All that we have left today, of the mighty dinosaurs, are their fossils. Stone copies of long-dead bones.
It is easy to forget that these were once living animals.
A small group of Ankylosaurus feeds in a forest.
Surviving in a world of unimaginable violence.
A T-Rex and Spinosaurus battle each other in a forest.
Dinosaurs were the most successful creatures the Earth has ever known. They were around for 165 million years, and have spread to every corner of the planet.
They grew to gigantic sizes, and became the biggest land animals of all time.
They evolved into powerful killers, like the famous T-Rex and Raptors.
And the biggest of predators, or carnivores, are dwarfed by those of herbivores.
And since 1996, fossils of some dinosaurs in China were found showing some species with feathers. Mainly for display, and insulation. But one dinosaur has taken a whole new level and revealed a revolutionary step.
Microraptor has long stiff feathers on its arms and legs. And are designed for flight, and they can glide between trees.
Some could even think that Microraptor might be like a living feathered dragon.
Another surprising discovery is with Sinornithosaurus in 2010 when their feathers were made out with pigments of color. And may have come in reddish browns, yellows, grays and blacks. Since the mystery of coloration in dinosaurs can't be worked out. And a year later, its eyes were found out that it hunted both day and night. But something else revealed, something shocking, and unexpected in dinosaurs. A study in it's teeth, showed in 2009 reveals a deadly weapon that birds don't have. It's teeth revealed grooves across them, which are similar to those of a Gila Monster. A venomous lizard. Sinornithosaurus is the first known dinosaur, with venom.
And Microraptor was proof that dinosaurs are still around today.
As Birds.
Over 1,000 species have been discovered, and who knows how many more are waiting to be unearthed.
They range in size from Epidexipteryx, which only grew as big as a pigeon, to Argentinosaurus, which grew as big as a space shuttle.
But sadly, their reign ended with a 6 mile wide meteor that crashed into the Yucatan Peninsula in Chicxulub 65 million years ago with the force of 100 million Atomic Bombs.
And the events that followed after, were unimaginable. Massive earthquakes hitting 11.1, giant waves washing miles inland across the coast. And firestorms burning everything in their way. And finally, a giant dust cloud spreading around the planet. And the sun was blocked out for months.
Over 70% of all life, became extinct.
Including the Dinosaurs, and the famous Pterosaurs and Marine Reptiles that lived alongside them.
But if you know where to look, the bones can tell you something. And every fossil holds a story.
Just waiting to be told.
By studying their bones, and comparing them with other prehistoric animals… and modern-day animals as well… there is just enough evidence to raise the ghosts of these creatures from their 230 to 65 million year old graves.
And mankind is only beginning to uncover their secrets.
An Acrocanthosaurus ghost roams a street at night, and glanced over at a museum where an Acro skeleton stood in the 3rd level. And along with a life-sized model Paluxysaurus. And a Paluxysaurus ghost appeared walking between the 2 museums as the Acro ghost walks away.
Elsewhere, a Tyrannosaurus ghost walks by her former skeleton in a museum where it stood for nearly 20 years, and then walks off.
And in a museum, the ghost of a 6 year old Allosaurus walks through the hall and stood next to his former skeleton as looks at a fossilized clutch of dinosaur eggs. And then he begins to walk away.
Bit by bit, an example of a story of how they might have lived, can be pieced together.
It's a story that started, like all dinosaurs…
With an egg.
Author's Note:
This story is greatly based off of, and deeply inspired by, Bvega42's Wild Kratts: Growing up Raptor, only slightly upgraded, with a few differences.
And as for Bvega42 himself, I wanna give both a shoutout and a debt of credit to him, and I think that he might actually enjoy this slightly upgraded version of his story…. I hope.