A team of biologists from the University of Manchester has developed a new technique to accurately measure the weight and size of dinosaurs, discovering that they weren't as heavy as previously thought. The findings are published in the journal Biology Letters .
Specifically, the researchers used lasers to measure the minimum amount of skin required to cover the skeletons of modern mammals such as reindeer, polar bears, giraffes and elephants. And they came to the conclusion that these animals have 21% more body mass than the minimum volume of skin and bone that surrounds the skeleton. Applying this technique to a giant brachiosaurus skeleton from the Natural History Museum in Berlin, whose estimated weight was 80 tons, they concluded that in reality this prehistoric herbivore must have weighed "only" 23 tons .
According to the study authors, the new technique should be used to measure the weight of all available dinosaur fossils. After all, body mass is a key parameter used to restrict the biomechanical and physiological characteristics of extinct organisms. However, as paper co-author Bill Sellers explains, until now it was surprisingly difficult for paleobiologists to figure out the weight of fossilized animals . The new technique simplifies the process and makes it more objective, fast and accurate.
