Utahraptor spielbergi?

Hahahahaha…

That can not be the scientific name for the six-metre tall Velociraptor. Is it?

Here’s the low down:

Steven Spielberg wanted the scariest dinosaurs in his movie Jurassic Park. Velociraptors were only discovered to be only 1.8metres tall, but they would look too wimpy onscreen so he made his Velociraptors 6 metres tall. Not long after in Utah, USA 1992, scientist found a 6 metre tall ‘raptor’ just like the ones in the movie! They decided to call it Utahraptor because it was found in Utah. These raptors were super deadly, maybe even more so than T-Rex.

They didn’t live during the same period, but they were the most feared. What happens when these two monsters meet?

The Utahraptor vs. Tyrannosaurus Rex

Size –
Utahraptor: Six metres long.
T-Rex: 5.4 metres tall.

Weight –
Utahraptor: Nearly a tonne.
T-Rex: Six tonnes

Best Features –
Utahraptor: Huge (38 centimetres) curved hind claws.
T-Rex: Huge, strong jaw and massive neck. Bite-and-shake action twice as strong as any other predator.

Speed/Agility –
Utahraptor: Runs on two feet. Top sprint speed: 64 kilometres per hour. Tail can do quick flips for easy turning and jumping. Climbs trees. Can’t dig.
T-Rex: Runs on two feet. Top sprint speed: 64 kilometres per hour. Stiff tail, good for flipping and turning quickly. Can’t climb, but large feet great for digging prayer out of borrows. Good swimmer, but kind of slow.

Senses –
Utahraptor: Excellent vision. Long snout means good sense of smell.
T-Rex: Great at smelling out a meal. Fantastic vision and hearing.

Smarts –
Utahraptor: Huge brain: much smarter than most other dinos.
T-Rex: So-so-sized brain; smart but no rocket scientist.

Strengths –
Utahraptor: Sharp teeth and long jaw good for quick, snapping bites. Mascular neck can jerk head and up for fast tearing action. Long claws on all toes good for grabbing, tearing.
T-Rex: Huge teeth look like elephants tusks and can cash through ribs, shoulder blades and skulls.

Weaknesses –
Utahraptor: Can’t move fash in forest. Lack of swimming skills makes it vulnerable in swampy areas. Small hind feet make walking in mud hard.
T-Rex: Can’t move quickly in dense forest. Slow on attack. Tiny arms.

Yes it’s been over a week since my first Dino post. But I swear this is the last dinosaur post. Dinosaurs are just so cool right now (90s).

This is what I think will happen. Utahraptor quickly climbs up a tree and jumps on top of T-Rex. He claws his eyes out and his back. T-Rex in pain, swings his head from side to side. He runs into a lake. Utahraptor has trouble moving but manages to claw into T-Rex’s body. T-Rex bites his tiny head off. Utahraptor Dies.

Sounds about right? Anybody think T-Rex is no match for clever Utahraptor?

Source: Disney Adventures Oct/Nov 1993

Dinosaurs TV

It’s DINO week! Dinosaurs were so cool in the 90s, and so was the TV show Dinosaurs. It’s a sitcom based on the Sinclair family with Earl and Fran as the parents; Robbie and Charlene as brother and sister; and Baby as . . . the baby.

Unfortunately I don’t remember a single episode. I do remember it making me laugh and that I loved this show. Too bad it didn’t last very long. It aired from 1991 to 1994. This classic isn’t released on DVD in my country. Shame. Anyone else love this show? If you remember an episode you love (unlike me) please share!

Dinosaur Theme Park

 Jurassic Park (the film based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same title) was released in 1993 and is one of Steven Spielberg’s most entertaining movies of all time. John Hammond wants to open a park filled with cloned dinosaurs, but must have a safety inspection first. Computer Architech Dennis Nedry (played by favourite 90s fatty actor Wayne Knight) gets bribed to steal dinosaur embryos to deliver to Hammond’s rival. Accordingly, Nedry shuts off the security system; allowing dangerous carnivorous dinosaurs to escape out of their cages. This is where the fun begins.

I was petrified when I watched this movie for the first time. The beginning was light and fun, even included a cartoon explaining the cloning of their dinosaurs. I didn’t understand a thing but it was still cute to watch. Once T-Rex came into the picture, it was time to hide under the covers.

I watched this again and the dinosaurs still looks real as they did the first time I saw it. So many films these days use computers to generate animals and other creatures but it ends up looking like a 3D animation. Examples are the two Chronicles of Narnia films. For some reason it works for Jurassic Park. The sound effects used in Jurassic Park are spectacular. The screech and growls of these dinosaurs are just scary. You MUST watch this with surround sound.

The scene that frightened me the most and still does a bit, is the scene in the kitchen. Tim and Lex (Hammond’s grand children are trying to get out of being dinner (or was it breakfast/lunch, who knows) to two hungry Velociraptors. Tim and Lex are only kids, so this is pretty much a nightmare come true for them. They’re only in a kitchen for Pete’s sake; there isn’t much space for you to run or hide.

[Excuse the poor quality]

My other favourite scene was when Tim, Lex and Alan Grant get up close and personal with a Brachiosaurus in a tree. The dinosaur sneezed all over Lex. Cute.