This question popped up on my Facebook feed from someone, so I thought I’d give the Teeming Millions a chance to speculate.
It’s likely that the reason human beings don’t get struck by lightning very often is that we’re not all that tall. Even so, it does happen on occasion.
But what might it have done to massive dinosaurs? Is there any indication that they had an evolutionary adaptation that would make them less likely to be electrocuted (I mean the literal definition) by a strike? Did they have some kind of instinct to avoid lightning-prone areas during storms?
Do we have fossil records indicating that any dinosaurs died from being struck by lightning?
No more than giraffes today. Or flamingos, they’re kinda tall over the tidal waters. Or tree dwelling species, there’s more strikes up in the trees. Lightning strikes are and always have been so rare to large animals as to be statistically insignificant and not an evolutionary influence.
The different habitats also play a large part.
Giraffes live mainly on savannas, with few trees. Therefore they are the tallest targets, though strikes are still extremely rare.
The long-necked herbivore dinosaurs are split into two groups: those with shorter hind legs and longer hind legs. Those that were shorter in the back, like Brontosaurus, couldn’t rear up. They would be surface grazers but also fed off low-lying leaves on trees. Those who could rear up, like Brachiosaurus, could reach the higher leaves at the top of trees, as well as those lower down. Seperate niches.
Both lived in habitats with lots of trees, making them shorter than the highest targets. Lightning would tend to hit the trees. Statistically unlikely to get hit doesn’t mean that individual exceptions are ruled out. Comparatively tiny humans are struck. Nevertheless, as a generality, dinosaurs aren’t in that much more danger when they’re not the tallest objects around them.
Might getting frightened by lightning and hunkering down be an adequate evolutionary advantage? While humans do still get struck sometimes, most people (and animals) take shelter from storms. The ones who preferred to dance around in the open on high places didn’t pass on their genes so well. It could also be a coincidental side benefit to being afraid of any loud noise or quick change in light, both of which usually indicate that a predator is coming for you.
