Who are Dinosaurs?
deinos
sauros
(terrible)
(lizard)
dinosaurs
The name dinosaur was derived from the Greek words “deinos” which means “terrible” or “fearfully great” and “sauros” which means “reptile” or “lizard”
When did Dinosaurs live?
Dinosaurs lived on the earth during the period called Mesozoic Era.
The Mesozoic Era consisted of three periods.
- Triassic Period
- Jurassic Period
- Cretaceous Period
Triassic Period
The first period of the Mesozoic Era was the Triassic period.
Triassic period lasted about 252 to 201 million years ago.
During this period all continents joined together into a landmass called Pangaea. There were many desserts and the climate was hot and dry.
There were forests filled with plants like tall conifers, ferns, cycads, etc.
There were no flowering plants during this period.
Turtle first appeared during this period.
The first dinosaurs appeared in the late Triassic. The early dinosaurs were relatively smaller than the followed giants of this age.
Jurassic Period
The second period of the Mesozoic Era was the Jurassic Period.
The Jurassic Period lasted from about 201 to 145 million years ago.
During this period, Pangaea started to split into two landmasses called Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south.
The climate becomes cooler during this period making favorable surroundings for many new dinosaurs.
The first bird with feathers known as Archaeopteryx appeared during this period.
Ichthyosaurs, Allosaurus, and Stegosaurus are some dinosaurs that lived during this period.
Cretaceous Period
The last and the longest period of the Mesozoic Era was the Cretaceous Period.
The Cretaceous Period lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago.
During this period, continents got apart and came to a position similar to the present.
Flowers and bees first appeared during this period.
Tyrannosaurus rex, Argentinosaurus, Iguanodon, and Triceratops are famous dinosaurs that lived during this period.
Main Types of Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are mainly classified into two main groups based on the structure of their hips.
Saurischia
(lizard-hipped)
Ornithischia (bird-hipped)
What did Dinosaurs Eat?
Brachiosaurus
Triceratops
There were carnivorous dinosaurs with sharp teeth who hunted big plant-eating dinosaurs.
Tyrannosaurus rex
Allosaurus
Most of the dinosaurs were herbivorous and ate only plant products.
Some dinosaurs were omnivorous and they ate both plants and animals
Oviraptor
Gallimimus
What about Dinosaurs Babies?
Many Dino parents made nests for their babies.
Dino babies came out of eggs like our birds and reptiles.
Some nests were isolated while some nests were found in colonies.
Why We Can's See Dinosaurs?
Scientists mainly believe that dinosaurs disappeared during the Cretaceous Period due to either the impact of a huge asteroid or to massive volcanic eruption.
Fun Facts About Dinosaurs
- The brainiest dinosaur was Troodon.
- Dumbest dinosaur was Stegosaurus.
- The average life span of many dinosaurs was 100 years.
- Dinosaurs lived on Earth around 65 million years ago.
- Dinosaurs are believed to be the ancestors of modern birds.
- Evidence of Dinosaurs is found on all continents.
- Some dinosaurs walked with two legs (bipeds)
- Scientists have discovered around 700 species of dinosaurs so far.
- Dinosaur babies come out of eggs.
- A paleontologist is a scientist who studies dinosaurs.
