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With Long Necks and Vicious Predators, How Exactly Did Dinosaurs Sleep?

How did dinosaurs sleep? Fossil evidence points scientists toward different theories about how these prehistoric creatures likely snoozed.

By Sara Novak
Dec 14, 2023 7:00 PMFeb 29, 2024 5:17 PM
Dinosaur sleep, reproduction of Brachiosaurus altithorax
(Credit: tolobalaguer.com/Shutterstock)

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It’s difficult to know how dinosaurs slept because most dinosaurs didn’t die that way.

Finding a dinosaur in a sleeping position is uncommon because most fossils we’ve found show dinosaurs in a classic death pose with their bodies contorted, fearing their imminent demise.

The only way we can know how a dinosaur slept would be if they fossilized in a sleeping position, and while this has happened, it’s rare. According to Scott Persons, a paleontologist at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, a few key specimens found in recent years have provided some clues into the sleeping world of these ancient creatures.

How Did Dinosaurs Go to Sleep?

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