Dinosaur

Dinosaurs are a group of reptiles that first appeared during the Triassic period, about 230 million years ago. The word "dinosaur" comes from the Greek words for "terrible lizard". They were the largest land animals of their time, and some were as long as 130 feet (40 meters) from nose to tail. Most dinosaurs were plant-eaters (herbivores), but some were meat-eaters (carnivores).

Types

There are two main types of dinosaurs: theropods and sauropods. Theropods were the most common dinosaurs. They were bipedal, meaning they walked on two legs, and many were carnivorous, meaning they ate meat. The most famous theropod is the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Sauropods were the largest dinosaurs. They were quadrupedal, meaning they walked on four legs, and were herbivorous, meaning they ate plants. The most famous sauropod is the Brachiosaurus.

Extinction

Dinosaurs went extinct around 65.5 million years ago. Scientists believe that there are a few reasons why this might have happened. The most popular idea is that a comet, asteroid, or meteor might have caused the extinction by hitting the Earth. They also think that the weather might have changed so much that the dinosaurs couldn’t survive, or that a disease might have killed them all. No one is really sure why the dinosaurs went extinct, but it’s a really interesting mystery!

Discovery

Dinosaurs were first discovered in the early 1800s by scientists who were studying fossils. The word "dinosaur" was coined in 1841 by British scientist Sir Richard Owen. Owen realized that the fossils he was studying were from a completely different type of animal than any that had been discovered before. He named these animals "dinosaurs," which means "terrible lizard" in Greek. Scientists have since discovered that there are many different types of dinosaurs, and that they lived on Earth for millions of years.

Fun Facts

Dinosaurs are a fascinating topic for many people, especially young children. They are often seen as massive, ferocious and extinct creatures. However, there is so much more to these creatures than meets the eye. For example, did you know that some dinosaurs were smaller than a chicken? Or that some had feathers? Here are some fun facts about dinosaurs that your students are sure to find interesting!