Dinosaurs have not walked the earth for millions of years. They roamed our planet even before the existence of man. However, these prehistoric giants are fairly famous today. From blockbuster movies to written fiction and even cartoons, dinosaurs are everywhere!
Surely, it is safe to assume that the human race may not have crossed paths with the dinosaurs, but we love and admire them all the same. Learning about them is not only fun, but it can be very fascinating as well!
It is mind-boggling to think that while humans have existed on the Earth for about 66 million years, the reign of dinosaurs lasted for around 165 MILLION YEARS! These majestic beasts went extinct some 67 million years ago.
The cause of their mass extinction is highly debated. Some scientists believe that the planet was hit by a major asteroid that eventually led to the extinction of dinosaurs.
Others have reasons to think that it was a massive bout of volcanism that wiped dinosaurs right off the face of the Earth. Both these scenarios must have choked the skies with dirt and debris, cutting off the Earth’s supply of sunlight.
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This, in turn, caused a massive disruption throughout the food chain and ultimately the poor big fellows starved to extinction.
When it comes to reasons for the extinction of dinosaurs, the effects of greenhouse gasses cannot be overlooked. It is believed that once the debris settled, the greenhouse gasses caused a chaotic change in the atmosphere.
Severe climatic changes and abrupt change in water levels all around the world further made things worse for the dinosaurs that were already starving.
It is also possible that the real cause was a gradual shift in climate and the change in sea level. Irrespective of what really caused the extinction, it won’t be wrong to say that the Mother Nature was a bit hard on these prehistoric giants, ultimately causing them to vanish from the face of the Earth forever.
For more information about fossils and what they teach us, check out our article here.
Dinosaur Chart
Return of the Dinosaurs
Once dinosaurs went extinct, they were forgotten for a long period of time. For hundreds and thousands of years, humans roamed the Earth without even realizing that the same lands had witnessed the rise and fall of creatures as majestic as the dinosaurs.
When it comes to the discovery of dinosaurs, Britain holds a special place. While dinosaurs roamed all around the world, it was in Britain where the fossils were discovered and properly studied by the scientists for the first time.
Around some 170 years back, the term “dinosaur” was coined by Richard Owen who was an expert animal anatomist of his time. However, it is believed that some geologists were already familiar with the animal that Owen described as dinosaurs
Nonetheless, his discoveries dawned new light on the prehistoric world of dinosaurs and piqued interest about them all over the world. Since then these colossal reptiles have managed to keep us captivated! Over the years, we have learned a lot about our favorite prehistoric animals.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of dinosaurs to learn a few interesting facts about them.
Pterodactyl
Pterodactyl is the image that conjures up in your mind when you think about a flying dinosaur. Almost all winged dinosaurs portrayed in modern fiction have been inspired by this giant bird-dino, which resided in Europe and Africa.
If you are wondering what it would have been like to ride one of these creatures, we’ve got bad news for you. New research suggests that owing to its unique anatomy, your dragon-dino was not able to not take off!
Lirainosaurus
Lirainosaurus were herbivores with long necks. It is easy to imagine a Lirainosaurus enjoying fresh and juicy leaves off the tops of the trees in vast green fields. They are known to have inhabited Europe and seemed to especially prefer Spain.
Iguanodon
Iguanodon was perhaps the first dinosaur identified by the scientists. The discovery was made when local workers unearthed fossil teeth in British forest. They took their findings to the neighborhood doctor, Gideon Mantell, who realized that they were not dealing with something ordinary.
Iguanodon is believed to be a herbivore. In the lands now known as Europe, North Africa, North America, Australia, and Asia, these giant dinosaurs ran around on two legs.
They had claws with fingers that would have been useful for cutting plants or fighting off predators. They roamed the Erath some 161.2 million to 99.6 million years ago, during the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous eras.
Allosaurus
Allosaurus lived around 150 million years ago. With their huge jaws lined with razor sharp-teeth, these dinosaurs were ferocious meat-eaters. What makes them even more terrifying is that, unlike the T-Rex, the hand claws of Allosaurus were more than 1 foot long!
Moreover, it could reach speeds of 40mph! All these qualities combined give rise to one of the deadliest hunters of the prehistoric world – Allosaurus!
Brontosaurus
The name “Brontosaurus” comes from the Greek language and translates to “thunder lizard”. These dinosaurs are quite famous in Hollywood. In fact, this species of dinosaurs was not only featured in films and other types of fiction but also managed to make their way to postal stamps!
With their thin, long neck and giant bulky torso, the Brontosaurus was a herbivore. The various species of Brontosaurus roamed in what is now known as North America. These giants were around 22 meters long and weighed up to 17 tons.
To give you a better idea about how massive they were, did you know that the heaviest of elephants weigh only around 6 – 7 tons and grows up to only 3.2 meters?
Gallimimus
With big eyes on each side of a relatively small head, adult Gallimimus weighed around 440 kilograms and were approximately 6 meters long and roamed prehistoric Asia. Scientists have reasons to believe that Gallimimus might have feathers on its body. Can you imagine a dinosaur without teeth?
Well, it is interesting to note that this one was one of them! It had no teeth and relied on its long beak for feeding. The long and thin neck provided a lot of agility while preying and feeding. If you are a fan of The Jurassic Park movies, you might already have seen Gallimimus!
Isanosaurus
