Dinosaur

Dinosaurs were amazing reptiles that lived a very long time ago. They were warm-blooded animals, which means their bodies stayed warm. They first appeared during the early part of a time period called the Triassic. After that time ended, dinosaurs became the biggest and strongest land animals. They ruled the Earth for millions of years during two more time periods. These were called the Jurassic and the Cretaceous periods.

Birds are actually dinosaurs too! They came from smaller dinosaurs called theropods long ago. When a huge space rock hit Earth about 66 million years ago, most dinosaurs died. But birds survived and lived on. So today, dinosaurs are still alive as birds. Scientists say there are over 11,000 kinds of birds alive right now. Scientists have also found fossils of over 900 different kinds of dinosaurs that died out long ago.

People used to think dinosaurs were slow and lazy animals. But scientists have learned this was wrong. Dinosaurs were actually active and smart. They had straight legs like birds and mammals do. Some dinosaurs ate only plants. Other dinosaurs hunted and ate meat. All dinosaurs laid eggs to have babies. Many dinosaurs built nests for their eggs, just like birds do today.

Some dinosaurs walked on two back legs. Other dinosaurs walked on four legs. Many dinosaurs had special things on their bodies. Some had big horns or fancy crests on their heads. Some had bony armor or spikes along their backs. The biggest dinosaurs were called sauropods. They were as long as 13 school buses parked end to end. They were as tall as a seven-story building. They were the largest animals that ever walked on Earth.

People started finding dinosaur bones in the 1800s. A scientist named Richard Owen gave them the name dinosaur. This name means terrible lizard. Today, dinosaur skeletons in museums are some of the coolest things to see. Dinosaurs appear in many books and movies. People love learning about dinosaurs. This love helps scientists get money to find new dinosaur fossils. When scientists find something new, the news spreads fast.