently thick layer of cartilage tissue. In contrast to the bones of mammals, which are characterized by a small amount of cartilage on the bones of dinosaurs was not long ridges for articulation of bones with each other. Accordingly, the dinosaur bones were connected through the "mediation" of the cartilage.

Large dinosaurs

To "estimate", what was the approximate thickness of the cartilage layer of the dinosaurs, the scientists analyzed the bones of their closest modern relatives - alligators and ostriches. It was found that cartilage can be up to 10 percent of their limbs. Specialists have used these data to adjust the length of the limbs of some dinosaurs. For different groups of dinosaurs influence cartilage was different. According to calculations by the researchers, "unaccounted" cartilage slightly increased the growth of a group of theropod dinosaurs - dinosaurs, traveling on two hind legs (to include, for example, the famous Tyrannosaurus), but zauropodam (this group includes the largest dinosaurs) could add up to 10 percent growth. This is not the first work, which provides evidence that the appearance of the dinosaurs was very different from traditional perceptions.