When it comes to surviving, some dinosaurs used their physical characteristics, while others had to rely on their smarts. In this article, you will learn which dinosaurs were considered the smartest and who had the smallest brains.
What is the Majungatholus?
The Majungatholus is considered one of the fiercest of the dinosaur species, as it earned the nickname of ‘cannibal dinosaur.’ Bones of the ancient creature were discovered having the tooth marks of their own kind, which means that the theropods (which weighed about 1 ton), preyed on one another. They could of also eaten their own kind after they were already dead. The dinosaurs lived in Africa during the late Cretaceous period.
Raptors Were Pretty Smart
In the ‘Jurassic Park’ movies, raptors played an important role. The small creatures possessed a high level of intelligence for their size, which came in handy when they were hunting prey. Using sounds to communicate with one another also added to their level of intelligence. Since they hunted in groups, they are considered social reptiles.
The Most Brainy Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are typically portrayed as having really small brains, so when it comes to the most intelligent out of the prehistoric creatures, it is the Troodon that holds high honors. The dinosaur, which measured around 2 meters long, was a hunting breed that had a brain size that was quite similar to a mammal or bird that lives today. It was also equipped with stereoscopic vision and hands that could grasp.
Not the Brightest Dinosaur of the Bunch
With the brain the same size as a walnut, the Stegosaurus is known as the dumbest dinosaur of the bunch. If you want to compare the size of the brain in relation to body size, the Plateosaurus is another creature that had a very small brain.
The Extinction of the Dinosaurs
An ongoing controversial debate amongst researchers and others is what actually killed the dinosaurs and sent them into extinction. It is widely believed that the dinosaurs disappearing off of the face of the earth was attributed to a mass extinction connected to two major events. The first is thought to be associated with a meteorite colliding with the Earth in the location now known as the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. A destructive volcanic eruption took out the rest of the dinosaurs in an event that actually split the land now known as India in half.
One Tall Dino
The Brachiosaurid group of sauropods produced dinosaurs with the tallest heights. With front legs that were longer than the rear, the creatures stood with a stance much like the modern giraffe. The dinosaurs held their extremely long necks vertically, which furthered their overall height. This height gave the dinosaurs an advantage because they were able to eat plants from the tallest of trees. The best-known creature of the group was the Brachiosaurus, which stood at 13 meters tall.