Almost all of us have watched the movie “Jurassic Park”, but how much do we really know about the creatures called “dinosaurs” ? Did we know that the period they occurred in was called Triassic period? or What does even “Jurassic” stands for?
We have played with little dinosaurs models throughout our childhood and have been inquisitive ever since. Here are some facts about these magnificent animals that’ll break all the mysteries.
1. First Ever
Please don’t go by the heading because it’s not what it looks like and in fact is just the opposite. Dinosaurs were actually not the first to exist. Archosaurs (giant lizard) and pelycosaurs came 20 million years before the Dino.
Source: dinosaurs.about.com, Image: wikipedia
2. Most Successful
This might or might not diminish your interest in history. The fact is that the dinosaurs have been the most successful reptile to rule the earth. Human beings have been here for few thousands of years but that is just few seconds in the dinosaurs time.
Source: dinosaurs.about.com
3. Division
We know that there are two kinds of dinos: Herbivores and Carnivores, but the paleontologists have a different saying in this. They divide the creature into saurischian (lizard hipped) and ornithischian (bird-hipped).
Source: dinosaurs.about.com
4. ..And they Became Birds!
What!!!! No, seriously, there have been proofs that the birds have evolved from small and feathered theropods during the late Jurassic period.
Source: dinosaurs.about.com, Image: natgeo.co.in
5. Endothermic or Exothermic?
The modern reptiles are cold blooded or exothermic, which means that they have to rely on outer temperatures to maintain the body heat. But did you know that carnivores dinosaurs were endothermic or warm blooded. Mustn’t be warm when they hunt though.
Source: dinosaurs.about.com
6. Majority Were Herbivores
Though the giant dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurs gets to be in the lime light all the time but it is true that the majority of dinosaurs were not carnivores but herbivores!
Source: dinosaurs.about.com
7. Not Everything With “saurs” Was Dinosaurs
Other kinds like the flying pterosaurs and swimming plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs weren’t dinosaurs at all; and some of them weren’t even all that closely related to dinosaurs!
Source: dinosaurs.about.com
8. Species
We all just know about a few kinds of dinosaurs (mostly, Tyrannosaurs Rex!), but did you know there are almost 2,468 species accounted in the Mesozoic Era.
Source: wikipedia, Image: jurassicadventure.com
9. Smallest One
The smallest dinosaurs that we know of were just 4-feet and weighed less than a chihuahua.
Source: telegraph.co.uk, Image: natgeo.com
10. Identification
Most dinosaurs can be known about by just looking at their bone or tooth.
Source: scholastic.com, Image: natgeo.com
11. What Does It Mean?
The word “dinosaurs” belongs to the ancient Greek and means “terrible lizard”. That’s not a nice way to call someone, by the way.
Source: paleobiology.com, Image: dinoadventures.com
12. Dino Prints
There exists a cliff made up of lime stones in Bolivia where dinosaurs’ footprints have been found. It is said to be VERY ancient, obviously.
Source: businessinsider.com, Image: historicity.com
13. That’s Hard To Digest!
Dinosaurs swallowed rocks which stayed in their belly and helped them to grind the food.
Source: ucmp.berkley.com
14. Inventors
Exactly! Dinosaurs were the one who invented the toilet! It was used by them 240 million years ago.
Source: bbc.com, Image: pinterest
15. What Park?
Despite the movie title “Jurassic Park”, most of the dinosaurs lived in the Cretaceous period.
Source: guardian.com
16. Biblical Creatures?
In ancient Europe, Dinosaur fossil was believed to be something from “biblical creatures”.
Source: wikipedia, Image: ancientfacts.com
17. Longest name
The fossil of the dino with longest name is found in China. Its name is: Micropachycephalosaurus. Try pronouncing this one.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com, Image: wikipedia
18. Biped or Quadruped?
Most carnivores dinosaurs were biped so that they could run faster and even catch their prey with hands. Whereas, the herbivores were quadruped but some could even manage on two feet for a short while.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com
19. Dino Babies
Dinosaurs’ eggs were just the size of a basketball. Had they been any bigger, the shell would have been more thick and so the babies wouldn’t have made it out.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com
20. Relatives
The modern relative of T. Rex is Chicken! We kinda are eating dinosaurs. Victory to Human Kind!
Source: all-that-is-interesting.com
21. Hollow Man …… or Dino?
Most dinosaurs had hollow bones so that they could lift the weight of themselves!
Source: all-that-is-interesting.com, Image: museumofresearch.com
22. Age of reptiles
Some scientists, based on bone evidence, have found out that many dinosaurs lived upto 70-300 years!
Source: all-that-is-interesting.com
23. Brain the Size of Walnut
Despite having a massive body, most had brains a size of walnut. Stegosaurus tops the category.
Source: all-that-is-interesting.com
24. Everywhere!
Dinosaurs have existed everywhere. Even in Antarctica.
Source: wikipedia
25. Biggest of All
Dinosaurs have been considered the biggest living things but in reality, the blue whale is bigger than any dinosaur at 108 feet (33 m).
Source: facts.randomhistory.com, Image: wildlifeunderthesea.com
26. Brainy Facts
A newborn human baby has a bigger brain than most adult dinosaurs had. Whales and dolphins have the biggest brains of all living animals.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com
27. Shedding Skin
Like lizards and snakes, it is believed that dinosaurs shed skin too!
Source: facts.randomhistory.com, Image: natgeo.co.in
28. Smallest and Largest Eggs
The smallest dinosaur egg ever found was only 3 centimeters long and weighed 75 grams. It is not known what kind of species it came from. The largest dinosaur eggs ever found belong to a meat eater in Asia called segnosaurus. The eggs are around 19 inches long.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
29. Size Matters
While many people think dinosaurs were massive, dinosaurs were usually human sized or smaller.
Source: wikipedia
30. First Nest
Roy Chapman Andrews, an explorer, found the first dinosaur nest in 1923 in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Before he found the nest, scientists were unsure how dinosaur babies were born.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
