Dinosaurs Facts for Kids
Roar-some facts about dinosaurs
Quetzalcoatlus was one of the largest flying animals ever to have lived, with a wingspan of up to 11 metres — about the same as a small aeroplane. It is believed to have walked on all fours on the ground and launched itself into flight like a giant bat.
While dinosaur skin rarely fossilises, impressions of it are sometimes preserved in rock. These fossils show that many large dinosaurs had pebbly, scaly skin similar to modern lizards, though we now know many smaller species had feathers.
Parasaurolophus had a long, hollow bony crest up to 1.8 metres long on its head that it could use to produce deep, resonating calls. Scientists have used computer modelling to recreate the sounds it may have made, which are hauntingly similar to a French horn.
Studies of T. rex skull anatomy suggest it had forward-facing eyes with overlapping fields of vision, giving it excellent depth perception — much like modern hawks and eagles. This would have made it a very effective hunter.
Compsognathus was one of the smallest known dinosaurs, about the size of a large chicken. It lived during the late Jurassic period and was a fast, agile hunter that fed on small lizards and insects.
Fossils form when an animal dies and its bones are slowly buried by sediment such as sand or mud. Over millions of years, minerals replace the original bone material, turning it to stone — a process called permineralisation.
Allosaurus was the dominant large predator of the late Jurassic period in North America, tens of millions of years before T. rex appeared. It may have hunted in groups to bring down giant sauropods, leaving distinctive bite marks on their bones.
Unlike most modern reptiles, dinosaurs grew continuously throughout their lives at rates more similar to birds and mammals. This rapid, sustained growth may be one of the reasons they were able to grow so large.
Carcharodontosaurus, whose name means 'shark-toothed lizard', was a giant predator from North Africa that rivalled T. rex in size. Its teeth were long, sharp, and serrated like steak knives, ideal for slicing through flesh.
Scientists have discovered microscopic structures in some feathered dinosaur fossils called melanosomes, which are the structures that give colour to feathers. By comparing these to modern birds, they can determine the colour of some dinosaurs with remarkable accuracy.