As we wind down the quarter over these next two weeks, I wondered if you could consider a more whimsical request. One of my favorite little books is entitled "How to Keep Dinosaurs: The Complete Guide to Bringing Up Your Beast" (by Robert Mash, 1983). The book is written very lovingly with "serious humor" as you can tell from this introduction: "I intend this book mainly as a help to average pet lovers who wish to keep a dinosaur or two in their house or garden. I also talk about some species that are best left, perhaps, to large land-owners that need a lot of space... (T)here are many, many species that are small and manageable enough to be kept successfully as pets, and many that are ideal for farming and other purposes." His chapters include: "Dinosaurs as Lap Pets", "Dinosaurs for Riding", "Dinosaurs for Police Work", "Dinosaurs for Eggs", "Dinosaurs for Zoos" and quite a few additional chapters.
I think that the new "Jurassic World" movie is trying to scare us about the idea of dinosaurs living amongst us today, but what about a more "realistic" view from someone (you!) who has just read a bit about the real nature of these creatures? If you were able to clone just one dinosaur species, which one would it be and how would you keep it? Would it be a pet or a work animal, and how would you use its abilities? Where would you put it, how would you feed it, what precautions might you take for its safety (and your own!) and what issues might come up because this is a creature brought back to life in an environment quite different from the Mesozoic? What would you study about it and what would you hope to learn?
I am excited to find out what you come up with! Dr. B.
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Well, if dinosaurs existed in the modern world, I would be the first person to slide down the tail of an Apatosaurus after work yelling "YABBA-DABBA-DOO!"
...only to fall flat on my face because the skin of the Apatosaurus would be too rough to slide on efficiently.
I'm sure we would quickly realize a number of fallacies perpetuated by cartoons with dinosaurs in a modern setting. The regurgitated water of Mastodons would not make for a pleasant shower, the horns of the Triceratops would not be a practical juicer and a medium-sized Theropod would not make a good indoor house pet.
-Have I ruined your childhood yet?
I do not think that dinosaurs would have any practical value in today's society other than for amusement (and even then the ethics of keeping them in zoos would be a major concern). Not only that, but I couldn't imagine having to find a sustainable source of food for these guys when we can barely even feed ourselves. Unless...
...brontosaurus burger, anyone?
I would clone myself a team of Pachycephalosaurus. You ask why? I would form a Globetrotter style football team of pachycephalosaurs that would do exhibition football games against a team of human football players who, of course, would always lose. I realize that their domed heads aren’t necessary meant for heavy combat, but coming up against some humans in helmets wouldn’t cause too much damage. Because they are herbivores, I would have to make sure that they had a lot to eat. With the amount of money I will make as their manager, I could afford to make a deal with Whole Foods to provide fruit, vegetables, and plants for them to eat as long as the players wore Whole Foods jerseys. Wicopesset Island an unoccupied island just off of the long island sound in New York will be a great place to house these superstars. They would be far from other humans, so everyone would be safe, and they’d have some room to roam around and make baby pachycephalosaurs. I would have shelters with heaters for the winter, because they would be used to warmer climates. Because the island is close to a lot of east coast universities who I will give special access to my “island of dinosaurs.” With all of the access I’d give to these paleontologists, specialists, biologists…etc, in return I’d request that they make sure the dinosaurs were in good health and acclimating to their new surroundings.One day me and my team may move to Hollywood to pursue a movie career and enjoy the warm weather.
http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/g/graciliceratops.html
http://www.dinochecker.com/dinosaurs/GRACILICERATOPS
For my pet dinosaur I would choose Graciliceratops who lived in the Late Cretaceous and was an herbivore. He is practical in size for a pet, beings he is about the size of a cat. As I have 2 indoor cats, I have a feeling that they would not get along well at all, so having a huge back yard (several acres), I would build him a giant and special habitat out back for him to roam. I would grow a special garden of plants and ferns that he would enjoy eating. I imagined at first with his small size, the possibility of taking him out on walks to show of his frill, but beings they know his shins were longer than his thighs, this suggests he could run really fast, and I may not be able to keep up. A problem I may have is that beings there was only one discovery of this dinosaur in 1975 in Mongolia, we don’t know a lot. The specimen found in Mongolia represents what is thought to be a juvenile, thus leaving us unsure that he could very well turn into a much larger beast than the cat size represented in the fossil. I may be in for trouble if he grew bigger than I had anticipated!
Check out this website! They list 10 reasons you should own a dinosaur as a pet. I particularly like the one referring to keeping you warm at night. I have a dog, and there is nothing like a cuddle session at the end of the day. The Khaan dinosaur is one that could curl up and keep your feet warm. Due to the size you might need a few to do the trick. Another idea from this wed page is to keep your house safe. I live in a semi scary neighborhood, and there would be nothing like a T-rex outside to keep the burglars away. The only problem would be them growing to big to keep in the yard.
http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosaurfun/a/10-Reasons-Dinosaurs-Make-Good-Pets.htm
I would clone a microraptor, and then clone 6. I am choosing a small dinosaur because it would be easier to maintain and control, and it would be easy to breed them to quickly raise their numbers to form a considerable force. I would use these raptors gain political power through force and influence my ideals as a prince over a nation basing my power in carnivorous theropods. My goal would be to attain a utalitarian consequentialist state to encompass all of North America. A prince must have noble ideal in mind, for as Machiavelli said, "we cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which he achieved without either."
If I were to have a pet dinosaur I think I would have a ranch of Gallimimus. They would be trained racing, show, and leisurely treks through the blazing sun of the Gobi Desert. I don't know if they would like the leisurely treks but with enough coaxing and praise maybe it would work itself out! It would be potentially cost effective because the Gallimimus is omnivorous so it would be easier to maintain without mass amounts of vegetation to sustain a dino diet that is purely herbivore. Then the income generated from sharing the experience and adventures with Gallimimus could go into funding more research on having and keeping non-avian dinos in the modern world.
Coincidentally, I think my favorite dinosaur is also probably one of the most ethical and practical to clone! The Microraptor, with its small size, would be similar to a modern day bird of prey. They aren't too large or dangerous to be impractical, but they would only be able to be a pet in the sense that Falconers have pet falcons. It would take a trained professional to handle them, but it could be done much more easily than say, a T-Rex. They could probably also eat lots of modern animal meat like rats or lizards. I think a microraptor would be a really fun, but challenging pet to have.
Coincidentally, I think my favorite dinosaur is also probably one of the most ethical and practical to clone! The Microraptor, with its small size, would be similar to a modern day bird of prey. They aren't too large or dangerous to be impractical, but they would only be able to be a pet in the sense that Falconers have pet falcons. It would take a trained professional to handle them, but it could be done much more easily than say, a T-Rex. They could probably also eat lots of modern animal meat like rats or lizards. I think a microraptor would be a really fun, but challenging pet to have.
I would love to have a domesticated Triceratops. I keep going back to the scene in the first Juruassic Park movie where the main character is resting on the sick Tri's belly.
I would study the dung because I remember there being a huge pile of it and you can learn a lot from most animals by what they eat and how they digest. I would want a large sanctuary with a small visitors center as well. I would big giant styrofome tips on his horns. I would make sure he also has a lot of fauna to vegatate on so doesn't want to break out.
Working off of kim's 10 reasons to own a dinosaur as a pet, I chose the Compsognathus for size and diet. At the rough size of a chicken this would be rather easy to maintain and transport! feeding would (likely) cost less than a grown newfoundland. Since it lived in warmer and drier areas we could move to Arizona where there are lots of small lizards for it to eat.
http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/carnivorousdinosaurs/p/compsognathus.htm
I would clone a a Nemicolopterus, it is a small pterosaur that was discovered in 2008 and measures in with a wingspan of 10 inches and weighed a few ounces. It would've been a great housepet at that size. And I was also scared of the environmental impact a larger creature would have on our planet since it is so different from when they were alive. And I can't see these small airborne dinosaurs causing much trouble.
Qijianglong (“dragon of Quijang”), the sauropod has a neck that measures 25 feet long, virtually half of its body length. He is about 50 feet long and thrived in the late Jurassic period. This may sound crazy but when I read thinking about Qijianglong I always think I will see him in Italy. Haha....Anyway, I would move to Italy and keep him in my back yard where I grow many tall fruit trees. He will be able to knock the fruit off of the trees to the ground for me, as well as do other things for me like clean the roof top of my house, lift me while I wash the windows of the top floor and some more. He will be a pet who works and plays with my nieces and nephews. Behind my house will be a trail for him to reach food of his choice. I will also make sure I gather bushes for him to eat. No people eating though! My back yard will have an electric fence that will expand at night time to cover the yard and cage my pet in. I will have him from his birth so he won't attack us, plus he won't eat meat so no worries. I won't have a neighbor, we will live in very secluded surroundings so only people who purposely set out to see him will. I will most likely be really interested in the sounds he makes and when. Behaviors that show up when some one comes to visit and when he's hungry or afraid.
If could could clone only one dinosaur I would go with a Acrotholus Audeti! A recently discovered species of pachycephalosaur which was about the size of a big dog.
Probably the first thing i would do is to take him for a walk and freak other people out with it. I would take him to the par and try to teach him basic tricks or at least make him learn his own name haha. Feeding him would not be much of a problem since this species are herbivores so my whole backyard would be his kitchen.
Finally I don't think this little dinosaur would be much of a problem. Because this small size it most be easy to have in in home and with some practice we both would learn ro live with each other.
Supai, Arizona. Only accessible by foot, mule, or helicopter. Less chance of an unsuspecting human crossing paths with Havasu, a 30 foot ankylosaurs. He's named after the Native American tribe we live near.
We live in a canyon which provides a natural rock barrier to keep him in. A specially designed mask and pack help to regulate oxygen levels since his lungs were not designed for today's atmosphere. I grow crops of squash, beans, corn, and melons. Melons being Havasu's favorite treat. The tough shrubbery and cactus make for good grazing. I also supplement with truck loads of hay.
For daily busy work we help deliver mail since it tends to be delayed by slow mules that have to carry it. We keep an eye out for flash floods and then we bring out our large wagon to help with emergency evacuations. He likes being useful and is pretty easy going so he tends to keep his tail to himself unless threatened.
We are for hire to clear areas after disasters and also serve border patrol to assist in drug raids. Havasu's size and tail make him a natural at clearing areas after a disaster and his high sense of smell are great for locating drugs, plus he's a visual deterrent. He also senses when nature is about to strike which gives us an early warning.
Working every day with an Anklosaur has given me an understanding of their feeding habits.....its constant! His tail has been great for spreading the manure and a special saddle keeps me out of the way. I've also learned that he is fine living without a herd. Lately I've been studying his movement and his senses: audio, visual, and smell. One thing I hope to learn is if he would adapt to the atmosphere enough to breathe without a mask or is the atmosphere so different that it would take generations of genetic adaptation.
I would take a velociraptor as a pet because they are said to be very intelligent and would be amazing. People wouldn't probably be to eager to pet him if I was going down the street with him. Also finding him food to eat would be a pretty hard task, nut i could find a way for that to work.
http://www.livescience.com/23922-velociraptor-facts.html
Although Triceratops was already chosen it is my childhood dream to have my own triceratops. The first thing that I would do is take about 3.5 million pictures! With a diet of shrubs and other plant life, I would be able easily keep it fed. I would have a small family of them in a preserve in Bolivia so it would agree with its native climate. I would not use it for labor or self defense, I would study it from a far and provide as much enrichments as I possibly could. Since so many answers would be had from simply creating a cloned dinosaur, I would focus on the animal behavior (Tinbergen's four questions). How do they socialize? I want to know!
I would choose Compsognathus as my pet dinosaur, because of its size. It is the smallest dinosaur that was found so far, they lived 150 million years ago. I cannot think about having a pet that is like the size of T. Rex, and i do not think i could take care of this kind of giant pet. Compsognathus is like the size of turkey, and it has a close relative of Archaeopteryx. I think it is pretty cool to walk a Compsognathus on the street, and it is scary as T rex or other huge dinosaurs.
If I could clone any dinosaur, I would clone a triceratops. This is because triceratops has been my favorite dinosaur since I saw Land Before Time as a child and I think it would be a lot of fun to have one as a pet; it would be kind of like having an elephant for a pet. I could ride it around and teach it tricks. Though, I would definitely need to move to a house that had a lot of land; I would need to plant lots of vegetation such as ferns and shrubs, for my pet to eat and be able to move around safely. My pet would need to be protected from poachers and other wildlife, so I would need to build a sturdy fence around my property.
I think I would only clone one triceratops dinosaur at first as a trial run, that way I could train it and make sure that it wouldn’t get into too much trouble. If it went smoothly I would clone a few other triceratopses, so that my pet could have contact with someone of the same species. I think it would be very interesting to be able to watch how my pet acted while alone and then in a group setting; triceratops are not thought to be the most social dinosaurs, but scientist believe as juveniles, they stayed in a group, probably for protection. It would be neat to be able to see how triceratops handled the different environment.
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