On March 10, Godzilla Minus One won an Oscar for visual effects. The titan reptile has demolished Tokyo and other major cities worldwide several times in movies and has inspired generations of filmmakers and paleontologists—so much so that there are fossils named in homage to Godzilla. The fictional radioactive reptile is also the subject of fun discussion among paleontologists on what type of dinosaur it would fall under.
Although Godzilla is a product and a metaphor for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the giant theropod does have some resemblance to ancient dinosaurs. Here are a few, as well as some that inspired the look of Godzilla:
Godzilla's Dinosaur-like Features
According to Darren Naish, a paleontologist at the University of Portsmouth, Godzilla weighs between 20,000 and 60,000 tons and is about 328 feet tall (100 m). The sea monster's characteristics are a mixture of various real-life dinosaurs.
