Scientists reveal what dinosaurs actually looked like… in the most accurate recreation EVER
The lifelike reconstruction is made from steel, fibreglass and clay... with pretty amazing results
IF you’ve ever wondered how true-to-life Jurassic Park’s prehistoric monsters were, today’s science boffins have the answers.
Researchers have now unveiled what is believed to be the most accurate reconstruction of a dinosaur EVER created, and the results are pretty astonishing.
The model is the size of a turkey, with a beady-eyed, bird-like face and beak.
The head has a Frankenstein flatness, while the beast has horns sticking out of each cheek.
Bristles flare out of its tail, while each of its four legs are clawed.
The lifelike creature was created in reference to a spectacular fossil discovered in China, which still had its skin and pigments in tact.
The animal is the creation of paleoartist Bob Nicholls, based on studies done by Dr Jacob Vinther at Bristol University.
It is a Psittacosaurus, a type of dinosaur which used its signature beak to nibble through vegetation.
The creature has a relatively large brain, which makes scientists think it was a smart dinosaur with complex behaviours, and large eyes which would suggest good vision.
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Bristolian Bob told the Guardian: “Some of my earliest memories are of drawing dinosaurs as a child, and that passion for illustrating extinct animals and environments has never left me.
“Jakob called me one morning in 2014 and asked if I was interested in reconstructing a fossil dinosaur with accurate colour patterns. I said, yes!”
The reconstruction took three months. It developed from detailed drawings to a fibreglass model, made from a steel frame and bulked out with polystyrene and wire mesh.
It is finished off with clay, which allows the animal to ‘come to life’ with scales, wrinkles, beaks and horns.
