Dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs!
Introduction
Dinosaurs were the main animals on Earth for more than 150 million years. They were lizard like reptiles.
Some of them were the largest and scariest creatures that ever walked on land. The word dinosaur comes
from Greek words meaning “terrible lizard.”
The last dinosaurs became extinct, or died out, about 65.5 million years
ago. Fossils of dinosaurs were first discovered in the early 1800s. Fossils
are remains or impressions of a plant or animal that have been
preserved in rock.
When and Where Dinosaurs Lived

The study of the history and physical features of Earth is called geology.
Earth began forming about 4.6 billion years ago. Earth underwent many
changes from then until the present. Geologists call this vast time
period geologic time. They break geologic time into smaller time
periods.
Dinosaurs lived throughout the world, and their fossils have been found on every
continent. They lived in all different kinds of environments as well, ranging from tropical
forests to dry, sandy deserts.
Extinction
The last dinosaurs died out about 65.5 million years ago. Scientists still do not agree about why this
happened. Some scientists think that dinosaurs died out because the temperature on Earth got too hot or too
cold for them. Others believe that a huge asteroid collided with Earth. The collision could have produced dust
that blocked the Sun’s heat and light for months or even years. Plants would have stopped growing, and
plant-eating dinosaurs would have died from lack of food. So would have the meat eaters that hunted them.
Some animals lived through the time when the dinosaurs disappeared. The ancestors of
today’s frogs, turtles, lizards, and snakes found a way to survive. Birds also
survived. Scientists do not know why some animals lived but the dinosaurs
did not.
Physical Features and Behavior

Dinosaurs were all different sizes. Some dinosaurs were smaller than a
chicken. Others weighed as much as 100 tons—more than 10 times as
much as the largest elephants.
Saurischian Dinosaurs Sauropods
The saurischians had hips that look like the hips of
today’s reptiles. But they also had some features
in common with today’s birds. In fact, scientists
believe that the saurischians are more closely

related to birds than to some other dinosaurs. The
earliest bird, Archaeopteryx, was a saurischian.
The saurischians are divided into the meat-eating
theropods and the plant-eating sauropods.
Sauropods were not only the largest of all Sauropods had a very small head and brain when
dinosaurs. They were also the largest land animals compared to their huge body. But they had a long
that ever lived. Sauropods were plant eaters that
walked on four legs. Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus,
and Apatosaurus are examples of sauropods.
Apatosaurus
Brachiosaurus
Diplodocus
Giraffatitan
Sauropod Dinosaurs Jobaria
Macrurosaurus neck, which let them reach leaves on even the
Mamenchisaurus tallest trees. They had thick, strong legs, like those
Seismosaurus of an elephant. Many sauropods probably could
Zigongosaurus stand up on their back legs to reach even higher
into the trees. They used their long, muscular tail
to balance themselves when standing. Some
sauropods also might have used the tail as a
whiplike weapon.
Theropods
The theropods include all the meat-eating
dinosaurs. Among them is the fierce
Tyrannosaurus rex, which weighed as much as 8
tons. Giganotosaurus and Spinosaurus were even
larger. Theropods walked on their two back legs.
Most of them were built to hunt. They used their
short front arms to catch and tear prey. Their
fingers and toes had long, sharp claws. They had
powerful jaws and sharp teeth for tearing flesh.
Theropods normally hunted alone. They caught
and ate smaller, plant-eating dinosaurs.
Sometimes they hunted in groups and attacked
larger dinosaurs.
Ornithischian Dinosaurs development of dinosaurs, marine reptiles, fish,
Many of the ornithischian dinosaurs had special mammals, flying animals. The largest dinosaurs
features. Some, such as Triceratops, had horns did not emerge until the Cretaceous period,
like a modern rhinoceros. Euoplocephalus had a which started over 100 million years after the
huge club at the end of its tail. Stegosaurus had start of the "age of dinosaurs."
large, triangular bony plates sticking out of its
1. Triassic: 251–201 million years ago
back.
2. Jurassic: 201–145 million years ago
 Description
o "Bird-hip” 3. Cretaceous: 145–66 million years ago
o Predentary 4. Cenozoic: 66 million years ago.
o Other characteristics
o Developed a narrow eyebrow Dinosaur Geologic Period
 Had reduced, or even closed-off, Plateosaurus 2.Jurassic
antorbital fenestrae Presbyornis 4.Cenozoic
 Had "leaf-shaped" cheek teeth. Barosaurus 2.Jurassic
 Classification Coleophysis 1.Triassic
o Fabrosauridae: is not a natural grouping Ornitholestes 2.Jurassic
of dinosaurs, and instead consist of Camarasauru 2.Jurassic
unrelated genera. s
o Description: were relatively small Albertosaurus 3.Cretaceous
ornithischian dinosaurs, averaging about 1– Diplodocus 2.Jurassic
2 meters in body length Diatryma 4.Cenozoic
Ankylosaurus 3.Cretaceous
Geologic eras
Allosaurus 2.Jurassic
This table incredibly long period of time,
measured in "millions of years ago," saw the
Life Cycle
Most, if not all, dinosaurs laid eggs. Some dinosaurs built large nests to keep their babies together. Young
dinosaurs grew very fast. Many reached full size in seven or eight years. Large dinosaurs might have lived
almost 100 years.
Kids love dinosaurs

Kids who love dinosaurs have higher intelligence; study suggests. Children with an 'intense interest' in
dinosaurs may have a higher intelligence level, a report has found. If you know a little one that is obsessed
with prehistoric animals, then it may be that they're an extremely smart child.

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Dinosaurs!

When and Where Dinosaurs Lived

Physical Features and Behavior

believe that the saurischians are more closely

Kids love dinosaurs

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