Dinosaur World

Cool stuff about dinosaurs



Mesozoic Dinosaurs

Move your mouse over some of the dinosaurs and click on it!

Archeopteryx

An archaeopteryx is an extinct animal that lived 150 million years ago. The archaeopteryx is known as the first bird. It was about the size of a pigeon. Seven specimens and one feather were found. The specimens are: the London Specimen, the Berlin Specimen, the Maxburg Specimen, the Haarlemm or Teyler Specmen, The Eichstatt Specimen, the Johnhoen Specimen, and the Sonhoen-Aktien-Vercin Specimen. Archaeopteryx were 14 inches in length and weighed 10 to 15 oz. They ate lizards and insects. They caught insects by swatting them to the ground, clapping their arms together to trap the insect, slapping it, and putting it in their mouths. If they got too cold, they fluffed up their feathers to keep the heat in. If they got too hot, they spread their feathers to let heat escape. Archaeopteryx had tube-like bones, not solid ones. This made them light enough to fly. Top

Brontosaurus

The Brontosaurus, a member of a family of dinosaurs that walked on four legs with long necks and long tails called sauropods, was the victim of a war that was played out over a hundred years ago. Meaning - Apatosaurus means "deceptive lizard" - Brontosaurus (this name is no longer used) means "thunder lizard" Pronounced - a-PAT-o-SAWR-us One of the most famous dinosaur species of all time. A nearly complete skeleton found by Marsh was mounted in Yale's Peabody Museum. There it captured the public's imagination as did a beautiful illustration Othniel Charles Marsh published in The Sixteenth Annual Report of the US Geological Survey, 1895. The Yale skeleton was the first sauropod dinosaur put on display anywhere in the world when it was mounted in 1905 and the animal was clearly labeled as a "Brontosaurus." It was a Herbivore (plant-eater). Apatosaurus swallowed stones to help grind up its tough plant food. It did not chew its food. It's length was 70-90 feet (21-27 m) long Height - 10-15 feet (3-4.6 m) tall at the hips Weight - 33-38 tons (30-35 tonnes) It lived in the Late Jurassic period, about 157-146 million years ago. It lived Fossils have been found in Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming, in the USA, North America. A few incomplete fossils have been found (mostly without skulls). The dinosaur Brontosaurus (Marsh,1879) is now called Apatosaurus. Apatosaurus' nostrils were located on the top of its head. Top

Crocodile

The largest crocodile species is saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), encountered from India to northern Australia and Fiji. In can reach 7 m (23 ft) in length and 1 tonne in weight! At 5 m (17 ft) length, it already has 0.5 tonne! Even so, a crocodile egg is no larger than that of a goose. The smallest crocodile is the dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) from central Africa, which has a maximum length of 1.9 m (6.5 ft). It is more terrestrial than other crocodiles.

To "cry crocodile tears" is a common expression which is used for depicting fake sadness. It has its origins in the myth according to which reptiles weep while eating humans.

But, believe it or not, crocodiles really do wipe while feasting, but rather due to physiological reasons than remorse. Their eyes can froth and bubble during the feeding. Air pushed through the sinuses could mix with tears in the animal's lacrimal (tear) glands and the whole content could be emptied into the eye; resulting the "fake" remorse. Crocodile skin is considered one of the finest and best, being soft and durable. In many tribal societies, skin crocodile is used as a symbol of high status. But only the skin on the belly has these qualities; the back skin is covered in bones (called osteoderms) that reflects arrows, spears and even bullets!

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Pterodactyl

Name's meaning: "Winged finger" Pronounciation: ter-u-Dak-til Physical Description: A Pterodactyl had a wingspan of anywhere between a few inches up to over 40 feet long. Pterodactyls are believed to have flown long distances using large wings and they had above average eyesight to help them catch their prey. Paleontologist classify Pterodactyls as flying reptiles and not dinosaurs. Young Earth Age: Alive sometime in the last 6000 years. Old Earth Age: According to old earth scientists, Pterodactyls lived in the late Mesozoic period, about 251 to 65 million years ago Diet: It was a carnivore (meat eating creature). Fossil locations: Pterodactyl fossils have been found in America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. Top

Stegosaurus

The Stegosaurus is the most famous dinosaur from a group of dinosaurs known as Stegosauria. They were all herbivores (plant eaters) and featured rows of unique bones that developed into plates and spines along their back and tail. The name ‘Stegosaurus’ comes from the Greek words ‘stegos’ meaning roof and ‘sauros’ meaning lizard. The Stegosaurus was alive in the late Jurassic Period (around 150 million years ago). Stegosaurus fossils have been found in western North America and more recently in Portugal, indicating that they lived in Europe as well. In terms of size, the Stegosaurus was large and heavily built. On average, a fully grown Stegosaurus was around 9 metres (30ft) in length, 4 metres (14ft) in height and up to nearly 5 metric tons in weight. Although the Stegosaurus body was large, the size of their brain was only around the size of a dog’s. Researchers believe that due to the nature of Stegosaurus legs, they had a maximum speed of around 7kph (5mph). The 17 plates found along the back of the Stegosaurus arose from the skin rather than being attached to the skeleton. The largest plates were around 60cm (2ft) tall and 60cm (2ft) wide. The Stegosaurus also featured tail spikes that reached around 60cm (2ft) to 90cm (3ft) in length. Along with Tyrannosaurus rex and Iguanodon, Stegosaurus was one of three dinosaurs that inspired the appearance of Godzilla. Stegosaurus was represented in the popular Transformers toy line and animated series as Snarl, an Autobot that could transform into a Stegosaurus form.The US state of Colorado lists the Stegosaurus as its state dinosaur. Top

Tyranosaurus Rex

Some stuff about Tyanosaurus Rex"Tyrant lizard" T-Rex is short for "Tyrannosaurus rex" Predator dinosaur (70 million years ago) Up to 7 1/2 tons 2-3 feet high at hips (they would have stood head-to-head with an adult man) Up to 43 feet Massive jaws with 50 to 60 blade-like teeth, some up to 9 inches long! Meat It lived in Open woodland T-Rex's head was about 5 feet long. Its skull had holes in it which made it lighter and easier to carry around. T-Rex was one of the best known dinosaurs, but it didn't live all that long. T-Rex came along just before the dinosaurs became extinct. You often see T-Rex pictures with his tail stretched out behind him. He did this for balance. T-Rex had a very good sense of smell. When T-Rex ran, he could go 20 miles per hour and could cover 15 feet in one step!

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