Millions of years ago, long before there were any people, there were dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were one of several kinds of prehistoric reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic Era, the "Age of Reptiles
Dinosaurs were the dominant land animals for 160 million years, making them one of the most successful groups of animals ever, but mysteriously went extinct 65 million years ago. Paleontologists study their fossil remains to learn about the amazing prehistoric world of dinosaurs
There were lots of different kinds of dinosaurs that lived at different times. Some were huge, some were small. Some walked on two legs, some walked on four . Some were speedy , and some were slow and lumbering . Some were carnivores and some were herbivores . Some were armor-plated, some had thick, bumpy skin, some had horns , some even had primitive feather
The largest dinosaurs were over 100 feet (30 m) long and up to 50 feet (15 m) tall (like Argentinosaurus, Seismosaurus, Ultrasauros, Brachiosaurus, and Supersaurus). The smallest dinosaurs, like Compsognathus, were about the size of a chicken. Most dinosaurs were in-between.
It is very difficult to figure out how the dinosaurs sounded, how they behaved, how they mated, what color they were, or even how to tell whether a fossil was male or female.
Some walked on two legs (they were bipedal), some walked on four (they were quadrupedal). Some could do both.
Some were speedy (like Velociraptor), and some were slow and lumbering (like Ankylosaurus).
Some were armor-plated, some had horns, crests, spikes, or frills.
Some had thick, bumpy skin, and some even had primitive feathers.
Dinosaurs probably live on today as the birds. All that's left of the dinosaurs are fossils and, perhaps,the birds. Dinosaur fossils have been found all over the world, maybe even near where you live!
Argentinosaurus
Although paleontologists claim to have found bigger dinosaurs, Argentinosaurus is the
biggest sauropod whose size has been backed up by convincing evidence. This gigantic plant-muncher (named after Argentina, where its remains were found) measured about 120 feet from head to tail and may have weighed over 100 tons. Just one vertebra of Argentinosaurus is over four feet thick!
 |
| Argentinosaurus |
Seismosaurus
Paleontologists mostly refer to Seismosaurus, the "earthquake lizard," as a "deprecated genus"--that is, a dinosaur that was once thought to be unique, but has since been shown to belong to an already existing genus. Once considered among the biggest of all dinosaurs, most experts now agree that the house-sized Seismosaurus was probably a species of the much better-known Diplodocus.
 |
| Seismosaurus |
Supersaurus
is one of the sauropods known for their very limited number of fossils, and whose dimensions are highly speculative. It was between 30 and 40m long, weighing 30 to 50 tons and it lived in the Late Jurassic, in North America. It is very similar to the Apatosaurus, but it is less robustly built with especially elongated cervical vertebrae.
 |
| Supersaurus |
Compsognathus very small predaceous dinosaurs that lived in Europe during the Late Jurassic Period 161 million to 146 million years ago
One of the smallest dinosaurs known, Compsognathus grew only about as large as a chicken, but with a length of about 60–90 cm (2–3 feet), including the long tail, and a weight of about 5.5 kg (12 pounds). A swift runner, it was lightly built and had a long neck and tail, strong hind limbs, and very small forelimbs.
Velociraptor
Velociraptors were made famous in the film 'Jurassic Park', though they were a little less impressive in reality, standing not much taller than domestic turkeys. A famous fossil has one locked in battle with a Protoceratops. The predatory Velociraptor had pinned down its plant-eating victim, but both appear to have been overcome, perhaps by a sudden sandstorm. Fossils also show that Velociraptor had large feathers on its forelimbs, perhaps used for display.
One of the smallest dinosaurs known, Compsognathus grew only about as large as a chicken, but with a length of about 60–90 cm (2–3 feet), including the long tail, and a weight of about 5.5 kg (12 pounds). A swift runner, it was lightly built and had a long neck and tail, strong hind limbs, and very small forelimbs.
 |
| Compsognathus |
Velociraptors were made famous in the film 'Jurassic Park', though they were a little less impressive in reality, standing not much taller than domestic turkeys. A famous fossil has one locked in battle with a Protoceratops. The predatory Velociraptor had pinned down its plant-eating victim, but both appear to have been overcome, perhaps by a sudden sandstorm. Fossils also show that Velociraptor had large feathers on its forelimbs, perhaps used for display.
 |
| Velociraptor |
is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur, containing one species, A. magniventris. Fossils of Ankylosaurus are found in geologic formations dating to the very end of the Cretaceous Period (between about 66.5–65.5 Ma ago) in western North America.
Although a complete skeleton has not been discovered and several other dinosaurs are represented by more extensive fossil material, Ankylosaurus is often considered the archetypal armored dinosaur. Other ankylosaurids shared its well-known features the heavily-armored body and massive bony tail club but Ankylosaurus was the largest known member of the family.
Although a complete skeleton has not been discovered and several other dinosaurs are represented by more extensive fossil material, Ankylosaurus is often considered the archetypal armored dinosaur. Other ankylosaurids shared its well-known features the heavily-armored body and massive bony tail club but Ankylosaurus was the largest known member of the family.
 |
| Ankylosaurus |
Related Videos
No comments:
Post a Comment