Little Arms and Sleepless Dinosaurs

So a restless night brought a moment when I wondered how that most legendary of dinosaurs the Tyrannosaurus Rex slept. Lying in bed I lifted my forearms from the elbows at 90 degrees and wondered, as the duvet raised slightly, how uncomfortable it was. How awkward that enormous tail would be when lying on its back. So, I imagined it nestled in a ball on its side, safe and comfortable. That image made me see the T Rex in a different light to the traditional Hollywood presentation of constant killer. Softer, warmer and who knows perhaps that was a part of its character.

Then I wondered about a Stegosaurus sleeping. You know the dinosaurs, the ones with the massive upright plates emerging from their backs. Now imagine one dozing and accidentally rolling over onto its back and the plates sinking into the soft soil leaving it pinned to the ground with its tummy and legs facing the sky.

Then imagine the T Rex waking up and seeing the Stegosaurus stuck, prostrate with its stomach all vulnerable and gleaming. The T Rex approaches and the Stegosaurus fears the worse. And it is the worse. The T Rex moves its enormous head towards the fearful dinosaurs abdomen and then ……..does the most enormous ‘raspberry’ blow on its belly button.

What a sight and what a sound. The T Rex’s head going ‘wibble, wibble, wibble’ whilst the sound of a giant raspberry blow fills the air. The noise only matched by that of the Stegosaurus with its screams of uncontrolled giggles.

Of course to those dinosaurs watching on from a distance it didn’t seem like a friendly attack but rather that of murderous devouring. It didn’t matter how much the Stegosaurus explained to the others it was all in fun and didn't hurt a bit , I'm afraid the story that T Rex was a vicious killer was too quickly spread to stop.

In the months that went by T Rex found less and less dinosaurs wanted to be near him. It upset him so much he slept very badly, his temper neared the surface and soon he took the view. ‘Well, it that’s what they think I am. That’s what I’m going to be.’ And all because little arms can’t lift a duvet high enough to be comfortable.

(and yes, I know they never existed at the same time, and didn't have duvets)