Dinosaurs Facts for Kids
Roar-some facts about dinosaurs
Scientists can work out the colours of some feathered dinosaurs by examining tiny structures called melanosomes preserved inside fossil feathers. This is how we know Anchiornis had a black and white patterned body with a reddish crest.
Dinosaurs first appeared during the Triassic period around 230–240 million years ago. They started as relatively small animals before evolving into the giants we know, after a mass extinction wiped out many of their competitors.
Oviraptor means 'egg thief' because it was first found near a nest thought to belong to Protoceratops. Later discoveries revealed the eggs were actually Oviraptor's own, and it was probably a caring parent brooding its nest.
Dreadnoughtus schrani is one of the most completely known giant sauropods ever found, estimated to weigh about 65 tonnes. Its shin bone alone was taller than a fully grown person.
Mosasaurus was a terrifying ocean predator that could reach 14 metres in length, but it was not a dinosaur — it was a giant marine lizard, more closely related to modern monitor lizards. It ruled the seas while dinosaurs dominated the land.
Maiasaura means 'good mother lizard' because fossils show adults caring for their young in large nesting colonies. Scientists found nests containing babies too young to leave, with eggshells trampled down — a sign the young were fed by their parents.
The armour covering Ankylosaurus was made of osteoderms — bony plates embedded directly in the skin. This armour was so tough that scientists think even T. rex would have struggled to bite through it.
Fossil evidence from Alberta, Canada suggests that Albertosaurus, a smaller relative of T. rex, may have hunted in groups. A bone bed containing multiple individuals of different ages hints at social pack behaviour.
Ichthyosaurs looked almost exactly like dolphins but were actually reptiles that lived at the same time as dinosaurs. They even gave birth to live young underwater, rather than laying eggs on land.
Carnotaurus had eyes that faced sideways rather than forward, meaning it likely had poor depth perception for a large predator. It had tiny, useless arms even smaller relative to its body than T. rex's.