It IS Christmas! (Or: Flight Of The Poison Chewin' Dino)
Oh Science, you knew just what I wanted!
Sinornithosaurus, a VENOMOUS dinosaur!
A feathered predator that lived 125 million years ago has been revealed as the first-known venomous dinosaur, which paralysed its prey with poison in a similar way to some snakes. – TimesOnline
I was a little concerned that the new understanding of feathered dinos wouldn’t catch on with the public, people just don’t want a softer dinosaur, but give them venom – and apparently teach them the crane kick from the end of The Karate Kid – and I think we’ve got a contender.
More from the article:
David Burnham, of the University of Kansas, said: “You wouldn’t have seen it coming. It would have swooped down behind you from a low-hanging tree branch and attacked from the back. Once the teeth were embedded in your skin the venom could seep into the wound.
“The prey would rapidly go into shock but it would still be living, and it might have seen itself being slowly devoured by this raptor.”
Meeeeerrry Christmas!
