Stalker School - Dinosaurs

Have a Dino-mite Day!

Dinosaurs ruled the earth for nearly 100 million years. Scientists have learned about dinosaurs in many ways including the discovery of fossils, bones and eggs.
All dinosaurs were reptiles. The word "dinosaur" means "terrible lizard." Some of the giant dinosaurs could easily be desribed in these terms, but many of them were really rather small in size. Some dinosaurs walked on two feet while others walked on all four. Some were strictly plant eaters and others were fierce meat eaters. Some dinosaurs prefered living in or near the water while still others prefered drier climates. One type of dinosaur, the pterodactyl, even flew like a bird.

Scientists are still puzzled over why the dinosaurs disappeared. Many believe that the earth slowly changed from moist warm areas to hot dry regions. This process caused a change in climate and affected the food supply. With plants and water diminishing, the dinosaurs soon died out.

Other scientists believe that this change in the earth's climate was caused by a great event such as a comet or asteroid crashing into the earth. Such an event would have caused a great dust cloud to form in the sky, blocking out the sunlight. With no sunlight, plants soon died and eventually the dinosaurs became extinct.

Meet the Dinosaurs

Antosaurus The Antosaurus was a large plant-eating dinosaur. He had a long, wide mouth that resembled a duck's bill. These dinosaurs lived near or in the water where their webbed feet made them good swimmers.

Ankylosaurus The Ankylosaurus was a plant-eater that was very well protected from his enemies. His body was almost completely covered with a hard, bony armor. He had long, sharp spikes down his sides and a powerful club-like tail

Brontosaurus The Brontosaurus was the largest of all land animals. He was known as "Thunder Lizard", apparently because the ground shook as he walked, and grew to be more than 75 feet long. The Brontosaurus lived in swampy areas and spent most of his time in the water eating plants.

Pterodactyl The Pterodactyl was a large flying reptile. He did not have feathers but rather horny scales. The wings were thin membranes, similar to the wings of a bat. The wing span of the Pterodactyl measured more than 20 feet.

Stegosaurus The Stegosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur about 18 feet long. He had a small head and a large body with bony plates down his back. These plates and the spines on his tail helped protect the Stegosaurus from his enemies.

Triceratops The Triceratops was a plant-eater that had to protect himself from many enemies. He had a large bony plate that covered the back of his neck and three long horns, one over each eye and another horn on his nose.

Tyrannosaurus Rex The Tyrannosaurus was the most ferocious of all the dinosaurs. He was a meat-eater with strong jaws and long, sharp teeth. He walked on his back legs and measured about 45 feet tall. The Tyrannosaurus is often called the "King of the Dinosaurs."

Making Fossils

Invent a Dinosaur

Children's Literature: Dinosaurs

Big Old Bones: A Dinosaur Tale by Carol Carrick
Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki
A fascinating book that illustrates how dinosaur bones are collected and put back together for display.
The Dinosaurs and the Dark Star by Robin Bates and Cheryl Simon
An overview of dinosaur paleontology that leads up to a theory of dinosaur extinction, linking it to periodic bombbardment of the earth by comets dislodged by an unseen companion star.
If You are a Hunter of Fossils by Byrd Batylor
A fossil hunter imagines what Texas was like during the times of the fossils he hunts.
Dinosaurs, Asteroids, and Superstars: Why the Dinosaurs Disappeared by Franklyn M. Branley
A look at several theories as to why the dinosaurs became extinct.
Patrick's Dinosaurs by Carol Carrick
On a trip to the zoo, Patrick imagines that all the dinosaurs his older brother talks about are real and all around him. Read the sequel What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaurs?. Rejecting his brother's scientific explanations, Patrick weaves his own, more imaginative theory of where and why dinosaurs disappeared from the earth.

Antosaurus	The Antosaurus was a large plant-eating dinosaur. He had a long, wide mouth that resembled a duck's bill. These dinosaurs lived near or in the water where their webbed feet made them good swimmers.
Ankylosaurus	The Ankylosaurus was a plant-eater that was very well protected from his enemies. His body was almost completely covered with a hard, bony armor. He had long, sharp spikes down his sides and a powerful club-like tail
Brontosaurus	The Brontosaurus was the largest of all land animals. He was known as "Thunder Lizard", apparently because the ground shook as he walked, and grew to be more than 75 feet long. The Brontosaurus lived in swampy areas and spent most of his time in the water eating plants.
Pterodactyl	The Pterodactyl was a large flying reptile. He did not have feathers but rather horny scales. The wings were thin membranes, similar to the wings of a bat. The wing span of the Pterodactyl measured more than 20 feet.
Stegosaurus	The Stegosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur about 18 feet long. He had a small head and a large body with bony plates down his back. These plates and the spines on his tail helped protect the Stegosaurus from his enemies.
Triceratops	The Triceratops was a plant-eater that had to protect himself from many enemies. He had a large bony plate that covered the back of his neck and three long horns, one over each eye and another horn on his nose.
Tyrannosaurus Rex	The Tyrannosaurus was the most ferocious of all the dinosaurs. He was a meat-eater with strong jaws and long, sharp teeth. He walked on his back legs and measured about 45 feet tall. The Tyrannosaurus is often called the "King of the Dinosaurs."