Change in earth mass since the time of the dinosaurs

Asked by: Ray Carrao

Was there less gravity when dinosaurs were alive?

My friend and fellow science writer Matthew Francis covers the gravity angle over at his blog – there’s no evidence that the Earth’s gravity was weaker during the heyday of the dinosaurs. Even as continents shifted around, the Earth’s gravity didn’t change.

What was Earth like during the dinosaurs?

The climate was relatively hot and dry, and much of the land was covered with large deserts. Unlike today, there were no polar ice caps. It was in this environment that the reptiles known as dinosaurs first evolved.

How did dinosaurs deal with gravity?

Stephen Hurrell presented scientific evidence that dinosaurs lived in a reduced gravity and this allowed them to grow to gigantic proportions. The Reduced Gravity Earth theory explains why all land-based life has shifted towards a larger scale on the ancient Earth. This includes gigantic dinosaurs, plants and insects.

How long did the dinosaurs roam the earth?

Dinosaurs went extinct about 65 million years ago (at the end of the Cretaceous Period), after living on Earth for about 165 million years.

Did oxygen make dinosaurs bigger?

Sauropods, which appeared soon after Chindesaurus, were the largest animals ever to live on land. Professor Mike Benton, of the University of Bristol, said: “The first dinosaurs were quite small, but higher oxygen levels in the atmosphere are often associated with a trend to larger size.

Was there more oxygen during the dinosaurs?

The atmosphere of the Earth 80 million years ago was discovered to have 50% more oxygen than modern air. Brenner and Landis found that for all gas samples taken from amber 80 million years old the oxygen content ranged between 25% to 35% and averaged about 30% oxygen. Cretaceous air was supercharged with oxygen.

Why did dinosaurs get so big oxygen?

During these periods, the climate was much warmer, with CO₂ levels over four times higher than today. This produced abundant plant life, and herbivorous dinosaurs may have evolved large bodies partly because there was enough food to support them.

Why did T. rex have small arms?

Mr Makovicky said that the dinosaur’s arms were “literally half the length of the skull and the animal would not have been able to reach its mouth”. The scientists believe that the species’ massive heads were the main predatory tool and performed functions that arms would have had in smaller species.

What came before dinosaurs?

The Permian is a geological record that began nearly 300 million years ago, almost 50 million years before the Age of the Dinosaurs. During the Permian the first large herbivores and carnivores became widespread on land. The Permian ended with the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth.

Could a dinosaur breathe today?

Yes. Given the recent studies as described here and here show that oxygen levels were actually lower (10 to 15% as compared to 21% today). So breathing would be the least of dinosaurs problem. Dinosaurs might then be subject to oxygen toxicity effects, which can be lethal.

Would humans be bigger if there was more oxygen?

Quote from video: Would mean having even more oxygen in our atmosphere. Than they did back then our insects would be even more enormous.

Why was everything so big in prehistoric times?

Paleontologists believe that most herbivorous animals grew so large to better increase their chances of survival in a harsh world. Giant animals such as those belonging to the genus Shantungosaurus were almost immune to predators.

How did dinosaurs support their weight?

Over the years, scientists have noted many adaptations that helped sauropod bodies carry their massive weight without injury. For example, the dinosaurs had weight-bearing pillarlike legs, small heads, and bones peppered with air sacs.

Does gravity on Earth change over time?

“The Earth’s gravity field changes from one month to the next mostly due to the mass of water moving around on the surface,” said Watkins. “Because water in all its forms has mass and weight, we can actually weigh the ocean moving around.

Is Earth’s gravity always the same?

The whole mass of the Earth, mantle, crust, atmosphere and sea, contributes to the Earth’s gravitational field, not just the core. Unless you want to split hairs, the Earth’s gravity is the same now as it always was.

What made dinosaurs so big?

They had hollow bones, didn’t chew their food, they had incredibly long necks, and likely possessed huge stomachs. These traits are theorized to be key in how they attained their enormous size.

Does more oxygen make animals bigger?

Higher oxygen levels means animals can grow larger and still maintain the supply of oxygen to their muscles.

Why was everything bigger in prehistoric times?

Paleontologists believe that most herbivorous animals grew so large to better increase their chances of survival in a harsh world. Giant animals such as those belonging to the genus Shantungosaurus were almost immune to predators.