I remember someone mentioned online that the reconstruction of animals are more complicated than just tracing the bone line.
I am very interested if some experts are willing to tell us more.
I dunno, still might be aliens with this one.
Submitted 11 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/2b9a2f91-39a7-4e1d-8c40-098fd3613c8a.webp
Comments
baseless_discourse@mander.xyz 11 months ago
agent_flounder@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Since none chimed in, I, an idiot, will share what I think I know. When reconstructing the faces of people from a skull, either with clay or software, they model the various tissues–muscles, fat, skin, etc according to models based on samples. How they would do this for a creature that isn’t very like any current living creature I don’t know. It is probably educated guesswork?
I just read an article on this process for a neanderthal and in that particular instance they used data from humans since I guess it was close enough.
But, for example (referencing a recent meme) how do they know spinosaur had a sail and not a hump back and neck muscles like a buffalo?? Seriously though I’m sure they can tell which bones have attachment points, how much force they can withstand, etc.
snooggums@kbin.social 11 months ago
Over the last few decades there have been massive improvements on telling which bones have attachment points for muscles and hints at how strong the muscles are likely to be, but it takes a long time to replace all of the existing artwork with newer and more accurate artwork.
Even with improvements to the muscle structure, any part of the body that has fatty buildup like breasts would be missed without soft tissues being preserved. I am fairly certain that a hippos nose and lip area wouldn't have enough detail to reconstruct accurately. Heck, tyrannosaurs most likely had lips to cover their teeth, but that is based on other animals with similar teeth all having lips to protect the teeth from dryness and rot that doesn't apply to crocodiles who live in a very wet environment.
Hillock@kbin.social 11 months ago
As another idiot, there is a difference between tusks and teeth. They are different, tusks don't contain enamel for example and I think aliens could also determine this difference. It's rare for teeth to stick out like in the reconstruction.
They would also be able to determine that hippos can open their mouth extremely wide. Making it more likely for the long "fangs" to be at least partially covered like in sabertooth cats rather than exposed like the tusks of elephants.
msage@programming.dev 11 months ago
I’ll be honest, I double-checked your username to make sure I’m not going to read about Undertaker at the end
blackbrook@mander.xyz 11 months ago
They can get some idea from the bones of muscle attachment points and how strong of a muscle would have been attached.
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 11 months ago
They might look cute and cuddly, but hippos are freaking mean. And they hold grudges longer than a snubbed karen-in-law
transientpunk@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
I mean, the alien reconstruction is like looking into the soul of the hippo
marcos@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yes, it captures the essence of the animal perfectly right.
Klear@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
The Alien Painting of Dorian Hippo.
mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Mandalore: “I would believe a hippo has boss phases in real life.”
kamenlady@lemmy.world 11 months ago
They are also faster than they look.
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 11 months ago
Aren’t they the most deadly wild animal? (because people think they are like cattle and get too close)
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I’m not sure most deadly animal is right, but they’re definitely top five. Mothers also supper protective of children and males are hyper territorial.
moistclump@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I dunno, I think aliens would be smarter than that and we’re projecting our history of being overly simplistic on our dino reconstruction. Why put it on the aliens? It’s already an us issue.
angrystego@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Because the post is not about aliens. It’s about people. Aliens serve here to help you see the problem from the outside, to not use what you know about the animal. It’s supposed to show you the reflection of our way of thinking about fossils.
Draconic_NEO@mander.xyz 11 months ago
How can anyone say that an Alien archeologist would make the same minimalist assumptions that humans have made as opposed to making their own assumptions about the muscle and cartilage structures based on the creatures they’re familiar with or current creatures alive on earth at the time.
UraniumBlazer@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Uh oh… Looks like SOME alien got offended…
moistclump@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I am and I am!
RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Did you know the bite force of a hippo is 1820 psi? For comparison, the bite force of a lion is 650 psi, which could easily crush your rib cage as it can only withstand 400 pounds of force.
LemmysMum@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Imagine a hydrolic press pushing a coke can through your leg.
ALostInquirer@lemm.ee 11 months ago
[…] which could easily crush your rib cage as it can only withstand 630 pounds of force.
…How is this known? Also is that calculated with the skin/muscle/connective tissue buffer in mind? If so, that honestly raises even more questions…
RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world 11 months ago
There is a method of execution known as pressing, which was the crushing of someone under immense weight. One famouse example occurred during the Salem which trials where a man, not a woman, got so sick of salems bullshit that the refused to talk when questioned and so the town tried to get a confession out of him buy stacking rocks on top of him, with the only respons being “more weight”. He eventually died from the crushing pressure of the rocks. Another famouse example involves an elephant crushing a person, though it was common to crush the limbs then the head.
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 11 months ago
How is this known?
Scale in mouth, bite?
sj_zero 11 months ago
Honestly, knowing what I know about the last slide, it might as well be the middle slide.
Grownbravy@hexbear.net 11 months ago
How it looks: This creature would use it’s oversized teeth to impale it’s prey and it’s massive muscles gives it a crushing bite.
The truth: I eata da plant
Collatz_problem@hexbear.net 11 months ago
The truth: I eata da plant and also indiscriminately murder everyone who comes too close.
lol3droflxp@kbin.social 11 months ago
And then eat the meat sometimes
Etterra@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Oh hey, it’s Tusky Tooth, the cryptid mascot of the Alabama turn named after him.
stebo02@sopuli.xyz 11 months ago
Actually this is how we’ve been reconstructing dinosaurs. They’re probably all wrong.
Malgas@beehaw.org 11 months ago
Image
makuus@pawb.social 11 months ago
I want to believe…
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 11 months ago
Then you have physcs and how much weight the bones can lift before breaking.
fossilesque@mander.xyz 11 months ago
Image
jomoo99@lemmy.world 11 months ago
We need to bring back the chonkosaurs
protist@mander.xyz 11 months ago
T. rex may have had lips, for example
dingleberry@discuss.tchncs.de 11 months ago
Luscious kissable lips?
embed_me@programming.dev 11 months ago
😗
Smokeydope@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I dont care how scientifically accurate Dino’s with bird feathers are, they will never be as cool as the Jurassic park dino of my childhood
Salvo@aussie.zone 11 months ago
Spoken like someone who thinks Pluto should still be considered a Planet.
But you are right, Jurassic Park would be a completely different movie if Genaro was eaten my something that looked like an oversized quail.
usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
The book All Yesterdays explores this
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Yesterdays
Salvo@aussie.zone 11 months ago
Just purchased. Now it will languish in my iBooks library with other illustrated books until some time in the distant future…
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 11 months ago
It’s a while ago. Now they’re probably pretty accurate.