teven
      Spielberg's
      Jurassic
      Park
      is
      an
      ambitious
      $65-
      million
     
     
      film
      that
      has
      turned
      out
      to
      be
      astonishingly
      successful
      in
     
     
      terms
      of
      accurately
      recreating
      dinosaurs.
     
    

    
     
      The
      main
      achievement
      of
      Jurassic
      Park
      is
      the
      creation
      of
     
     
      animals,
      not
      monsters.
      The
      lifelike
      result
      of
      the
      dinosaurs
     
     
      derives
      not
      only
      from
      their
      anatomical
      detail,
      breathing
      and
     
     
      fluid
      movements,
      but
      also
      from
      their
      behaviour.
      The
      dinosaurs
      interact,
     
     
      exhibit
      curiosity,
      vocalize,
      communicate,
      herd,
      flock
      and
      organize
      them-
     
     
      selves
      as
      animals.
      Since
      the
      dinosaurs
      in
      the
      film
      are
      intended
      to
      be
     
     
      scientifically
      accurate,
      they
      deserve
      critical
      look.
      And
      there
      are
      a
      few
     
     
      problems
      with
      the
      science
      portrayed
      in
      the
      film.
     
    

    
     
      For
      instance,
      Brachiosaurus
      could
      not
      rear
      up
      as
      it
      did
      in
      the
      film,
     
     
      although
      other
      sauropods
      (brontosaurs)
      could
      have.
      Brachiosaurus
      had
     
     
      an
      advantage
      over
      other
      sauropods:forearms
      longer
      than
      hind
      limbs.
     
     
      Normally,
      the
      reverse
      is
      true
      fora
      dinosaur.
      The
      longer
      forearms
      allowed
     
     
      Brachiosaurus
      to
      get
      out-of-reach
      branches
      without
      having
      to
      expend
      the
     
     
      energy
      and
      endure
      the
      strain
      of
      standing
      on
      its
      hind
      legs.
     
    

    
     
      Frightening
      as
      it
      was,
      the
      Tyrannosaurus
      rex
      in
      the
      film
      had
      some
      minor
     
     
      anatomical
      inaccuracies.
      Actual
      T.
      rex
      skulls
      do
      not
      feature
      triangular
     
     
      peaks
      over
      the
      lizard
      king’s
      eyes.
      The
      bones
      aroundits
      eyes
      were
      rounded;
     
     
      thus,
      T.
      rex
      would
      have
      given
      its
      prey
      an
      emotionless
      stare,
      like
      that
      of
      °
     
     
      agreat
      white
      sharkor
      shrike.
      Ironically,
      it
      was
      the
      small,
      docile,
      plant-eating
     
     
      dinosaurs-the
      ornithopods-with
      the
      “angry”
      eagle-ridged
      eyes.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Jurassic
      Park
      T.
      rex
      exhibited
      unusual
      flexibility
      for
      a
      tyrannosaur.
     
     
      The
      movie
      rex’s
      tail
      was
      too
      flexible.
      As
      a
      rule,
      tyrannosaur
      tails
      are
      only
     
     
      flexible
      at
      the
      base,
      but
      rigid
      in
      the
      latter
      half.
      Lateral
      movement
      was
     
     
      prevented
      by
      increasingly
      elongate
      processes
      (zygapophyses)
      that
      joined
     
     
      vertebra
      to
      vertebra
      further
      down
      the
      tail.
     
    

    
     
      The
      movie
      T.
      rex
      displayed
      an
      unlikely
      posture
      derisively
      termed
      “The
     
     
      Cossack
      Dance”
      wherein
      the
      thighs
      are
      splayed
      outwards
      from
      the
     
     
      midline
      of
      the
      body.
      In
      actual
      fact,
      the
      thigh
      bones’
      ball
      joint
      rests
      on
      an
     
     
      elevated
      neck,
      forcing
      the
      ends
      of
      the
      thighs
      slightly
      outward,
      away
      from
     
     
      the
      midline
      of
      the
      body.
      As
      a
      result,
      the
      shins
      are
      oriented
      inward,
      tucking
     
     
      the
      feet
      under
      the
      body
      midline.
      The
      muscles
      attaching
      the
      pelvis
      to
      the
     
     
      thigh
      bones
      prevented
      gross
      lateral
      movement,
      restricting
      leg
      movement
     
     
      to
      the
      fore-and-aft.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Jurassic
      Park
      rex
      has
      a
      terrible
      slouch
      resulting
      from
      thighs
     
     
      oriented
      too
      horizontally
      and
      a
      nearly
      horizontal
      neck.
      T
      rex’s
      neck
     
     
      vertebrae
      articulate
      in
      an
      S-curve,
      to
      hold
      the
      head
      well
      above
      the
     
     
      backbone.
      In
      addition,
      the
      arms
      of
      the
      movie
      rex
      are
      too
      wide
      apart
      and
     
     
      spindly.
      A
      recent
      study
      of
      T.
      rex
      forelimbs
      indicate
      that
      they
      were
      well-
     
     
      muscled
      and
      exceptionally
      powerful.
      |
      have
      held
      the
      cast
      of
      the
      largest
      T.
     
     
      rex
      limb
      ever
      found-from
      a
      41
      -footer-which
      matched
      my
      arms
      in
      length.
     
     
      Imagine
      your
      arms
      curling
      over
      200
      pounds
      each!
     
    

    
     
      The
      only
      paleoartist
      to
      produce
      accurate
      T.
      rex
      restorations
      is
     
     
      Toronto's
      Garfield
      Minott.
      His
      model
      depicts
      birdlike
      eyes
      without
     
     
      “horns”;
      stout
      forelimbs
      at
      the
      front
      of
      the
      chest;
      thighs
      in
      a
      vertical
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ce
      coger
      is
      (N
     
     
      by
      Thomas
      Carr
      (Excalibur
      Vy
      OCG
      NCI
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      8/X-Press/September
      16,
      1993