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Did Dinosaurs Ever Get Sick?
Image of a sick dinosaur laying in a bed.Probably, but it was only one of many related problems facing the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous.

Disease and sickness are caused by many different things. Some diseases, like colds and flu, are caused by viruses. Other diseases, such as cholera, tuberculosis, and the Black Plague, are caused by bacteria. Diseases like malaria and some types of dysentery are caused by parasites, and diseases like cancer and arthritis are caused by genetic changes or aging processes. Image © 1999 -www.arttoday.com

People get sick, animals get sick, and even plants get sick. Did dinosaurs ever get sick? The only direct evidence we have is from fossils. Some fossils show deformations that may have been caused by arthritis, cancer, or infection. Most dinosaur fossils show no evidence of disease at all. Dinosaurs may have been less affected by disease than humans are. But then again, most deadly diseases do not affect bones.

Since we cannot send doctors (or veterinarians) back in time to examine the dinosaurs directly, we have to gather indirect or circumstantial evidence. Do we find evidence of disease among living reptiles--the dinosaurs' cousins--and birds--the dinosaurs' descendants?

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Dinosaurs and Disease
Disease and More
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Dinosaurs and Disease | Disease and More | Did Dinosaurs Ever Get Sick? | Looking at Life Today | Changing Landscapes | Going Going Gone

Giant Impact | Super Nova | Disease | Volcanoes | Orbital Changes | Meet the Dinosaurs | Into the Future

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