Re: Errors in Jurassic Park (Movie) (posted for A. Pisera)

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From: "Andrzej Pisera" <apis@asp.biogeo.uw.edu.pl>
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 96 12:24:10 CST
Reply-To: <apis@asp.biogeo.uw.edu.pl>
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To: paleonet-owner@nhm.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Errors in Jurassic Park (Movie)

On Thu, 04 Jan 1996 10:02:20 -0500, Bret Bennington wrote:

>One of our local Jr. High Schools will be screening 'Jurassic Park' for
>their Earth science classes.  As a follow-up to the film they will be
>looking for and discussing scientific errors in the film (they just did
>this for 'Apollo 13' and it really got the kids interest).
>
>Can anyone provide me with any print references or personal observations
>regarding the scientific accuracy of the film that I can pass along to
>Valley Stream Jr High School?
>
>Please feel free to respond directly to me if this doesn't seem of
>sufficient interest for paleonet bandwidth.
>
>Thanks for your help!
>
>Sincerely,
>JBB
>
>J Bret Bennington
>Department of Geology
>114 Hofstra University
>Hempstead, NY 11550-1090
>516-463-5568
>FAX: 516-463-6010
>E-mail: geojbb@vaxc.hofstra.edu

Below are some errors (& overstatements) in JP:
  There are no sonar fossil detectors of such image quality as the
equipment shown in the field camp (though David Gillette tried to use a
sonar probing device during Seismosaurus excavations);
  The Dilophosaurus was probably not endowed with neck frill (borrowed from
Australian frilled lizard) nor coud spit venomous saliva (though its bite
could have been poisonous due to bacteria developing in rotting meat in
theropod dental serrations; bacterial toxins help the Komodo dragon
in killing their prey);
  The Brachiosaurus had too large head, probably could not stand up on
hind legs only (was too front-heavy; other sauropods could rear up for
feeding or defence with more ease), sneezing is also doubtful, because
this diaphragm reflex is typically mammalian (dinosaurs did not have
rib-less belly separated by the diaphragm from the ribcage containing
lungs).
   Most dinosaurs (except the two above) in the Jurassic Park were not
Jurassic, but Cretaceous.
   The Velociraptor was too big (rather Deinonychus-sized), and too
intelligent.
   The Tyrannosaurus' vision was rather bird-like than frog-like, thus the
idea that it could see only moving objects was only necessary to allow
the people to escape from sure death in close contact with the T. rex (and
perhaps a heritage from the frog DNA used in the JP genetic lab).
   The Triceratops dung was of course much too big, compared to any known
coproliths and any possible rectal diameter of a dinosaur.
   And, of course, even knowing a complete sequence of DNA of any species
is not sufficient to recreate the organism (and probably will be so in
foreseeable future - the success of the HUGO project will not allow for
creating a human, happily).
Best wishes in the New Year
Karol Sabath, Institute of Paleobiology Polish. Acad. Sci.
******************************
* Andrzej Pisera             *
* Institute of Paleobiology, *
* Zwirki i Wigury 93         *
* 02-785 Warszawa, Poland    *
* apis@asp.biogeo.uw.edu.pl  *
******************************