7 Things That Would Be Totally Different At A Real "Jurassic Park"

According to the scientist behind the films.

By
Alex Kasprak
by Alex Kasprak

BuzzFeed Staff

Universal Pictures / Alex Kasprak / BuzzFeed

If you're a human being and a good person, then you love Jurassic Park. Which means that Jack Horner, a noted paleontologist who serves as technical advisor for the Jurassic Park films, has the best job ever.

Horner was also at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County before Jurassic World premieres this week, and he talked about dinos. But, more importantly, he dropped some hints about what a Jurassic Park would look like if it happened IRL.

Here’s what Horner said you might notice at a ‘real’ Jurassic Park:

Universal Pictures / Via minus.com

1. You wouldn’t have to worry about some Clever Girl trying to kill you.

Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com

Horner stressed that, outside of humans, no animal actually hunts for sport. “Even a Velociraptor, which I think is one of the nastiest dinosaurs that ever lived, […] would not tear open your vehicle to get to you,” he said.

2. It might look more like a wildlife reserve in the Serengeti.

Mrigorg / Getty Images

In terms of setting up a dino park, Horner said you really wouldn't need something all that complicated to make it happen. "You could put dinosaurs in the Serengeti" he joked, "and you could go on safari and see dinosaurs. They aren't going to rip holes in your vehicle."

3. You probably wouldn’t hear a terrifying T. rex screaming at you.

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In Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, the ominous howls and terrifying cries of the dinosaurs are ever-present. "We have them growling and making really loud noises […] and I doubt very much the dinosaurs made any of those sounds." He went on to suggest that they might even have made "pleasant noises."

4. You might see a lot more color on those dinosaurs.

PBS

The dinosaurs of the Jurassic Park world are generally shown to have pretty muted shades of dark green or brown. But Horner said that, based on their relationship to reptiles and birds, "dinosaurs can be any color birds are, and that includes pink!" In fact, Horner said that this was a disagreement he had with the director, Steven Spielberg, leading up to the first Jurassic Park Film. "But Steven made a good point," he adds, "technicolor dinosaurs are not scary."

5. There’d be a lot more dinos with feathers.

Matt Martyniuk / Via en.wikipedia.org

Another thing Horner said he had wanted to see on the Jurassic Park dinosaurs were more feathers. New fossil discoveries have made it increasingly clear that many of the most iconic dinosaurs, including Velociraptors, had feathers.

6. And most of the dinosaurs would be taking naps on the regular.

Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com

The level of activity displayed by the dinosaurs in all the films is quite remarkable. The reality is a bit different. "If you went to Jurassic Park," he said, "you would see a whole bunch of dinosaurs sleeping."

7. But! You might actually be able to see some super cute baby dinosaurs.

Universal Pictures / Via jurassicworldmovie.com

Horner hinted that there would be some baby Triceratops in the upcoming Jurassic World movie. He also suggested that they would be cute, and that their cuteness was actually scientifically valid. Baby Triceratops, he said, have a horn that faces in a different direction than adults, and "sort have these squeezed up faces and big eyes." He thinks there could be a good reason for this: "They are not signaling anything aggressive." Basically, their cuteness helps them stay out of trouble.

I don't know about you, but I am pretty excited to see some serious baby Triceratops.

Dudes in Toyland / Via youtube.com

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