Random Mind-Blowing Facts About Dinosaurs That Make Us Question Everything (27 items)

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  (#1) Some Dinosaurs May Have Had 300-Year Lifespans

  The lifespans of dinosaurs vary significantly. For example, some scientists believe Apatosaurus could live for 300 years. The typical lifespan for dinosaurs is thought to be much shorter, averaging 30 years for carnivores and 70 to 80 years for herbivores. Carnivores like T-Rex would have had to fight for its food and survival much more often than its plant-eating counterparts.  

  Based on the size of certain mature dinosaurs, some scientists believe the growth rate could have occurred over hundreds of years. 
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  (#26) Stegosaurus Didn't Have A Second Brain In Its Tail

  Researchers initially believed Stegosaurus, a member of the Stegosauridae family of spiked dinosaurs, had a walnut-sized brain. This dinosaur sometimes stretched more than 30 feet in length and had massive spikes and a deadly tail; thus, the brain-to-body ratio was puzzling. 

  Scientists once posited that Stegosaurus may have had a second brain in its rear end, but that notion was disproved. Now, the working theory is the dinosaur had one brain closer to the size and shape of a hot dog.
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  (#24) Majungatholus Was A Cannibal

  There is evidence that Majungatholus Atopus ate its own kind. These carnivores lived on Madagascar during the Cretaceous period and could grow to more than 25 feet in length. Based on skull fossils excavated from Madagascar, teeth marks in the skull of one Majungatholus matched those from a fellow Majungatholus nearby. 

  The Majungatholus didn't only eat each other; they also ate other types of dinosaurs. This instance of cannibalism may have been an act of desperation more than aggression. 
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  (#10) Nigersaurus Had 50 Rows Of Teeth

  Associated with the Sahara Desert in modern-day Niger, Tunisia, and Algeria, Nigersaurus was a herbivore that lived 100 to 120 million years ago. Paleontologists discovered that Nigersaurus had more than 500 teeth, arranged in rows of 50 in the front of its squared-off jaw. With its weak spine, Nigersaurus was unable to hold its head up, so it roamed like a grazing cow. 

  This dinosaur presumably replaced its teeth every 15 days or so. 
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  (#17) Ankylosaurus Cooled Off Through Its Nostrils

  Ankylosaurus, best known for its club-like tail and thick armor, had nasal passages used to keep its brain cool. Initially, scientists believed the large number of nasal canals in the Ankylosaurus skull heightened smell, which allowed the dinosaur to make elaborate sounds.

  They also believed that this also helped it breathe. Through simulations, however, researchers found complex airways that allowed the dinosaur to cool down warm air with each inhalation. Basically, warm air was diverted to the lungs, while cool air was routed to the brain.
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  (#18) Dinosaur Feces Challenge The Herbivore-Carnivore Distinction 

  Dinosaur droppings provide a great deal of information about dinosaur diets. In 2017, coprolites, or fossilized feces, changed notions that Hadrosaurs were pure herbivores. Instead, this new research revealed that the duck-billed dinosaurs ate crustacean shells in rotted wood. 

  Scientists have also found evidence of worms and other parasites in dinosaur excrement, both of which are remarkable from an archaeological perspective but don't muddy the waters of the herbivore/carnivore distinction in the same way as the Hadrosaur coprolite discovery.

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