How Dinosaurs Had Sex

How dinosaurs had sex, in case you were wondering:

There’s a good chance that if you think like me (even just a little), that you’ve been wondering for years just how dinosaurs did it. Whether it’s the short-armed rexes or the long-necked and big-bodied bronts, dino sex seems kind of awkward and difficult (perhaps this is the real reason they no longer exist).

I’d like to thank Smithsonian for covering this valuable topic, and also note that this is obviously proof that some higher power exists.

Why? Because the people have wanted answers about dinosaur sex since the very first fossils were found. But, I suppose the proof of God also just disproved the existence of the dinosaurs to begin with. Anyway, onto the facts:

Figuring out how Stegosaurus even could have mated is a prickly subject. Females were just as well-armored as males, and it is unlikely that males mounted the females from the back. A different technique was necessary.

Perhaps they angled so that they faced belly to belly, some have guessed, or maybe, as suggested by Timothy Isles in a recent paper, males faced away from standing females and backed up (a rather tricky maneuver!).

The simplest technique yet proposed is that the female lay down on her side and the male approached standing up, thereby avoiding all those plates and spikes. However the Stegosaurus pair accomplished the feat, though, it was most likely brief—only as long as was needed for the exchange of genetic material.

All that energy and effort, from growing ornaments to impressing a prospective mate, just for a few fleeting moments to continue the life of the species.

[ via Smithsonian ]