Dinosaurs for Kids Learn about Dinosaur History Fossils Dinosaur Extinction and more

Clarendon Learning explores the world of dinosaurs. Where were you when dinosaurs roamed the earth? I don't think you were around when dinosaurs were on the earth. Your parents weren't alive during the time of the dinosaurs. In fact, there weren't any people at all when these giant creatures lived on the earth. And that's probably a good thing. Dinosaurs lived on the earth millions of years ago. Hundreds of millions of years ago. Dinosaurs have captured our imagination. Ever since Sir Richard Owen, a paleontologist, unearthed the fossilized bones of a large creature and didn't have a name for it. So, he named it for the Greek word meaning terrible lizard. The word is dinosaur. And although dinosaurs were not lizards, they were reptiles. I think dinosaur is a great name for these creatures that lived so long ago. Since then, thousands and thousands of dinosaur fossils have been dug up all over the world. And since then, thousands of stories have been told about dinosaurs. Many stories come from imagination. Stories like Journey to the Center of the Earth, and The Land Before Time, and Jurassic Park. And of course, there are the toys. All kinds of dino toys to spark your interest and imagination. We must use our imagination because there are no living dinosaurs on the earth today. But, we do have dinosaur bones. And we do have paleontologists. What's a paleontologist? Paleontologists are scientists who dig up and study dinosaur bones called fossils. Millions of years ago, when dinosaurs walked about, maybe they would die in deep mud or in a swamp, or maybe sand or in a river. And if the dinosaur was covered up quickly, it would be preserved down in the earth. Through the millions of years, all the soft parts of the dinosaur would dissolve away, leaving the skeleton. And all the bones would be filled with minerals, making the bones as hard as stone, becoming fossils. Dinosaur footprints can become fossils too. Over time, a long, long time, the earth changed, swamps dried up, jungles became deserts, and seas became mountains. And there, the fossils waited, and waited, to be dug up by paleontologists. Fossils have been found on every continent of the world. They have been found in backyards, and in the ground at construction sites. Maybe someday, you will find a dinosaur fossil. Someday, you may want to become a paleontologist. It takes a lot of work and patience to dig up dinosaur fossils. Paleontologists are like detectives. They can tell by looking at the earth where to look for fossils. Paleontologists start digging with pickaxes and shovels. But as they get closer to the fossils, they must use smaller tools like rock hammers and chisels. And then when they get very close, they must use little dental picks and brushes. They must be very careful not to damage the fossil. Some of the best places in the United States to find dinosaur tracks and fossils are Utah, Texas, California, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Is there a dinosaur quarry or museum near you? Paleontologists try to collect all the bones they find and put them together like a puzzle. And when they're finished, they have what hopefully looks like a complete dinosaur without the skin. The fun part is naming the dinosaur. Most of the time, the person who discovered the dinofossil gets to name it. Sometimes the official names are long and difficult to pronounce. But let's give it a shot together. Let me introduce you to Sue, the Tyrannosaurus rex or T-Rex. Its name means king of the tyrant lizards. It was as long as a school bus and taller than a basketball hoop. Can you tell that it was carnivorous? Carnivorous means meat eater. It takes long, sharp teeth for a dinosaur to be a meat eater. The largest and most complete fossil skeleton of a T-Rex ever found is now on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. This T-Rex has a nickname. Its name is Sue. It was discovered by paleontologist Sue Hendrickson. 67 million years ago, Sue, the T-Rex of course, roamed the hills of South Dakota. Its head alone is over 5 feet long. The T-Rex was no friend of the Triceratops. Triceratops was about the size of an African elephant and was an herbivore, meaning it ate plants and vegetation, which it would chew with its rows and rows of 800 teeth. How do you think Triceratops got its name? The name means three-horned face. Does the name fit? It looks like Triceratops could use its large, bony frill like a shield and its long horns to protect itself. What do you think? Triceratops fossils are very popular to have in museums. Now maybe you can see why it's a good thing that people and dinosaurs didn't live at the same time. I'll stick to visiting them in the museum. Someday, if you become a paleontologist, you may just find a treasure of dinosaur fossils and you can put them together and give it a name. Not all dinosaurs were huge. Here is a Velociraptor. It was very swift and probably had feathers, but it couldn't fly. It was only about the size of a turkey with a long tail and it had a large claw that it would use to seize its prey. As you can see, dinosaurs that walked on two legs also had long tails to help keep them keep their balance. Other dinosaurs, like the Ankylosaurus, used their tail for protection. Here is an ancient creature that really wasn't a dinosaur, but it was a winged reptile and did not have feathers and could fly. It belongs to the family of Pterosaur. This is what paleontologists do. They try to gather all the clues that are available with the knowledge they have learned. Try to piece together the history of ancient life on our planet. How cool is that? During the age of the dinosaurs, the continents of the Earth were mostly all linked together as one supercontinent scientists call Pangaea. And the dinosaurs roamed freely upon the land. And then something happened. Something huge, something unexpected, something happened to the Earth to cause most of the life on the Earth to die quickly. What was it? What do you think it could have been? Well, some scientists believe that maybe a humongous meteorite or asteroid hit the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico. That massive collision created a cloud of dust to cover the Earth, changing the climate of the Earth. Other scientists believe that it was extensive volcanic activity that caused the change in the Earth's climate. Maybe both ideas are right. Whatever it was, most of the life on Earth became extinct, which means that it would disappear forever. After the extinction of the dinosaurs, new and different kinds of animals began to develop and grow. Paleontologists believe that modern birds may be distantly related to the dinosaurs because their bone structure is very similar. Wow! The study of dinosaurs is fascinating. Don't you think? Some were as tall as trees. And some, like the compies, were as small as cats. There are hundreds of dinosaur species that have been discovered and maybe many more that have not been discovered. Maybe they'll be discovered by you. Now might be a good time to check out the Clarendon Learning activity pages. There, you will discover more fun facts about dinosaurs we haven't talked about. And you'll even have a chance to create your own dinosaur. Thanks for following Clarendon Learning. Be sure to subscribe. If you're looking for more teaching resources, check us out at clarendonlearning.org.