Encyclopedia: Dinosaurs

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Daniel Coenn. Encyclopedia: Dinosaurs

Encyclopedia Dinosaurs

The World of Dinosaurs

From A to Z. Allosaurus

Ankylosaurus

Arizonasaurus

Bagaceratops

Brachiosaurus

Camarasaurus

Carnotaurus

Caudipteryx

Coelophysis

Daspletosaurus

Deinonychus

Dilong

Dilophosaurus

Eoraptor

Euoplocephalus

Euparkeria

Fukuiraptor

Gargoyleosaurus

Gastonia

Giganotosaurus

Hydrotherosaurus

Iguanodon

Jobaria

Juravenator

Kentrosaurus

Kronosaurus

Labocania

Megaraptor

Microraptor

Mosasaur

Muttaburrasaurus

Neovenator

Nigersaurus

Olorotitan

Ornitholestes

Oviraptor

Pachyrhinosaurus

Parasaurolophus

Plesiosaurus

Polacanthus

Pterosaur

Qiaowanlong

Raptor (Dromaeosauridae)

Rhamphorhynchus

Rhoetosaurus

Saurornithoides

Scutellosaurus

Spinosaurus

Stegosaurur

Styracosaurus

Therizinosaurus

Torosaurus

Triceratops

Tylosaurus

Tyrannosaurus (T-Rex)

Utahraptor

Velociraptor

Wintonotitan

Xenoceratops

Yamaceratops

Zuniceratops

Отрывок из книги

Dinosaurs were one of the most successful types of animal ever to have lived. They are a type of reptile that first appeared on Earth about 230 million years ago. The word dinosaur means "terrible lizard", but this is misleading because the dinosaurs were not actually lizards. They belonged to a group of archosaurs (reptiles), which also included primitive crocodiles and giant flying creatures called pterosaurs. The dinosaurs roamed the planet for over 160 million years. They lived during three different geological periods - the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous - which are often known as The Age of Reptiles.

Scientists have so far identified more than 500 types of dinosaur, but there are probably many more that remain undiscovered. The dinosaurs ranged in size from chicken-sizes species to giants such as Argentinosaurus, which weighed up to 100 tonnes and was largest land animals ever to walk the earth. There were two main groups of dinosaur - the Saurischia, which had hipbones arranged like a lizard's, and the Ornitischia, which had hipbones arranged like a bird's. Each species of dinosaur had a different diet and lifestyle. Some were vegetarian, while others were hunters or scavengers.

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Many dinosaurs may have been able to swim or wade, just like mammals such as tigers and elephants nowadays. But dinosaurs were mainly land animals. While they ruled the land, two other groups of reptile took the sea and became good swimmers. These were the fish-shaped, tail-propelled ichthyosaurs and the barrel-shaped plesiosaurs.

The first animals we can recognize as dinosaurs lived about 225 million years ago. To begin with dinosaurs were small animals about a meter long, running on their hind legs. Procompsognathus was one of them. It ate smaller animals. Plateosaurus was one of the first large dinosaurs. It grew to 6 meters long and fed on plants. Crocodiles had the same ancestors as dinosaurs and so are the closest living relatives of birds.

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