What Are Dinosaurs (ˈdī-nə-sȯrs)?
Many, many years ago, strange creatures roamed the earth. They were called dinosaurs. The word dinosaur means "terrible lizard" (Wikipedia). These dinosaurs were like really big reptiles. But there were small ones too. They could have been as small as a bird or as big as a city building. Many dinosaurs were bigger than us! There were some that flew, some that slithered, some that swam and some that just plain walked. Some of them had horns, some had plates or spikes, some with armor, some with long tails and even some with very big wings. Their mommies all laid eggs. We learned about these dinosaurs from
fossils. Fossils are the preserved remains of plants and animals. You can play a game finding fossils of dinosaurs here. To learn more about fossils, you can watch a short video about them here.
Would you like to learn more about some of these really cool creatures? It will be your quest to discover some simple facts about different kinds of dinosaurs. You could even read a book about dinosaurs going to school if you check out How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague. Find a local library here. Or you could listen to a song about them here.
Would you like to learn more about some of these really cool creatures? It will be your quest to discover some simple facts about different kinds of dinosaurs. You could even read a book about dinosaurs going to school if you check out How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague. Find a local library here. Or you could listen to a song about them here.
How Long Ago Did Dinosaurs Live?
The time of the Dinosaurs was called The Mesozoic (mez-oh-ZOH-ik) Era, or "THE AGE OF REPTILES" (EnchantedLearning.com).
"The Mesozoic Era has three time periods. The Cretaceous (146-65 million years ago), the Jurassic ( 208-146 mya) and the Triassic (245-208 mya)" (ThinkQuest).
Mesozoic means "middle animals" (ThinkQuest).
The Mesozoic Era started with the Triassic Period. This is when the first dinosaurs and mammals appeared.
The next time period was the Jurassic Period which was a time of many dinosaurs and the first birds.
The last of the dinosaurs ended with the Cretaceous (Kri-tay-shus) Period about 65 million years ago.
Here's a link to a dinosaur game about the time periods
Link to The Geological Timescale
"The Mesozoic Era has three time periods. The Cretaceous (146-65 million years ago), the Jurassic ( 208-146 mya) and the Triassic (245-208 mya)" (ThinkQuest).
Mesozoic means "middle animals" (ThinkQuest).
The Mesozoic Era started with the Triassic Period. This is when the first dinosaurs and mammals appeared.
The next time period was the Jurassic Period which was a time of many dinosaurs and the first birds.
The last of the dinosaurs ended with the Cretaceous (Kri-tay-shus) Period about 65 million years ago.
Here's a link to a dinosaur game about the time periods
Link to The Geological Timescale
What Did Dinosaurs Eat?
Have you ever eaten rosemary, chives or basil? These are herbs. Herbs are plants you can eat. Dinosaurs that ate plants were called herbivores. Modern herbivores you may know include: cows, horses and rabbits.
Play a game about herbivores here.
Have you ever eaten a hamburger or hot dog? That is meat. The word carnivore means "meat eater." Dinosaurs that ate meat are called carnivores. Do you know another animal that is a carnivore? Some of today's animals that are carnivores are lions, tigers and sharks.
Dinosaurs That Ate Meat by Leonie Bennett is a book about carnivores.
Catch some fish for carnivores here!
People eat meat, fruit and vegetables, so we are called omnivores. The word "omni" means "all" or "everything." So dinosaurs that ate both plants and meat were called omnivores too. Other omnivores include most bears, monkeys and birds.
Here is a list of dinosaurs and what they ate!
Another book with some dinosaur facts is Dinosaur Teeth by Susan H. Gray.
Play a game about herbivores here.
Have you ever eaten a hamburger or hot dog? That is meat. The word carnivore means "meat eater." Dinosaurs that ate meat are called carnivores. Do you know another animal that is a carnivore? Some of today's animals that are carnivores are lions, tigers and sharks.
Dinosaurs That Ate Meat by Leonie Bennett is a book about carnivores.
Catch some fish for carnivores here!
People eat meat, fruit and vegetables, so we are called omnivores. The word "omni" means "all" or "everything." So dinosaurs that ate both plants and meat were called omnivores too. Other omnivores include most bears, monkeys and birds.
Here is a list of dinosaurs and what they ate!
Another book with some dinosaur facts is Dinosaur Teeth by Susan H. Gray.
References
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/en/life-3.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/mesozoic/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/mesozoic/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur
