Dinosaurs Facts for Kids
Roar-some facts about dinosaurs
A 2023 study suggested T. rex and many other large theropods had scaly lips covering their teeth, like those of modern lizards, rather than the exposed fangs shown in movies. This would have helped keep their teeth from drying out.
Plateosaurus is one of the earliest large plant-eating dinosaurs, appearing about 214 million years ago. Fossil sites in Germany contain hundreds of individuals, suggesting they gathered together in large groups, possibly seasonally.
Suchomimus was a large, fish-eating dinosaur with a distinctive long, crocodile-like snout and a massive hooked thumb claw it used to snag fish from rivers. It looked like a scaled-up version of a modern heron.
Scientists still fiercely debate whether Nanotyrannus was a separate, smaller tyrannosaurid species or simply a juvenile T. rex. Two nearly complete skeletons found together have fuelled the argument for decades without a firm conclusion.
Ceratosaurus had a distinctive horn on its nose and ridges above its eyes, but these features were probably more for display than combat. It also had a row of small bony scutes running down its back, unusual for a large theropod.
Some plant-eating dinosaurs swallowed stones called gastroliths to help grind up tough vegetation inside their stomachs, similar to how chickens swallow grit today. Polished gastroliths have been found near the ribcages of sauropod fossils.
Just like tree rings, dinosaur bones grew in annual rings called Lines of Arrested Growth, which scientists use to determine the animal's exact age at death. This technique revealed that T. rex reached full size by about age 20.
Dinosaurs found in Antarctica would have lived through months of total polar darkness every winter. Scientists think some of them may have migrated, while others stayed and survived the dark season somehow — possibly hibernating.
Kosmoceratops had an astonishing 15 horns on its head and frill, more than any other known dinosaur. Palaeontologists nicknamed it 'one of the most ornate animals ever to walk the Earth.'
Analysis of Ankylosaurus tail clubs show impact damage consistent with being used in combat, most likely against other Ankylosaurus rather than predators. Like deer antlers, they may have used them to compete for territory and mates.