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From the very beginning, dinosaurs have been fascinating creatures. There are a lot of interesting theories related to these gigantic beasts, including that they trekked the earth just like other animals.
Many of us have wondered about how they used to move around. Thanks to fossil records, paleontologists mapped the dinosaur migrations when they ruled the earth.
In this article, we will discuss the network theory and other factors that helped scientists understand how various fossils were interconnected.
What is Network Theory?
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Using Network Theory, scientists pointed out how different dinosaur families migrated along various continents. Fossil records revealed that dinosaurs trekked across the supercontinent Pangea some 230 to 66 million years ago.
From these individual fossil records, paleontologists made a network explaining how dinosaurs relocated from Europe to other parts of the world. The whole network constitutes continents as checkpoints where the fossil remains were found.
These points were then connected to each other using lines to make a proper network channel. It also provided information on how these land monsters changed through time.
Even though networking theory was recently used in dinosaur research, it has been around for a long time. It is utilized in computer science to quantify internet data, such as friend connections on Facebook and tweets on Twitter.
What was the Migration Pattern During the Triassic Period?
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Dinosaur migrations became prominent during the Triassic period around 252 million years ago. It was also the same time when the supercontinent Pangea was divided into smaller sub-continents.
The migration began by the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago. During this period, the continents had already drifted apart to the locations that exist today. As a result of this division, many land masses ended up with high sea levels.
Dinosaurs in search of safe spaces relocated from these zones using temporary land bridges formed due to the world’s tectonic activity. As the subdivision continued, many of the subcontinents were completely isolated. But, this didn’t stop dinos from getting onto these isolated lands.
They used to move back and forth during the early Cretaceous period, especially in Europe, where you can still find a rich treasure of dinosaur fossils today.
Which Dinosaurs were Included in the Great Migration?
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Tracking the great migration of dinosaurs was indeed a challenging task. Researchers divided these huge animals into three groups to make things easy to understand. Below we will explain these three clusters in detail.
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The first form of dinosaur group that migrated from the continent had these huge and long necks and was called sauropodomorphs. The fossil record reveals that they used to feed on plants and green vegetation.
Some of the common creatures included in this group were the Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus. Moreover, Sauropodomorphs were less mobile as compared to theropods.
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Another group of dinosaurs that migrated throughout the subcontinent was the theropod. The group included all carnivorous dinosaurs, including the most famous and gigantic Tyrannosaurus rex.
Additionally, animals in the theropod group were huge compared to other dinosaurs. Because of their size, they could not swim across sea waves. While talking to live science, Dunhil revealed that even though these theropods were not great at flying, they could move through narrow seaways.
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Ornithischians, also known as plant eaters, had a distinct pelvic structure that resembled birds. In addition to the same pelvic bones, their jaw bones had a similar arrangement to modern-day birds. The group included dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Triceratops.
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reviously scientists believed that dinosaurs used to roam all around the earth together regardless of the time of the year. However, a new study suggests that not all dinosaurs used to migrate at the same time. Here are some of the reasons why they migrated.
Analysis of fossil records revealed that adverse consequences, like the unavailability of food and water, were among the major factors for dinosaur migration. They moved from continent to continent in search of the basic necessities of life.
Paleontologists believe that dinosaurs would migrate to a region with enough water as the seasons would get dry. However, as the basin would be flooded with water, they would head back to their previous location. This migration occurred in the regions now known as Wyoming and Utah.
Because these places had wet and dry seasons throughout the year, mammals here were often involved in seasonal migration. It was further theorized that dinosaurs left the floodplain area as the summer dry season began.
As droughts were common during this time, dinos migrated to better locations in search of food. However, they would return to their lowlands as the winters began and food was again abundant.
To sum it up, there is much more to discover about dinosaurs and their migration patterns. Perhaps in the future, we will have a complete guide on how and when these gigantic beasts moved from one point to another. Until then, why don’t you get yourself a baby dino that looks exactly like a real one? To find a dinosaur that looks exactly like a real one, click here.
Teeth fossils record can provide insight into a dinosaur’s eating habits, which can further help understand their migration patterns. Even though teeth can provide great clues about the dinosaur diet, it is still only one piece of the puzzle as to why they moved hundreds of miles from their home.
After analyzing the relationship among early dinosaurs, paleontologists hypothesized that they were found in a part of the Pangea which is now known as South America. The dinosaurs then dispersed more than 220 million years ago across parts of Pangea that later became separate continents.
The division of the subcontinent had a significant impact on dinosaur migration patterns. As the continents were drifting apart, dinosaurs had a hard time moving in between them. However, evidence suggests that some species could still migrate across various boundaries even though the migration process was influenced by the subdivision but wasn’t stopped altogether.
Dinosaurs used to migrate between continents and islands using temporary land bridges. Studies reveal that these bridges might have been formed due to fluctuating sea levels during the Cretaceous period.
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