Jurassic World: Could we live alongside dinosaurs? | BBC Science Focus Magazine

The new Jurassic World movie envisions a time when dinosaurs have started to reintegrate themselves as an ordinary part of our modern wildlife. Velociraptors stalk the woods like wolves. Men on horseback herd Parasaurolophus like cattle.

The premise raises interesting questions, such as what impact reintroducing dinosaurs into the wild will have on our ecosystem. 

Prof Steve Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh and an advisor on Jurassic World Dominion, does not think introducing dinosaurs into the wild would be a good idea.

There have been many cases where a predator is introduced to an ecosystem and wreaks havoc. Introducing, for example, a T. rex could lead to some mammals going extinct. Giant herbivores like Brontosaurus could have a profound effect on crops or other important plants.