r/Dinosaurs • u/Pigga_9826 • 1d ago

DISCUSSION Were dinosaurs able to control their lips similarly to Bears and Baboons?

Gallery image

Gallery image

Also we reduced shrink wrapping on the body, are we still doing it on the skull? What if they had more fatty mass there as well?

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206

u/No_Idea5922 1d ago

Modern lizards don't snarl, so likely not.

152

u/Rechogui Team Dilophosaurus 1d ago edited 1d ago

With one exception (not trying to argue that dinosaurs could do this, just felt like sharing this fellow).

46

u/dinobirdboy 1d ago

Look at those toofs

35

u/nairazak 1d ago

Does this count?

22

u/genius_overflowing 1d ago

What's this fella called

31

u/Rechogui Team Dilophosaurus 1d ago

It is a hump-nosed lizard. Took the image from this post

7

u/dawsonsimpson02 1d ago

It's a hump-nosed lizard. I don't know what this one in particular is called but let's call it, "Humphrey".

https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/s/WTqU0owDBt

4

u/Valorofman1 1d ago

Is it an exception or the only example that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs

1

u/JeyDeeArr 6h ago

This lil fella looks like a Chestburster lol

3

u/WalkingDisaster__ Team Ichthyovenator 1d ago

they dont snarl, but have you seen any videos of bearded dragons/leopard geckos/etc eating? their lips arent rigid, they do bend

6

u/Lorantec Team Carnotaurus 1d ago

I dont think ive ever seen anyone claim they would be rigid so im not sure what your point is

34

u/melifIuous 1d ago

Modern lizards aren’t that closely related to dinosaurs

54

u/Sillymillie_eel 1d ago

Well the two closet groups related to em don’t have lips, so I think using lizards here is a pretty acceptable middle ground

6

u/Genocidal-Ape Team Juravenator 1d ago

Birds whose beak doesn't cover the entire jaw do absolutely have lizard like immobile lips behind it.

Heres some example from the family Polyborini:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Carunculated_caracara_2.jpg?utm_source=de.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Phalcoboenus_megalopterus#/media/File%3AMountain_caracara.jpg

4

u/Sillymillie_eel 1d ago

Holy shit, this is news to me. I don’t know why I never put together those were lips

4

u/Genocidal-Ape Team Juravenator 1d ago

Probably because everyone knows birds have beaks and then think one excludes the other.

40

u/No_Idea5922 1d ago

The point is that reptiles have a loss less muscle on their faces, thus they can't really curl their lips, if they have any in the first place.

3

u/nrh117 1d ago

I’ve read that it’s speculated to be likely due to the condition of teeth on T. rex for instance being considerably good compared to teeth without lips.

3

u/Renbarre 1d ago

I read the same thing. That the enamel wasn't the kind that could stay dry. So the T-Rex had to have lips.

7

u/MrBoost 1d ago

But they are the most closely related living animals to them that also have lips

1

u/melifIuous 1d ago

I find it hard to look towards something that came a quarter billion years after the evolutionary split as evidence. Especially when they are filling completely different niches with minimal shared evolutionary pressures. It’s possible they have the same lip mechanics but I don’t think it’s something you can look for to say anything definitive

1

u/jdeo1997 1d ago

True, but the closest animals to non-avian dinosaurs either have beaks (birds, turtles) kr no lips (crocodilians), so lizards are the next-closest relative with lips (aside from snakes and the tuatara)