Everything about dinosaurs for children is information about the animals that inhabited our planet millions of years ago.
Message about dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are considered lizards; they, like no other animal species, arouse special interest among adults and children. These are the most amazing creatures who have ever lived on the planet. Their fossilized remains were first discovered in the 30s of the 19th century. But then scientists did not pay due attention to the find. After some time, only when the finds were repeated, it became clear that the remains belonged to prehistoric creatures. It became a real sensation. In 1854, Benjamin Hawkins (sculptor), using Dr. Owen's model, created the world's first life-size sculpture of a dinosaur.
This is how development began new science— paleontology. The English zoologist Owen coined the term “dinosaur,” which means “terrible lizard.”
When did the first dinosaurs appear?
Dinosaurs first appeared on the planet about 230 million years ago, during Triassic period. All dinosaurs in the world at that time were exclusively predators and belonged to the theropod group. Later in the process of evolution, herbivorous animals—prosuaropods—appeared.
Dinosaurs of all kinds
At the end of the Triassic period species diversity dinosaurs have increased significantly. Predatory and herbivorous animals walked on the ground, pterosaurs soared in the air, and sea depths giant ichthyosaurs dominated. By the Jurassic period they occupied ecological niches, becoming the dominant species.
In the Cretaceous period, the diversity of animal species reached its maximum: ankylosaur, therizinosaurus, triceratops, tyrannosaurus, tarbosaurus.
Among the most famous dinosaurs relate:
- Tyrannosaur. This is the largest land predatory dinosaur with powerful jaws.
- Allosaurus. Considered the most famous and studied carnivorous dinosaur Jurassic period, as well as the most ferocious and dangerous animals Mesozoic era. He only ate the meat of other dinosaurs.
- Diplodocus. This is the longest and most studied herbivorous dinosaur. Because of his giant plants, he had no enemies.
- Stegosaurus. A representative of the ornithischian dinosaur species. Distinctive feature animal - diamond-shaped plates, located along the tail and back in 2 rows in a checkerboard pattern.
- Triceratops. The largest horned dinosaur. From a distance it resembles a rhinoceros. There were 3 horns on his head - two long on his forehead and another one near his mouth.
- Pterodactyl. This is an omnivorous reptile that has adapted to flight.
When did dinosaurs go extinct?
Dinosaurs dominated the planet for about 130 million years, which is 100 times longer than humans have existed. But 65 million years ago they died out along with most sea creatures and flying reptiles. But why did this happen? There are several versions. The most common version is that our planet collided with an asteroid. This caused a terrible explosion, which entailed tragic changes not only in the Earth's climate, but also in its geological structure. Other scientists argue that the era of dinosaurs was brought to an end by the first carnivorous mammals, feeding on their eggs and young. There is also a version that the giants disappeared due to a decrease in the water level in the sea or horse races magnetic field planets. But it is no longer possible to find out what actually happened.
In one far, far away country, located beyond the wide seas and dense forests, there lived a small dinosaur. He was very kind and good, but had no friends at all, so he was constantly bored. The reason for this situation was his great height. Our dinosaur, despite its young age, was a real giant, since it came from the genus of Diplodocus - the largest animals that ever lived on Earth. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that others were afraid of him, because they are accustomed to judging others by their appearance. Our fairy tale about a dinosaur, which you can read right now, will tell you why you shouldn’t do this.
Appearances can be deceiving or a fairy tale about a dinosaur who was afraid of everyone
Once upon a time, Arlo, and that is the name of our hero, lived with his mom and dad in the land of dinosaurs, where everything was truly gigantic: trees, houses and even playgrounds. He was very comfortable in such a world, but later the dinosaur dad changed his job, so the family had to move to new country, where ordinary animals lived, not large dinosaurs. Arlo was upset because he had no friends, and it was very difficult to find new ones. Everyone around was afraid of the dinosaur, because they thought it was big beast can hit, bite or even eat them. No one even knew that Arlo, like his parents, is a herbivore, loves fresh green leaves most of all and does not even think about eating anyone around him. But since no one knew about this, everyone was afraid of the dinosaur and stayed away.
On the other hand, Arlo himself was not the first to make contact. Apparently it looked funny and implausible, but he was afraid. Yes, yes, even giant dinosaurs They can be extremely timid at heart.
So days after days passed, Arlo dreamed that someday he would become brave, but he did not yet dare to change anything in his life. And our fairy tale about dinosaurs for children could have had a completely different ending, if not for one incident.
A tale about dinosaurs for children: read about how to become brave
One day Arlo was walking to school. On the way, as always, he was worried: would no one laugh at him, would they ask him about homework in mathematics, whether he will disrupt anything in school due to his clumsiness. Suddenly these thoughts and fears were interrupted by an unexpected cry: as it turned out, a new resident- a predatory and formidable lion hunted small and defenseless animals. This time his victim was a squirrel - Arlo's classmate. Seeing that she was in danger, our dinosaur instantly forgot about his timidity and rushed to the rescue.
The lion did not expect resistance and was very scared of the dinosaur, which was much larger than him, so he left the prey alone and disappeared. The squirrel was surprised, because she was always afraid of Arlo, thinking that he might eat her. But it turned out that it was this giant who became her savior.
After this incident, the squirrel and the dinosaur became inseparable friends. Arlo was very happy, because two of his dreams came true at once. cherished dreams: firstly, other animals were no longer afraid of him, but on the contrary, they wanted to make friends, and secondly, he managed to overcome his fear and become brave.
And the dinosaur's new friends also learned a lesson - you should never think badly of others, because appearances can often be deceiving.
If you liked the adventures of a good dinosaur, we recommend watching the cartoon of the same name; you can check out the trailer for it on our website.
We have created more than 300 cat-free casseroles on the Dobranich website. Pragnemo perevoriti zvichaine vladannya spati u native ritual, spovveneni turboti ta tepla.Would you like to support our project? Let's go out, s with new strength Continue writing for you!
About 230 million years ago, real giants roamed our planet. These reptiles are the largest creatures that have ever lived. And their name is dinosaurs. Interesting Facts from the life of dinosaurs still surprise people. Children are especially fascinated by ancient lizards. All the most interesting things about mysterious creatures have been collected especially for them.
Dinosaurs: 100 facts in three dimensions
- The Jurassic period is the heyday of dinosaurs. It began 200 million years ago and ended 145 million years ago. It was at this time that the largest species appeared.
- The word "dinosaur" has Greek roots. “Saurus” means “lizard”, “dinos” is translated as “monster”.
- They died 65 million years ago. The reason for their extinction is the fall of a giant asteroid, from the explosion of which clouds rose fine particles. Lightning appeared in these clouds and set the forests on fire. The planet was engulfed in fires. Smoke mixed with dust in the atmosphere. The earth was shrouded in a dark curtain, through which the rays of the sun did not break through. The climate began to change rapidly. A long winter has come. The dinosaurs were cold-blooded and fell into a stupor.
- The asteroid that caused the dinosaurs to become extinct has created a crater 180 km in diameter. The meteor strike caused tsunamis and earthquakes. Along with the dinosaurs, all large marine reptiles, flying dinosaurs, some types of mollusks and countless algae became extinct.
- Other reasons for their disappearance are also considered: a sharp increase in temperature caused by the fall of a meteorite, a decrease in brain size, a general cooling of the climate, competition from mammals more adapted to the changed conditions environment.
- There is a place in Colorado where you can see dinosaur footprints imprinted on rocks. The first complete dinosaur skeleton was found in 1878 in a coal mine in Belgium. The remains of 40 iguanodons were discovered there. None of the species of ancient giants was distributed across all continents at once, although dinosaur remains have been found on all continents, even in Antarctica.
- Fossilized remains of embryos were found in some eggs. There were also dinosaur eggs in the hatching stage.
- Most often, dinosaurs are found whose remains fell into the water. Scientists no longer find dinosaur bones, but stones in their shape. This is due to the fact that the dinosaur, covered in water, was inaccessible to scavengers. His body was slowly covered with sediment, and bacteria decomposed the soft tissues of the beast. Over the centuries, water seeped into the bones, leaving salts in them, causing them to turn into stones. Occasionally preserved soft tissues are found.
- Dinosaurs are the only reptiles that have ever walked on straight legs. Sometimes scientists find one animal in another. This could be an unborn baby or another creature eaten by the dinosaur before dying.
- The Indians believed that dinosaur bones were the remains of their ancestors. The names of dinosaurs are the same in all languages. They reflect characteristic feature of this type. The term “dinosaur” was coined by Richard Owen in 1842.
- Most lizards lived in Asia and America. IN ancient China When dinosaur teeth were found, they were believed to belong to dragons. They were ground into powder, which was prescribed by healers as a cure for dizziness and seizures. It was also used for wounds and fractures.
Fascinating facts about different types of dinosaurs
Among the interesting facts for children about these creatures, the most striking is the huge variety of dinosaur species. Science knows more than 600 varieties:
- Fragmentary remains have been discovered in Colorado and New Mexico that belong to as yet unknown species of dinosaurs. These unknown giants are called “supersaurus”, “ultrasaurus”, “seismosaur”. The latter may become the largest animal ever living on Earth.
- The first dinosaur found was Eoraptor.
- The tallest was Brachiosaurus. It reached up to 14 m in height, and its body length was about 22 m. It weighed up to 70 tons. The nostrils of the brachiosaurus were located on the top of the head. It was previously thought that due to this arrangement he could breathe underwater, but now the more common version is that they are placed this way to create sounds.
- In some species, the skull bones reached 25 cm in thickness. The scapula bone of lizards can reach 2.5 m.
- Stegosaurus weighed about 2 tons. And its brain had a mass of 70 g.
- The Tyrannosaurus could not reach its mouth with its forelimbs. Why he needed them is unknown to science.
- The longest teeth belong to the Tyrannosaurus rex. Their length is 15 cm.
- Tyrannosaurus was an "apex predator" like our tigers and lions.
- When skeletons first began to be found, they were often collected incorrectly. Apatosaurus had the head of a different species for almost 100 years.
- Sometimes scientists make serious mistakes. Gideon Mantell believed that the spine-shaped bone in Iguanodon was a horn. Later it turned out that it was a finger of the forelimb.
- 160 million years ago, a Mamenchisaurus lived in China, with almost half the length of its body coming from its neck.
- The smallest dinosaur is Compsognathus. Length adult– 70 cm, and most of the body is the tail.
- It is now believed that the largest are sauropods.
- The longest dinosaur is Diplodocus. The length of the skeleton is 27 m.
- The largest complete skeleton available is that of a Brachiosaurus.
- Almost all dinosaurs, except sauropods and stegosaurs, could run.
- Stenonychosaurus had the largest brain in relation to its body.
- To feed themselves, adult diplodocus had to eat almost 1 ton of leaves per day.
- Triceratops had meter-long spines.
- Even a tyrannosaurus could not bite through the armor of an ankylosaur.
- Hadrosaurs knew how to blow trumpets and had very acute hearing and good eyesight.
- The most advanced of the bipedal herbivorous dinosaurs were hadrosaurs.
- Hadrosaurs are often called duck-billed dinosaurs because of their duck-beak-like nose.
Unusual facts about dinosaurs for children
Some interesting facts about dinosaurs indicate that people do not always have the right idea about these creatures:
- Children are used to seeing dinosaurs in pictures and in movies and have formed their own ideas about them. However, science knows nothing about the coloring of dinosaurs.
- The skin of dinosaurs was tough, waterproof, and consisted of small round scales.
- Many of them are called "herbivores". But during their lifetime there was no grass. The main type of vegetation at that time was huge trees. These herbivorous dinosaurs often swallowed stones to better digest food. Some of them were cannibals. Many individuals had more than 1,500 teeth.
- Dinosaurs didn't fly. Their muscles were too poorly developed for this. They planned. Most often, dinosaurs walked. The fastest dinosaur ran at a speed of about 72 km/h. They didn't live in water. Some of them had feathers.
- The bones of these ancient reptiles are more similar to those of mammals than reptiles.
Fun facts about dinosaurs
It is believed that only 10% of all dinosaur species are preserved in fossil form. But from their remains you can learn a lot of funny things:
- Scientists believe that many dinosaurs were good parents and nurtured their young. Experts cannot yet determine the sex of the found remains. The first dinosaur eggs were found in the Gobi Desert in 1921. They had nests. They laid eggs with hard shells. The largest eggs found weigh 7 kg.
- Some scientists believe that the largest dinosaurs had multiple hearts.
- One day, scientists found interesting traces. Researchers thought the markings belonged to a jumping dinosaur. It turned out that these were body prints sea turtle floating in shallow water.
- Sometimes scientists find fossilized dinosaur brains. It is believed that dinosaurs had ears in the form of round markings.
- One of the smallest dinosaurs known to science, slightly taller than a chicken.
- Herbivorous dinosaurs often moved in herds, much like modern elephants. In the center there were young animals, they were surrounded by adult females, and those by adult males.
- Many carnivorous dinosaurs hunted like wolves. They attacked in packs, where each animal had a specific role: some drove, others attacked. They chased their prey until it fell, exhausted from the chase, and then they pounced.
- Many herbivores had a large bony crest.
- The largest lizards lived for more than a hundred years.
- Parents accompanied their cubs on walks.
- An adult brachiosaurus weighed as much as 10 elephants, and its newborn calf was slightly larger than a chicken.
- Scientists suggest that dinosaurs covered their nests with leaves so that when they rotted, they released heat and warmed the eggs. The largest dinosaur eggs are 30 cm long. For comparison, this is the length of two Tyrannosaurus rex fangs.
- Dinosaurs that walk on two limbs have a more powerful tail. It served as a counterweight to prevent them from falling. The king of all dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus rex, ate carrion more often than hunted.
- There were thieving dinosaurs, they stole other people's eggs.
- Dinosaurs had various means of defense: armor, spikes, bone plates, horns, claws, teeth, knobby tails, bone collars.
- Dinosaurs could have been quadropods or bipods - walking on four or two legs.
- In museums, artificial ones are added to the dinosaur bones found. When displaying a complete skeleton, museums most often display replicas of dinosaur bones. When a whole dinosaur skeleton was first assembled, the bones were hung with ropes from scaffolding so that they can be moved. The skeleton was then secured with an iron frame.
- There are scientists who are looking for blood-sucking insects stuck in amber in the hope of finding at least a drop of dinosaur blood to decipher their genetic code. Exist special programs, which help scientists calculate the mass of a particular giant, restore it appearance, show movement options.
- Many researchers believe that dragons sea snakes and other monsters appeared in folklore due to the remains of dinosaurs discovered by our ancestors.
- Scientists cannot resurrect dinosaurs, but in the United States they are trying to raise them by changing genes in chicken embryos. Researchers have already been able to create chickens with a crocodile-like face, a tail, and teeth. But according to US laws, hybrid embryos must be destroyed on the 14th day after the end of the experiment.
Hello, Dear friends! We are glad to welcome you to our children's page. You've probably heard about them, and maybe even seen them in movies and cartoons. We will tell you a lot of interesting things about dinosaurs. Chances are you have a lot of questions about these wonderful animals. We will try to answer them.
How long did dinosaurs live?
It has not yet been possible to answer the question at what age dinosaurs died. But they don’t give up trying to do it. Scientists are trying to estimate the lifespan of dinosaurs by the growth rate of fossil bones. This does not seem to be the case for determining the age of trees by tree rings.
Is it true that a dinosaur's lifespan depended on its size?
Scientists suggest that large dinosaurs lived longer than small ones. The little dinosaur developed and grew faster and lived life more intensely.
Which dinosaur was the largest?
The most big dinosaur there was a seismosaur. Part of his skeleton was found in the USA, but the excavations are not over yet. Scientists suggest that this dinosaur weighed more than 50 tons and was about 36 m long
Did dinosaurs live in the sea?
Dinosaurs did not live in the sea, as do whales or dolphins, for example. Dinosaurs could enter the water to hunt fish or swim across a river to save them from a predator. But no dinosaur spends its entire life in the sea. Dinosaurs should not be confused with such inhabitants of the seas of the Mesozoic era as pliosaurs or plesiosaurs
Could dinosaurs fly?
Dinosaurs could neither fly nor glide. All dinosaurs were wingless land animals. But at the same time, reptiles lived with dinosaurs, which were relatives of dinosaurs, but could fly. They are called pterosaurs. Also, in the Jurassic period there was an animal called Archeopteryx. Archeopteryx was not a dinosaur. Scientists are still arguing about whether Archeopteryx is classified as a bird or a reptile. Outwardly, he looked like a bird, but the claws and teeth were like those of a reptile
Which dinosaur had the biggest teeth?
One of the largest dinosaur teeth ever discovered belonged to a Tyrannosaurus rex. This tooth was located in the side of the jaw, not far from the front teeth. The length from root to apex was about 30 cm. And the tooth did not rise above the gum of the tyrannosaurus 18 cm.
Which dinosaur had the most Long neck?
Of all the dinosaurs known to paleontologists this moment, Mamenchisaurus is considered the longest-necked one. Mamenchisaurus lived about 150 million years ago. on the territory of modern China. The neck of Mamenchisaurus was about 14 m long. Mamenchisaurus could easily peer through the roof of a three-story building. Perhaps, when the complete skeleton of Seismosaurus is dug up, it will turn out to be the longest-necked dinosaur.
Which dinosaur ran the fastest?
Scientists suggest that the fastest dinosaurs were ornithomemmosaurs - ostrich-like dinosaurs. This group includes such dinosaurs as: galimmymus, ornithomimus, pelicanim , struthiomeme. Scientists suggest that these dinosaurs reached speeds of up to 50 km/h.
Did dinosaurs fall into hibernation?
During the Triassic and Jurassic periods, the climate on earth was warmer and wetter than it is now. Moreover, all the land was not very far from the equator. Therefore, there was no need for dinosaurs to hibernate. Later, in the Cretaceous period, the continents began to diverge further and further. Antarctica began to shift towards the south pole. At the end of the Cretaceous period, the climate on earth began to change, and the differences in temperatures between summer and winter became increasingly stronger. The winter of the Cretaceous period was not as severe as it is now, but still, the temperature could drop to 0 °C. At this temperature, cold-blooded reptiles such as dinosaurs became very cold. Therefore, it is very likely that they hibernated to avoid freezing.
How big were dinosaur eggs?
Dinosaur eggs vary in size. Eggs only 2-3 cm long were found near the Mussaurus skeleton. large dinosaurs from the sauropod group, the eggs were much larger. But still, even the largest dinosaur egg found was no larger than a soccer ball.
Did dinosaurs have ears?
Dinosaurs had small bones in their skulls that transmitted sound from the eardrum to the parts of the brain responsible for hearing. In the general sense, dinosaurs did not have ears. The dinosaur's "ears" were small holes on the sides of its head. The ears of modern lizards look the same.
Which dinosaur had the most teeth?
Hadrosaurs, duck-billed dinosaurs, had the most teeth. Hadrosaurs had 480 teeth on their lower and upper jaws. That is, a total of 980 teeth. Considering that dinosaurs' teeth were restored, it can be assumed that hadrosaurs replaced about 10,000 teeth throughout their lives.
Did dinosaurs have fur?
So far, no evidence has been found that dinosaurs had fur. However, we are unlikely to ever be able to find out for sure. Fur is a soft and delicate material and it could not survive for many millions of years. However, none of the modern reptiles have fur. Therefore, most likely dinosaurs also did not have fur.
Did dinosaurs know how to climb trees?
It is possible that some small dinosaurs were agile and agile enough that they could easily climb trees and jump on branches. Most dinosaurs were too large and heavy to climb trees. Giant herbivorous dinosaurs could simply knock down a tree to get to the luscious foliage.
Did dinosaurs have a developed sense of smell?
Some dinosaurs breathed through rather large nostrils. The part of the dinosaur's brain responsible for smell was also large. Therefore, most likely, dinosaurs’ sense of smell was well developed.
Is it true that dinosaurs swallowed rocks?
Yes, some dinosaurs swallowed rocks. These stones are also called gastroliths. They served to grind hard leaves and shoots directly in the dinosaur's stomach. Similarly, modern chickens swallow small pebbles to help them digest grain.
Was there a brontosaurus?
A few years ago, a set of postage stamps with dinosaurs was released in the United States. This caused confusion. The dinosaur depicted on one of the stamps was mistakenly called a brontosaurus. This name, meaning “thunder lizard,” was coined by paleontologist O.K. March in 1879 But two years earlier, the dinosaur with such a skeleton was named Appatosaurus. Therefore, there is no dinosaur called Brontosaurus. This dinosaur should be called Appatosaurus.
Why did dinosaurs need claws?
Dinosaurs used claws to for different purposes. The claws of predators, sharp and thin as daggers, were used to tear the meat of the victim. Wide and flat claws replaced hooves and served as support when walking. There were also other types of claws adapted for digging the ground, scratching, and protecting from enemies.
Did dinosaurs form herds?
Scientists have found much evidence that some species of dinosaurs led a gregarious lifestyle. During excavations, thousands of bones belonging to one type of dinosaur were discovered collected in one place. Presumably the piles of bones are the remains of herds that died as a result of a sudden natural disaster.
Did dinosaurs migrate?
Dinosaurs could migrate over vast distances in search of food or nesting sites. The remains of dinosaurs discovered by paleontologists indicate that some species of dinosaurs crossed entire continents during such migrations. Nowadays, some birds, flying away to warmer climes, cover no less impressive distances.
Has man ever met dinosaurs?
The last dinosaurs disappeared around 65 million years ago. at the end of the Cretaceous period. The first people, according to scientists, appeared about 150 thousand years ago. This means humans appeared more than 64 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs. It is unlikely that any people could meet a living dinosaur.
Did dinosaurs use camouflage?
Like many modern animals, some dinosaurs needed to be invisible. This is necessary either to hide or to sneak up unnoticed. Perhaps the color of dinosaurs allowed them to hide well in the area where they lived.
How do paleontologists distinguish the tracks of different dinosaurs from each other?
Only a specialist can determine which dinosaur left this or that trace. First, paleontologists study the shape of both the feet and fingers. They then study the age of the rock in which the fossilized dinosaur footprint was found. After this, the found prints are correlated with the appearance of those dinosaurs that lived during the era of the formation of the rock.
Did dinosaurs see well?
As far as we can tell, most dinosaurs had very good eyesight. The eye sockets of the dinosaurs found are large, therefore the eyes were large. The areas of the brain responsible for vision are also well developed.
What color were dinosaurs?
No one knows what color dinosaurs were. The fact is that dinosaur skin is a very rare find. However, no coloring pigments were preserved in the fossils found. Experts believe that the color of dinosaurs corresponded to their habitat. And it was adapted for camouflage. But some dinosaurs did not need camouflage coloring, because due to large sizes had no enemies. In this case, scientists can only speculate.
How can fossils be protected from damage during transport to the laboratory?
The fossilized remains of dinosaurs are removed from the earth with the greatest care. Each bone is wrapped in tissue paper and then cast in plaster. The plaster hardens and protects the bones from damage during transportation.
Did dinosaurs eat eggs?
Some dinosaurs ate the eggs of other animals. One of these dinosaurs was Oviraptor. Oviraptor means "egg stealer", precisely because it robbed the nests of other dinosaurs. In the oviraptor's mouth there were special growths with which it cracked eggs.
How do scientists determine the age of fossils?
Fossils are found in rocks made of sedimentary rocks. Over millions of years, the rocks have been modified by the wind, sunlight rain and temperature changes. The age of a fossil is judged by its layer. rock in which it was discovered. In addition, radioactive elements help determine the age of dinosaur remains. Scientists measure the level of radioactivity in fossilized bones and use these measurements to determine the approximate age of the dinosaur.
Which dinosaur had the most big eyes?
Dromiceomimus had huge eyes. His name means "emu-like". Judging by the fossil skulls of this lizard, its eye sockets were larger than those of any other known dinosaur. Therefore, Dromiceomimus is considered the largest-eyed dinosaur. The eyes of Dromiceomimus were located on the sides of the head, which provided excellent visibility and an advantage over predators.
Did dinosaurs sweat?
Dinosaurs couldn't sweat. The dinosaur's skin was scaly and had no pores through which sweat could escape.
Which dinosaur came first?
Two lizards compete for the title of being the first dinosaur in the history of the earth. These are Herrerosaurus and Eoraptor. Both of them were bipedal predators and lived around 230-225 million years ago. The search for fossils continues and it is possible that even more ancient dinosaurs will be discovered.
How do dinosaurs get their names?
Since the 1820s, paleontologists have been inventing dinosaur names. Having discovered the remains of a new species of dinosaur, scientists describe the discovery in a special diary. In the future, in order to distinguish this species from others, a special name is chosen for it, which has never been used before. Often the name contains the name of the area in which the dinosaur was found.
Could dinosaurs smell?
Many dinosaurs had an excellent sense of smell. This helped them from afar to smell a predator, prey or a potential mate. It is also likely that dinosaurs could emit special signal odors, like many animals.
Did dinosaurs build their own houses?
Most dinosaurs were too large to build homes for themselves. However, some dinosaurs built nests for themselves to lay eggs.
Is there a place on earth where dinosaurs did not live?
The remains of dinosaurs have been found on all continents of the Earth. Until recently, it was believed that there were no dinosaurs in Antarctica. Over the past few years, fossil remains of an armored dinosaur and a small herbivorous dinosaur have been found on the rocky coasts of this icy continent.
Why are so many fossils found in Alberta, Canada?
During the time of the dinosaurs, the area that is now called the Alberta Wastes was literally teeming with dinosaurs. This was the intersection of the routes along which dinosaurs migrated from south to north and from north to south. In Alberta national park dinosaurs, hundreds of skeletons of prehistoric lizards have been found. A large burial was discovered, from which the bones of more than 50 dinosaurs were extracted.
Did dinosaurs sleep?
All animals, including humans, need sleep and rest. And dinosaurs are no exception. Modern reptiles spend their time sleeping most life. And there is no reason to believe that dinosaurs could survive without sleep.
Were all dinosaurs bloodthirsty?
Most dinosaurs were peaceful herbivores. Most of the time they grazed. There were much fewer predators.
Did dinosaurs maintain mating relationships throughout their lives?
Experts are inclined to believe that dinosaurs did not create stable mating pairs. But some dinosaurs nested together and looked after their offspring. However, it is unlikely that the male and female remained together for a long time after mating.
How long did it take for baby dinosaurs to develop in eggs?
To date, it is not known how long dinosaurs developed in eggs. One can only speculate on this matter. It is only known that some dinosaurs, for example Maiasaurs, led a nomadic lifestyle, but came to the same place to lay eggs.
Which dinosaur had the most a long tail?
Diplodocus had the longest tail. The length of the diplodocus tail reached 11 meters. Diplodocus used it as a whip to drive away predators.
Did dinosaurs live in caves?
Most dinosaurs were too big. They wouldn't fit in the cave. Some paleontologists believe that small dinosaurs may have hidden in caves during dry periods. But this is just a guess.
How did dinosaurs sleep?
How dinosaurs slept remains a mystery. Perhaps large herbivorous dinosaurs slept standing up. As for predators, for example, the Tyrannosaurus rex had large curved bones in the lower part of the pelvis, and an additional row of bones located under the ribs. This allowed the tyrannosaurus to lie on the ground without fear, and protected it internal organs from overload.
Did dinosaurs eat fruit?
Some dinosaurs, such as ornithomimides, had toothless jaws, like modern ostriches. They belong to the group of omnivorous dinosaurs. Their diet included insects, small animals, roots and possibly fruit. It is also impossible that other dinosaurs could eat fruit.
How much meat could a Tyrannosaurus rex eat in a day?
Given its size, a hungry tyrannosaurus could eat 120-150 kg of meat at one time. After such a lunch, the dinosaur could go without food for several days.
Did all other reptiles go extinct along with the dinosaurs?
No. Many reptiles were able to survive and even live to this day. These are lizards, snakes, turtles and crocodiles.
Did dinosaurs blink?
Dinosaurs had eyelids, so they could blink. An interesting find was the eyelids of armored dinosaurs ankylosaurs. These dinosaurs had bony eyelids. When the ankylosaur lowered its eyelids, its eyes were reliably protected.
Were there viviparous dinosaurs?
Scientists do not yet know of any evidence that viviparous dinosaurs existed. All dinosaurs found laid eggs. Reptiles that lived in the sea adapted to viviparity, but they were not dinosaurs.
Did dinosaurs shed their skin like lizards do?
Dinosaurs are not closely related to lizards. Their skin has a different structure. The outer layers of skin were not completely shed, but in small fragments, like those of crocodiles.
How did dinosaurs keep themselves clean?
Dinosaurs had no fur or wool, so their skin did not need to be cleaned. The dirt that stuck to the skin of dinosaurs either dried out and fell off, or was shed along with old skin scales, like in modern reptiles. Dinosaur skin was constantly renewed.
Everyone knows what dinosaurs had huge size that some individuals had feathers, and that they all went extinct about 65 million years ago after a huge asteroid hit the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. But how deep do you really know about dinosaurs and Mesozoic era? This article, from a scientific point of view, reveals 10 interesting facts about dinosaurs that both adults and children need to know.
1. Dinosaurs were not the first reptiles on Earth
Dinosaurs first evolved in the middle of the Late Triassic period, about 230 million years ago, in the part of the supercontinent Pangea that corresponds to the modern continent South America. Before this, the dominant reptiles were archosaurs, therapsids (beast-like reptiles) and pelycosaurs, and for about 20 million years after the first dinosaurs appeared, the most formidable reptiles on Earth were prehistoric crocodiles.
Only at the beginning of the Jurassic period, 200 million years ago, dinosaurs began to win the right to dominance.
2. Dinosaurs Thrived For More Than 150 Million Years
With a maximum lifespan of about 100 years, people have little understanding of “deep time” (a term expressing the concept of geological time). To show the depth of time in perspective, here is an example: modern people have only existed for a few hundred thousand years, and human civilization began about 10 thousand years ago, a mere blink of an eye on Jurassic time scales. Everyone talks about how quickly and irrevocably dinosaurs went extinct, but given their 165 million years of existence, they may have been the most successful vertebrates ever to walk the Earth!
3. Dinosaurs are divided into two main orders
It can be assumed that the most logical thing was to divide dinosaurs into herbivores and carnivores, but paleontologists have their own opinion on this matter. They divide dinosaurs into two orders: saurischians and ornithischians. Saurischian dinosaurs include carnivorous theropods and herbivorous sauropods with sauropodomorphs, while ornithischians include ankylosaurs, ceratopsians, stegosaurs, pachycephalosaurs and ornithopods.
Oddly enough, birds evolved from saurischian rather than ornithischian dinosaurs.
4. Birds (most likely) evolved from dinosaurs
Not all paleontologists are convinced, and there are some alternative (not widely accepted) theories. But the bulk of evidence indicates that modern birds evolved from small, feathered theropod dinosaurs during the late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Keep in mind that evolutionary process The birth of birds most likely occurred more than once. Birds appeared several times from different populations dinosaurs, but probably only one evolutionary branch has survived to this day. More details about ancestors modern birds You can read it in the article "."
5. Some dinosaurs were warm-blooded
Modern reptiles are cold-blooded animals, meaning they rely on the temperature of their environment to maintain their core body temperature, while modern mammals and birds are warm-blooded and are able to maintain a constant core body temperature regardless of external conditions. There are strong arguments supporting the presence of a warm-blooded metabolism in some carnivorous dinosaurs and some ornithopods, since it is difficult to imagine a cold-blooded animal leading an active lifestyle.
6. The vast majority of dinosaurs were herbivores
Fierce predators such as Tyrannosaurus Rex and Giganotosaurus are the most popular, but it is an undeniable fact that carnivorous superpredators in any ecosystem make up only a tiny percentage of the herbivores they feed on. Analogous to modern ecosystems in Africa and Asia, herbivorous hadrosaurs, ornithopods, and (to a lesser extent) sauropods probably formed huge herds that were hunted by rarer predatory theropods.
7. Not all dinosaurs had low intelligence
Indeed, some herbivorous dinosaurs (such as stegosaurs) had such a small brain compared to the rest of their body that they were probably not much smarter than a giant fern. But carnivorous dinosaurs large and small, ranging from Troodon to Tyrannosaurus rex, had more respectable amounts of gray matter relative to their body size, as they needed good vision, smell, agility and coordination to track and attack prey. However, even the smartest dinosaurs are comparable in intelligence to modern ostriches.
8. Dinosaurs lived at the same time as early mammals
Many people mistakenly believe that mammals appeared after the extinction of dinosaurs, occupying free ecological niches. However, early mammals lived for most of the Mesozoic era alongside sauropods, hadrosaurs and tyrannosaurs (usually high in trees or underground). They evolved at about the same time (at the end of the Triassic period, from a population of therapsids) as dinosaurs.
Most early mammals were mouse-sized, but some (such as the dinosaur-eating Repenomamus) grew to substantial sizes, about 1 m in length and weighing more than 10 kg.
9. Pterosaurs and marine reptiles are not dinosaurs
It may seem strange, but only dinosaurs are considered terrestrial reptiles, having characteristic anatomical features. Flying pterosaurs, aquatic plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs are not dinosaurs, they are only generalized by the fact that they are all classified as reptiles.
While many consider Dimetrodons to be dinosaurs, they are actually another species of reptile that flourished for tens of millions of years before the first dinosaurs appeared.
10. Not all dinosaurs went extinct at the same time
After the asteroid hit 65 million years ago, the resulting blast wave did not immediately destroy all dinosaurs, pterosaurs and aquatic reptiles. Most likely, the process of extinction lasted for hundreds, and possibly thousands of years. Global change climate, lack of sunlight, lack of vegetation have significantly changed food chain down up.
Some isolated populations of dinosaurs, located in remote parts of the world, may have lived a little longer than their cousins, and despite the many myths about dinosaurs, they are unlikely to survive to this day.
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
Loading...
