From time to time, paleontologists find dinosaurs so strange that some of them seem like bad jokes. Evolution actually tried different developmental paths, and the giant lizards became a dead-end branch. But that’s okay, because today, professional paleontologists can dig them up and make educated guesses about feathers, scales, and all that cool stuff. Although 90% of the species found were probably all bad looking, there were also “ugly ducks”.
Here are the top 8 weirdest dinos to ever roam the world:
1. Longisquama
This baby lived in the late Triassic period – a time when there were more deadly animals on Earth than Australia and the Middle East combined. That’s why small dinosaurs and reptiles had to learn to hide in order not to be eaten. However, being stealthy with such a contradiction on the back is very complicated. Scientists report that the spikes allowed the longisquama to glide through the air and jump from trees, but let’s be honest — going down isn’t the best way to escape predators.
2. Hullsraptor
Hulskaraptor, named after Polish paleontologist Halska Osmolska, is actually a duck or duck, who had some fun with the lizard. This funny-looking hybrid was able to live both on land and in water, further confirming my theory about the time-travelling duck.
3. Epitexypteryx
This tiny raptor discovered in China had strange front limbs. Nicknamed the “Dragon of Hu Yao Ming,” Epidyxypteryx had long fingers on its hands that the dino likely used to pry bugs off the ground.
4. Microraptor
This tiny dead chicken from China lived in the early Cretaceous period 125-120 million years ago. Microraptor was one of the smallest and most beautiful-known dinosaurs, measuring 50-70 cm in length and 1 kg in weight. It is one of the most common non-avian dinosaurs found in Liaoning Province. Well-preserved microraptor fossils provide important evidence of the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds.
5. Sinornithosaurus
Sinornithosaurus was the first dinosaur discovered with a venomous bite. Based on the peculiarities of its structure, Sinornithosaurus was a feathered predator that mostly hunted medium-sized representatives of ancient fauna.
6. Camptosaurus
We finally had a Jurassic boy and it was a weird one. Camptosaurus was a herbivorous, silent dinosaur that usually walked on two hind legs. This fat man had short arms and he was always trying to touch the ground but could never reach it.
7. Saurornithoides
Saurornithoides are a group of intelligent bird-like dinosaurs. Their brain size indicates that they were as intelligent as modern emus, and certainly smarter than today’s reptiles. They used their large brains to coordinate actions during hunting, especially when tracking small and agile animals such as Mesozoic mammals. It may also mean that these intelligent reptiles could care for their offspring by herding, much as ostriches and emus herd today.
8. Dracorex hogwartsia
Dracorex hogwartsia lived in North America during the late Cretaceous period. As you can see, this is no ordinary dyno name. The fossil was given the name Dracorex hogwartsia by a group of schoolchildren who noticed the similarity of the Dracorex’s skull to that of dragons and remembered Hogwarts, the famous magical school in the Harry Potter series. And, it sounds crazy!
