Chris from NewsLook

Footage of a mysterious sea-creature is going viral. It’s unclear where the footage was taken, but it’s time-stamped April 2012. There’s a lot of speculation as to what the creature actually is, with some guessing it’s a rare jellyfish called the Deepstaria Enigmata. Patrick Jones says it’s gross. Photo Credit: gnews pics via Flickr.

We might want to rename the Brachiosaurus with the moniker Gassiosaurus, new research indicates. The gassy emissions from these giant dinosaurs may have been enough to warm the Earth, the researchers say.

Sauropods are large plant-eating dinosaurs typified by such titans as Apatosaurus (once known as Brontosaurus) and Brachiosaurus. When they lived, during the Mesozoic era — from about 250 million years ago until the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago — the climate was warm and wet. Nothing on Earth today compares with these giants.

The researchers found that the greenhouse gas methane produced by all sauropods across the globe would have been about 520 million tons per year, a number on par with the total amount of methane currently produced by both natural and man-made sources. [Album: World's Biggest Beasts]

Questionable numbers

The researchers, led by David Wilkinson of Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom, did their best to get an accurate estimate of how much gas these big dinosaurs would have created, but their answers are still just estimates based on multiple assumptions, they warn.

The greenhouse gas methane is a natural byproduct of the digestive process of plant eaters, especially in herbivores called ruminants (like cows and camels). The researchers suspect that like ruminants, sauropods would have harbored methane-producing bacteria in their intestines to help digest these fibrous foods

There is currently no way to tell what kind of bacteria lived in the digestive systems of dinosaurs, what gasses they produced, or what those digestive systems would have looked like, but Wilkinson thinks they would have produced methane like today’s animals.

“To process that amount of vegetation they have to be relying on microbes in their digestive system,” Wilkinson told LiveScience. “But without a time machine you can’t be sure.”

Crunching gassy number

They used a mathematical model to determine how much gas these plant-eating giants would have eaten. They extended data on methane production by modern mammals, based on size, up into the reaches of the sauropods.

In their calculations the researchers used middle-of-the-road numbers: 10 sauropods, each weighing 20,000 pounds (9,071 kilograms), could have roamed 1 square kilometer of lush Mesozoic habitats. “We’ve taken a middle-ground value,” Wilkinson said. “We tried to be reasonably conservative.

They found that these 10 sauropods would have contributed 7.6 tons (6.9 tonnes) of methane every year. Expanding this number to cover the amount of land estimated to be hospitable habitat for these animals (about half the land on Earth at the time), the researchers end up with more than 550 million tons (500 million tonnes) of methane produced every year.

“I was expecting a number like that produced by cows, so the size of the number really surprised me,” Wilkinson said. “It’s way, way, way ahead of the estimated methane production by modern livestock.” (Cows produce 55 to 110 million tons (50 to 100 million tonnes) of methane each year, he estimated.)

Big eaters

It makes sense, based on the animal’s huge size, that they would make much more methane per individual than a cow. But, there are several other reasons why these large dinosaurs could have produced so much more gas than modern herbivores.
The animals would have had plenty of plants to eat, because they could reach high and low, and because of the warm climate, there was plenty of vegetation; in addition, these animals had much vaster areas in which to graze.

The real question is, did these dinosaur’s gassy emissions warm the planet?

“The thing about methane is it is an extremely potent greenhouse gas,” Wilkinson said. If the levels were anywhere near where their calculations indicate, he said, it very well could have been one of many factors that made that era warmer and wetter than modern times.

The study is detailed in today’s (May 7) issue of the journal Current Biology.

You can follow LiveScience staff writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter, on Google+ or on Facebook.

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Explore the Ancient Splendour of a World Wonder at the Sigiriya Archaeological Museum

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SUMMARY – Tipped as the most attractive museum in all of South Asia the Sigiriya Archaeological Museum is only diminished in beauty by the monumental stone fortress that inspired the venue. This institution is a not-to-be missed highlight in Sri Lanka.

Tucked away in a large garden enclave opposite the main entrance to the Sigiriya rock fortress lies an equally intriguing structure of stunning beauty and purpose. Lying in the shadows of the towering stone citadel that is its focus the Sigiriya Archaeological Museum is as relevant as the rock fortress it documents as the venue performs a threefold task as a research facility, visitor centre and a museum. Renowned as South Asia’s most attractive museum the Sigiriya Archaeological Museum is the foremost authority on the World Heritage Site that is the Sigiriya rock fortress as the institution educates, informs and enlightens visitors on the marvels of this ancient edifice.

Controlled by the Central Cultural Fund the museum is contained within a forest setting with large ponds and flower blooms at every turn. The audio/visual presentation on the history of the ancient fortress is watched by visitors upon entering the venue before walking through a brick arch much like the passageways of Sigiriya to enter the exhibition galleries of the museum. Exhibition Gallery One is divided into 12 sections that cover the area’s geological past through a dozen chronological and thematic sections. Highlights include exhibits that showcase the history of Sigiriya’s archaeology, terracotta sculptures, Buddhist monasteries, graffiti poems and the various stages of the region’s geological evolution. Complete with ancient artifacts, audio aids, models, maps, photographs, plans and films the museum contains six galleries in total that document the illustrious history behind the monumental stone structure.

Must-see points of interest include the 4000 BC stone tomb from the Ibbankatuwa cemetery, a gilded bronze earring with intricate embellishments, Buddha statues from various eras and the makeshift ‘Alakamanda” area of the museum which is a glass floored section lined with railings. The spiral staircase that leads up to the replicas of the treasured frescoes within the Fresco Gallery is another highlight as it is also an accurate replication of the staircase at Sigiriya which leads to the authentic frescoes.

A souvenirs/ gift shop is also on-site at the museum which is open to the public from 8am to 5pm daily with the exception of Wednesdays.

Visitors in search of Sri Lanka hotels belonging to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World conglomerate should look no further than the Jetwing Vil Uyana. Ideally located in a serene setting surrounded by nature this Sigiriya hotel laden with all modern comforts is a home away from home for discerning travellers.

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