Dinosaurs ruled the Earth during the Mesozoic Era, spanning the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods, for nearly 180 million years, going extinct around 66 million years ago. We know about them through fossils, and evidence shows that some, like *Anchiornis*, had feathers with specific colors like black, white, and rusty red. Dinosaur life started as eggs, and they grew quickly, with some large ones potentially living up to 100 years.
Dinosaurs ruled for nearly 180 million years!
Dinosaurs didn't all live at the same time! This timeline shows the three main 'acts' of the Mesozoic Era. Did you know *Stegosaurus* was already extinct for 80 million years before *T. rex* even walked the Earth?
About the size of a school bus!
It's hard to imagine how truly huge dinosaurs were! Comparing the 12-meter-long *T. rex* to a modern school bus helps us picture the scale of this 'tyrant lizard king.' Imagine a whole bus walking by!
From hard shell to mighty giant.
Dinosaur life was a race against time! They grew much faster than most modern reptiles. Scientists have found nests that show some species gathered together to keep their eggs warm and safe.
Not just scaly gray monsters.
Thanks to tiny fossils called melanosomes, we know dinosaurs weren't just dull green or gray! This technology, which analyzes pigment packages, has revealed stunning, bright colors on many feathered species.
Big bodies, small brains!
Dinosaurs were full of surprises! While some were huge and slow, others were surprisingly fast. They had specialized body parts, like thousands of teeth for chewing tough plants!
Legs straight under the body!
Look closely at how a dinosaur stands! Unlike a crocodile today, dinosaurs stood tall on their legs. This posture was key to helping them grow to such gigantic sizes!
Coined in 1842 by Sir Richard Owen.
Even when the name was invented, scientists knew these animals were 'fearfully great'! Sir Richard Owen's term perfectly captured the awe people felt seeing the first giant fossils.
A dramatic change ended the reign.
The dinosaur story didn't just fade away; it ended suddenly with a huge cosmic event! But remember, the story didn't *totally* end - birds are the amazing, small dinosaurs that made it through!
Different jobs needed different chompers.
A dinosaur's teeth told you what kind of food it liked! Herbivores needed grinders and choppers, while carnivores needed built-in steak knives for ripping meat.
Digging up Earth's ancient secrets.
Paleontologists are like history detectives! They carefully dig up clues from millions of years ago. The tools might change, but the excitement of finding a new piece of the prehistoric puzzle stays the same!
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