5 Dinosaur myths 'Jurassic Park' made you believe
What's the story
The Jurassic Park franchise has enchanted audiences with its exhilarating depiction of dinosaurs. But the movies often take creative liberties with how dinosaurs behaved for the sake of drama. Although these portrayals are fun, they can easily set the wrong expectations about how these ancient creatures actually lived and interacted. Learning the inaccuracies behind these depictions makes us appreciate both paleontology and filmmaking.
Raptor myth
Velociraptor intelligence overstated
In Jurassic Park, velociraptors are shown as highly intelligent pack hunters capable of complex problem-solving. In reality, while some theropods may have shown social behaviors, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that velociraptors were as intelligent or coordinated as they are depicted to be. Their brain size was relatively small compared to their body size, indicating limited cognitive abilities.
T-Rex sight
T-Rex vision misrepresented
The movie hints at a Tyrannosaurus rex's vision being based on movement, so it can't see stationary things. But the concept isn't scientifically backed. Research suggests T. rex probably had superb binocular vision and depth perception. This made it a formidable predator, capable of detecting prey even when they are still.
Sound effects
Dinosaur vocalizations fabricated
Dinosaur vocalizations in Jurassic Park are mostly speculative and designed for cinematic effect. The sounds that are ascribed to dinosaurs in the film are usually a mix of different animal sounds mixed together. As soft tissues like vocal cords don't fossilize well, scientists can only guess what dinosaurs may have sounded like based on their modern-day relatives.
Feather debate
Featherless dinosaurs inaccurate
In Jurassic Park, dinosaurs are depicted as featherless, which goes against the modern scientific consensus. Most theropods, particularly those closely related to velociraptors, probably had feathers or feather-like structures. These traits, more for the sake of insulation or display than flight, suggest a major variation from the film's portrayals. This only emphasizes the difference between cinematic fiction and paleontological proof.
Speed limits
Speed exaggerations commonplace
In the movies, we see a number of dinosaur species sprinting at mind-boggling speeds during chase scenes. However, biomechanical studies indicate that many large dinosaurs weren't capable of such rapid movement due to their gigantic size and weight constraints. For example, a T-rex's top speed is estimated at around 12-20 miles per hour, as opposed to the high-speed chases shown onscreen.