In 1842, British paleontologist Richard Owen coined the term dinosaur that meant terrible lizard, referring to its grandeur and mass.

Dinosaurs existed before human beings during the Mesozoic era, over 60 to 200 million years ago. They evolved from other reptiles in the Triassic period. Based on the remains of their kind, they were scattered in the seven different continents.

They were different species with special characteristics. For instance, the longest and heaviest dinosaur was the Argentinosaurus that had a length of more than 40 meters and weight of 77 tons. The smartest dinosaur, based on the size of its brain, was a hunting dinosaur called the Troodon. On the other hand, the dumbest dinosaur is named Stegosaurus and had a brain the size of a walnut.

They ceased to exist around 65 million years ago. However, there was no definite answer to as how they passed away. There are many theories such as the massive meteorite that hit Earth and the volcanic eruption in India. The meteorite hit the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico with great force, causing their extinction.

If dinosaurs were still around, what might have happened to the world? Will there be a change for the better or worse?

15. Massive Damage

Without a doubt, dinosaurs can cause serious damage, especially when they are aggressive. This is due to their extensive height and immense weight. In fact, the size of the dinosaurs was compared to the size of the chickens because of the lesothosaurus, but there are also dinosaurs that stretch more than 40 meters and weigh more than 70 tons.

With just one small mistake, they can be triggered and angered. They can easily ruin infrastructure. They can cause fires when they fiddle with electrical wires. They might even shake a certain part of the land and leave cracks on it.

14. Solved Mysteries

We have only dug up fossils that confirm their existence in this world. We have only listened to the confusing whispers of historians and archaeologists. We have only read statements that may or may not be facts. There are still questions that are yet to be answered. Take the following questions as examples. How did dinosaurs learn to fly? Why are so many dinosaurs extinct? How did dinosaurs reproduce? Did all dinosaurs hatch from eggs? Did they hunt in groups? If they still existed until today, we would not doubt anymore since we could study them more intently. We would finally hold the answers to the endless list of questions.

13. Death of Human Beings

This may or may not happen because it still depends on the scenario, but there is a possibility that dinosaurs might think of us as food. Knowing what human beings do when they are curious about new things, they may anger the dinosaurs, especially when they see them as an experiment. Or worse, these dinosaurs might devour us just like other animals. They might eat off our heads or chew on our arms and legs. We might be their target for as long as they could survive. Thus, their existence might also be the cause of death of human beings.

12. Heavier Traffic

TomTom Traffic Index is responsible for gathering data about the congestion levels in each country. In 2016, Mexico City garnered congestion level of 66%, which means that Mexico City experiences the heaviest traffic among other cities. Bangkok in Thailand trails behind with 61%. The lowest congestion level is in Dayton, in the United States of America at 9%.

No matter how high or low, each country will experience heavy traffic if the dinosaurs were still around. Their massive bodies would flood streets and cause overcrowding. They will have to wait in line for the go signal as well. Surely, dinosaurs will replace trucks on the jam-packed streets.

11. Dinosaurs Become the Norm

Dinosaurs were given the special treatment because they were one of a kind. They were studied thoroughly because they could be the key to unsolved mysteries that still linger around today. They were also a rare sight. If they were still around, would that remain the same? Maybe. Maybe not.

Just like dogs and cats, they may be appreciated, but they would also be considered normal and ordinary. They are not that special, particularly when they do not have an extraordinary breed. For instance, we know that stray cats and street dogs exist, but do we take care of them as much as we take care of Persian cats and pugs? Perhaps, with dinosaurs, that could happen, too.

10. National Animals

National animals carry symbolism that promotes the reputation of the country it is representing. They may signify humility, perseverance, pride, or strength. Usually, they are also the unique animals of each country that are preserved for the nation’s delight. Right now, national animals include the red kangaroo (Australia), the North American beaver (Canada), the green pheasant (Japan), the Eurasian brown bear (Russia), the Arabian oryx (United Arab Emirates), and the bald eagle (United States of America). If dinosaurs still existed, they might be a nation’s choice to be the national animal. Or, they could be every country’s pick. Each country might have a different species to glorify.

9. Hunting Enemies

Human beings depend on other animals for food since we need to eat to survive. We need the nutrients from pork, beef, chicken, and seafood to have healthy bodies. Dinosaurs see these animals or prey as a necessity as well. If they were still here, they would probably be our hunting enemies. They would fight with us to get food. It would be challenging to catch these animals since the dinosaurs would get to them before us. They would have them fresh.

8. Living Proof

Instead of observing the fossils of dinosaurs at museums, we could see them personally. We would not only watch them in movies. We would not only read about them in books because we could book a ticket to interact with them. The doubts in our minds regarding their existence would be lessened. The theories would turn into facts, since we could study more about them.

We could dissect them if we wanted. We would not rely on remains anymore. Who knows? We could gain more knowledge about them that we still have not found out, which can lead to another bright discovery.

7. Extra Careful

If dinosaurs were still here on Earth, human beings would be extra careful with their plans. We would think twice before doing anything to avoid getting hurt. Our normal routines would be filled with fear and terror because dinosaurs could act up and attack us. We could not go shopping without the thought that they may be waiting for us at the corner of the store. We could not watch a movie without thinking that they may ruin the screen and pop their head out. We could not travel around the world fearlessly, especially to appreciate nature, because they could eat us alive. In short, life would not be a simple walk in the park, particularly since parks would also be risky.

6. Panic Attacks

The elderly and children would have the most panic attacks, so they would need more protection from other people. In fact, it is the highest level of anxiety any person can have. It is usually caused by traumatic life events. Thus, it is necessary to help them calm down to avoid further damage. Maybe, we would be walking around with guns in our pockets. Maybe, we would be holding out torches wherever we go. Maybe, we would be carrying knives or daggers to defend ourselves. Maybe, we would be working together to keep ourselves alive.

5. Real-Life Jurassic World

Without a doubt, if they were still here, we would live in a Jurassic world. Perhaps, the scenes in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World might turn into reality. Dinosaurs would roam around carelessly, threatening our safety. Though not all dinosaurs would be harmful and toxic. Some could be friendly, too, just like those projected in the movies. There would be blameless ones fighting the aggressive dinosaurs to protect other life forms. It would be like living on a safari, but it would be more risky and challenging. We would be unfolding more mysteries in the world we claim to know.

4. Lower Population

There would be a lower population on Earth if the dinosaurs still existed. In 2017, the estimated population of human beings reached 7.6 billion. The dinosaurs might cut that down to half, especially when human beings cannot survive with them around anymore.

Yet, not only the population of human beings will decrease, the population of animals and plants would as well. The population of animals that is around 500 trillion and the number of plant species that are around 400,000 would be reduced because they would become the food of plenty of dinosaurs. So, basically, the population of the inhabitants of Earth will narrow down.

3. Changes to Ecosystem

Live on Earth would be dramatically different if dinosaurs were still alive today. There would be chaos or imbalance in the environment, because we would all still need to cope with their presence. To give an example, if ordinary animals can be the root of many communicable diseases, there is a huge possibility that dinosaurs can spread such illnesses as well.

Dinosaur diseases would definitely exist. There would be dinosaur germs, so we would need dinosaur medical experts. Of course, like the names of these dinosaurs, the names of the diseases would also end with -osis or -ous. There would be minor illnesses, such as cough, fever, bites, or colds caused by them. Or, major illnesses that need special assistance like cancer or tumor.

2. Dinosaur Leaders

As stated by scientists, the smartest dinosaur ever to walk on Earth is the Troodon. Its brain was proportional to its body weight, unlike other dinosaurs that had a smaller one. Its intelligence is even compared to a modern bird. If it was given the opportunity to evolve, or one of its relatives, it could earn a place in the field of politics. It could be the next president or prime minister of a powerful nation. Or to start off small, it could be a mayor of a flourishing city. The point is – it can be as clever as a human being!

1. Helper Dinosaurs

There is one assumption about dinosaurs that human beings might be able to dominate them. If we discover the secret to taming them, we could be friends with them. They would not see us as pure meat. They would learn to respect and obey us. They could be our modern day helpers that would run all our errands. For instance, they could help us in factories by carrying heavy equipment from one place to another. They could help us to travel from here to there. They could also transport goodies and packages to their rightful owners. They could clean buildings and roads rather than wreck them.