Could Humans Have Survived Living Alongside the Dinosaurs?

The idea of humans coexisting with dinosaurs has long been a fascination of science fiction, popularized by films like Jurassic Park. But what if it wasn’t just fiction? Could humans have survived alongside the massive, often ferocious creatures that ruled the Earth millions of years ago? To answer this question, we have to get hypothetical, as the last of the dinosaurs were killed after a huge asteroid crashed into Earth. Humans as we know them today only appeared around 300,000 years ago, but stayed very primitive until around 50,000 years ago when our brains made a huge leap in evolution and our species became “smarter”.

The Timeline: A Gap Too Large to Bridge

Dinosaurs dominated the Earth during the Mesozoic Era, which spanned approximately 180 million years and is divided into the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Their reign ended 65 million years ago, largely due to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event caused by an asteroid impact. Homo sapiens, on the other hand, have only existed for about 300,000 years. This timeline discrepancy underscores the improbability of humans naturally coexisting with dinosaurs.

However, for the sake of this thought experiment, let’s assume that humans and dinosaurs were around at the same time. What factors would determine whether humans could survive?

Environmental Challenges

Dinosaurs lived in a world vastly different from our own. The climate was warmer, with higher levels of carbon dioxide, leading to lush vegetation and fewer polar ice caps. Such conditions would pose significant challenges to human survival. The air we breathe today is about 21% oxygen, with the majority of what’s left being made of nitrogen. At the end of the age when Dinosaurs roamed the earth, the oxygen content would have been around 30%, but CO2 levels were estimated to be up to 18 times higher than they are now. We would have been able to survive breathing the air, but would also experience many health conditions related to the high CO2 levels over time.

Temperature Extremes: Humans are adapted to moderate climates, with clothing and shelter mitigating environmental extremes. In a world dominated by dinosaurs, humans would need advanced technology to survive the sweltering heat and humidity of the Mesozoic climate. It would be the same as taking people from Scandinavia and making them live on the equator in the middle of the Amazon. Anyone who isn’t already used to living in such conditions would have a hard time staying alive. Tropical conditions are also the best incubator environments for infections and bacteria, leading to a new range of strange diseases and illnesses.

Food Sources: The plant life of the Mesozoic era was dominated by gymnosperms like cycads, conifers, and ferns. These plants might not provide the same nutritional value as modern crops. Humans would face significant challenges in farming and foraging without adapting to this unfamiliar flora. We would also be massively devoid of many nutrients as the few wild vegetables, berries and nuts would be stripped bare by enormous multi-ton dinosaurs, often roaming around in herds and stripping anything edible along their migrations.

Predators and Competition: Dinosaurs occupied a wide range of ecological niches, from apex predators like Tyrannosaurus rex to massive herbivores like Brachiosaurus. Humans would not only have to avoid becoming prey but also compete with these creatures for resources.

(I am not sure how you would go about killing a giant carnivorous lizard that can outrun a horse using only flint weapons, but I bet it’s quite dangerous)

Dealing with Dinosaurs as Predators

Dinosaurs ranged in size and behavior, with some presenting a clear danger to humans. Carnivorous dinosaurs like Velociraptors and Tyrannosaurs were agile, powerful, and well-equipped for hunting. How might humans defend themselves?

Physical Disadvantage: Humans lack the physical strength, speed, and natural weaponry to face large predators head-on. A direct confrontation with a dinosaur would almost certainly be fatal.

Tool Use and Intelligence: Humans’ primary advantage lies in their intelligence and ability to create tools. Early humans used stone tools and fire to hunt and defend themselves. Against dinosaurs, these skills would need to evolve rapidly into advanced weaponry, such as spears, traps, and eventually firearms. If humans were around at the same time, it would be safe to assume they would be very firmly in the stone age and only have sharpened flint as their main weapon.

Community Defense: Cooperation would be essential. Just as early humans banded together to fend off predators like lions and wolves, they would need to rely on group strategies to protect against dinosaur attacks.

Could Humans Dominate the Food Chain?

While humans are now apex predators, this status was hard-won over millennia. In a world shared with dinosaurs, achieving dominance would be exponentially more difficult, or even impossible in some areas. Due to the Stone Age level of technology we would have, any type of boat would be out of the question. Not because they wouldn’t work, but because the largest and most dangerous of the dinosaurs were found in the ocean. It would be impossible to get more than a mile out to sea without risking being seen by a 30-meter-long nightmare creature that eats sharks for breakfast.

Hunting Dinosaurs: Large dinosaurs would be nearly impossible to hunt with primitive tools. Even small carnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs might be too fast or too dangerous for early humans to subdue. Humans would be left to hunt the slower and more defenseless dinosaurs, but these wouldn’t be found in most areas.

Domestication: Humans have historically domesticated animals for food, labor, and companionship. While some smaller dinosaurs might have been candidates for domestication, their reptilian physiology and behaviors would likely make the process more challenging than with mammals or birds. People have trained large and dangerous animals to be safe around them, like polar bears or crocodiles, but these cases are rare and can still go wrong. A large dog becoming aggressive is scary and dangerous, but when the village T-rex does the same thing, you don’t have a village anymore.

Ecological Niches: Humans’ ability to adapt to various environments might allow them to carve out niches where they could coexist with smaller, less aggressive dinosaurs. However, competition for resources would remain fierce.

(The threat would also come from the air, as many flying dinosaurs were either omnivores or carnivores)

The Role of Disease

Disease is another crucial factor. Humans and dinosaurs would have co-evolved with entirely different pathogens. Cross-species disease transmission could have devastating consequences for both humans and dinosaurs.

Zoonotic Diseases: Pathogens adapted to dinosaurs could infect humans with catastrophic results, and vice versa. Humans’ relatively fragile immune systems might struggle against diseases originating from such ancient creatures. There is also the risk of a dinosaur-born super virus, with a human equivalent example being something like the bubonic plague. If an illness like this were to develop in a dinosaur species and transfer to humans, we wouldn’t have the technology to stop it. Over time, humans might develop immunity to certain dinosaur-borne diseases, but this would likely come at the cost of many lives.

Adaptation Through Evolution

If humans had evolved alongside dinosaurs, their physical and behavioral traits might have developed differently.

Heightened Senses: Living among predators as formidable as dinosaurs would likely lead to heightened senses, faster reflexes, and greater physical endurance in humans. This would be something that every single human would need to develop in order to survive, no matter the area they lived in.

Tool Evolution: Necessity is the mother of invention. The constant threat of dinosaurs would drive technological advancements, potentially leading to an earlier development of metallurgy, weaponry, and fortifications.

Social Structures: Humans would need to develop complex social hierarchies and cooperation mechanisms to survive. This could accelerate the development of civilizations, as groups band together for mutual protection. Due to the much smaller global human population, they would be forced to live together in the biggest groups they could just to be able to defend themselves against the bigger predators.

Dinosaurs in the Modern World

To further explore this idea, let’s imagine dinosaurs survived the asteroid event and continued to exist into the modern era. Could humans, with their current technology, coexist with these creatures?

Conservation vs. Conflict: Modern humans have a history of driving species to extinction, often due to habitat destruction and hunting. Dinosaurs would likely face similar threats unless robust conservation efforts were implemented. This would also be necessary with the larger and more dangerous species, as a carnivorous predator will likely eat anything it can.

Ecological Balance: The introduction of dinosaurs into modern ecosystems would disrupt existing food chains and habitats. Balancing human needs with dinosaur conservation would be a monumental challenge.

Human Safety: Cities and rural areas would need to be fortified against potential dinosaur incursions. Innovations in architecture, transportation, and surveillance would be necessary to ensure safety.

Scientific Opportunities: Coexisting with dinosaurs would provide unparalleled opportunities for scientific discovery. Paleontology, biology, and genetics would advance rapidly, offering insights into evolution, adaptation, and extinction. There would also be the opportunity to breed them as farm animals for a source of food, and you can only imagine the size of the steaks.

Cultural and Psychological Impact

The presence of dinosaurs would profoundly influence human culture, mythology, and psychology. Dinosaurs might become central figures in human mythology, much like dragons and other fantastical creatures in our actual history. Living alongside creatures so massive and powerful would also inspire a mix of fear, respect, and curiosity, shaping art, religion, and philosophy. Questions about the rights of such creatures would arise. Should dinosaurs be protected as endangered species, or would they be viewed as threats to human survival?

While the idea of humans and dinosaurs coexisting is a fascinating thought experiment, the reality would be fraught with challenges. From environmental hurdles to the threat of predation, surviving alongside dinosaurs would require humans to adapt in unprecedented ways. Advanced technology, cooperative societies, and a deep understanding of these ancient creatures would be essential for survival.

Ultimately, the vast differences in timelines and ecological dynamics make this scenario highly improbable in real life. However, it provides a captivating lens through which to examine human adaptability and resilience, reminding us of our species’ remarkable journey to the top of the food chain.