The Godzilla Syndrome – Scientific Inaccuracies of Prehistoric Animals in the Movies
1998; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 46; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.5408/1089-9995-46.5.456
ISSN2158-1428
AutoresHoward R. Feldman, Jeffrey M. Wilson,
Tópico(s)Species Distribution and Climate Change
ResumoThe depictions of dinosaurs and other ancient animals in the movies have, almost without exception, sacrificed scientific accuracy in order to create exotic images of huge, terrifying creatures. The public's misconceptions of dinosaurs as bloodthirsty, ponderous beasts that co-existed with humans have been gradually changing over the years. Recent discoveries by paleontologists have made people, especially children, more aware of the facts. Students, in the courses “Adventures in Earth History” and “Principles of Paleontology,” were assigned to review a video that depicted prehistoric animals with the idea of evaluating their scientific accuracy. The students' reviews demonstrated that they were able to detect fallacies regarding dinosaur ecology and behavior and arrive at conclusions based on scientific evidence. Class discussions ranged from dinosaur functional morphology and ichnology to an overview of dinosaur ecology. The assignment may be adapted for advanced courses, such as vertebrate paleontology, historical geology, or general biology classes.
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