Were dinosaurs the most successful animals on Earth?
When you use the word "dinosaur," you're probably thinking about one of two things. On the one hand are distinctive reptiles like Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, Triceratops or Diplodocus. On the other is anything that's too big, too heavy or generally obsolete. That photocopier at the convenience store that's built like a tank and threatens to vibrate the floor to bits when you use it? It's a dinosaur.
Dinosaurs came to symbolize everything that's ponderous, slow and doomed to extinction because of the way most people perceive them. Although their time in the spotlight as a failure has made the idea of "dinosaur" go hand-in-hand with "old and busted," scientists today generally view them as successful.
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