Dinos had more air cavities in heads

[theblackalchemist]

Dinos had more air cavities in heads

 

WASHINGTON: Dinosaurs had tiny brains, it has long been established. And, now paleontologists claim to have found evidence that the beasts had more air cavities in their heads than earlier believed.

 

In its study, a team at the Ohio University examined skulls of two predators, Tyrannosaurus rex and Majungasaurus, and two ankylosaurians, Panoplosaurus and Euoplocephalus, both plant-eating dinosaurs with armoured bodies and short snouts.

 

And, for comparison, they studied scans of crocodiles and ostriches, which are modern day relatives of dinosaurs, as well as humans to reach the conclusion.

 

The study revealed large olfactory areas, an arching airway that went from the nostrils to the throat, and many sinuses. Overall, the amount of air space was much greater than the brain cavity of the dinosaurs, the The Anatomical Record journal reported.

 

According to team leader Prof Lawrence Witmer, the air spaces helped lighten the load of the head, making it about 18 percent lighter than it would have been without all the air. "What emerged is that these air spaces have certain properties and functions," he said.

Dinos had more air cavities in heads-Health/Sci-The Times of India