Dinosaurs
This page features some of our amazing dinosaur research.
Jurassic Park meets Arachnophobia
It’s the ultimate 90s movie mash-up – Arachnophobia meets Jurassic Park. And it’s happened in real life, right here at the University of Manchester. Imprisoned within a block of amber dating back to the Cretaceous period, a spider has been discovered that could provide an unparalleled insight into the evolution of everyone’s favourite creepy-crawly. And […]
Squid – a 200 million-year-old delicacy
Ever wondered what was on the menu 200 million years ago? Well, if you like calamari, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover that not much has changed. New research by one of the leading experts in ichthyosaurs Dean Lomax has discovered the potential source of the newborn reptile’s diet: squid. What’s interesting is this isn’t […]
“Must go faster!” Could you outrun a T-rex?
Congratulations! Your time machine works! You’ve travelled back more than 66 million years and arrived in the Cretaceous period. But, oh no! You’ve barely had chance to admire your surroundings before a thumping shakes the ground beneath you. Suddenly you notice a shadow lurking in the forest. A large shadow. And then a Tyrannosaurus Rex […]
Thought that Jurassic Park could be real? Then think again…
We’ve all seen the film(s); dinosaurs running free in a safari park where you can literally step back in time, until it all goes horribly wrong and you find yourself cowering under the kitchen sink as velociraptors prowl past. You’d think they’d learn after four (soon-to-be five) films that dinosaurs in the modern age just isn’t […]