Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
People Compare How Aliens Would Reconstruct Animals Based On Their Skulls Vs. What They Really Look Like (28 Pics)
About 500 million years ago, not a single creature had a skull. Over time, these bony plates evolved into the structural marvels that vertebrates—animals with spinal cords, aka you, me, and your pug, carry around today.
In fact, skulls are such complex wonders of nature that when viewed alone, they do look like they belonged to some distant, fabulous creatures. And that alone is enough to give the internet quite a rich source of memesy inspiration.
This time, people are imagining what aliens would reconstruct if they came across the skulls of some of the most loved residents on our planet, like cats, dogs, and wild cutie pies. Scroll down to see the hilarious results, but beware—it may reveal that your chonky catto is a Tyrannosaurus rex in disguise.
This post may include affiliate links.
RELATED:
Bored Panda reached out to Ashley Mason-Burns-Meerschaert, the director of education at Skeletons: Museum of Osteology, who told us more about these incredible bones. It turns out, the vertebrates with the most bones in their skulls are bony fish, which can have over 100 in their skulls.
Although skulls from different species might look similar, there will be slight differences. Ashley said that “some species of shrews and rodents can only be identified by looking at dental variations under a microscope.”
There is also some skull variation between individuals of the same species and also between males and females, which scientists refer to as “sexual dimorphism.”
Ashley said that animals' skulls can change over time for various reasons, like becoming more adapted to the environment, changing due to animals' diet, or because of injuries sustained over their lifetime.
#4
Titas Burinskas 4 years ago
Hippopotamuses are underrated in terms of how horrifyingly powerful they are.
It’s incredible how much we can tell about an animal just by looking at these bony structures that support and protect soft tissues and organs.
For example, some particular skull features can indicate the nature of an animal. Wired suggests that “Big eye sockets point to a nocturnal lifestyle (big eyes harvest more light).”
Meanwhile, “giant canine teeth indicate a taste for flesh” and “lightweight bone riddled with air pockets is an adaptation for life on the wing.”
#8
Fernleaf6505 4 years ago (edited)
why is everything supposed to be ferocious but actually so ADORABLE
#9
Kisses4Katie 4 years ago
No, it would just be displayed in a museum- "look what those mad scientists did to the majestic wolf!"
Another incredible aspect of skulls is just how complex they truly are. Imagine—a human skull has 22 bones. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, it features 8 cranial bones and 14 facial bones. When a baby is born, the forehead, or frontal, bone is separated in two, but it fuses while growing.
And now let’s take an alligator. This reptilian has around 53 skull bones, which is more than twice what we have. But it's far from the most skull bones found in an animal.
#12
#14
JuJu 4 years ago
Dogma: "...remember: even God has a sense of humor. Just look at the Platypus. Thank you and enjoy the show. P.S. We sincerely apologize to all Platypus enthusiasts out there who are offended by that thoughtless comment about the Platypi. We at View Askew respect the noble Platypus, and it is not our intention to slight these stupid creatures in any way."
#15
#21
#22
#26
The Random Merp 4 years ago
For those who don't know, the reconstruction is of a Psittacosaurus, also known as that one dinosaur that will friggin tear you limb from limb and eat your fingers if you get near it's young
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Rose the Cook 4 years ago
Why are the reconstructions big and ugly? Why are creatures from other planets almost always ugly in films? We have no idea what they would look like so why could they not be attractive or at least presentable.
Daria B 4 years ago
I agree. This is why Star Trek and Star Wars are so good. They value the diversity. Also, in Japanese cartoons they often look cute and fluffy. Or just like us Earthlings.
Load More Replies...
Hendra Lim 4 years ago
from the leopard gecko to a titan like in the King kong movies? i'll say it's thousands time bigger
Load More Replies...
Shinobi Shabby 4 years ago
But why? Under what sort of conclusions would they re-create them that way?
Alex Boyd 4 years ago
In other reconstructions like these that I've seen, the assumptions are basically the same as those that are usually when reconstructing what a dinosaur or other fossil animal looked like--basically, that the outline of the body conforms to the outline of the skeleton, that any prominent and mysterious structure was probably defensive/offensive, and that they were dull in color and lacked coverings like feathers or fur.
Load More Replies...
Rose the Cook 4 years ago
Why are the reconstructions big and ugly? Why are creatures from other planets almost always ugly in films? We have no idea what they would look like so why could they not be attractive or at least presentable.
Daria B 4 years ago
I agree. This is why Star Trek and Star Wars are so good. They value the diversity. Also, in Japanese cartoons they often look cute and fluffy. Or just like us Earthlings.
Load More Replies... Hendra Lim 4 years ago
from the leopard gecko to a titan like in the King kong movies? i'll say it's thousands time bigger
Load More Replies... Shinobi Shabby 4 years ago
But why? Under what sort of conclusions would they re-create them that way?
Alex Boyd 4 years ago
In other reconstructions like these that I've seen, the assumptions are basically the same as those that are usually when reconstructing what a dinosaur or other fossil animal looked like--basically, that the outline of the body conforms to the outline of the skeleton, that any prominent and mysterious structure was probably defensive/offensive, and that they were dull in color and lacked coverings like feathers or fur.
Load More Replies... You May Like 50 Funny Pics From “Boujeeee” That Sum Up What It’s Like To Be A Woman 50 Hilarious Memes To Make You Laugh, As Shared On This Instagram Page (New Pics) 40 Hilarious ‘Science Memes’ That Do Not Require A PhD (New Pics)
Viktorija Ošikaitė
Evelina Šiukšterytė
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Related on Bored Panda
