Dinosaurs were prehistoric reptiles that lived on Earth for more than 165 million years. Dinosaurs went extinct about 65 million years ago, but their fossils still remain. Paleontologists study these fossils to learn about the world of the dinosaurs. By studying the fossils found, paleontologists have determined that some dinosaurs ate meat (carnivores) and that some ate plants (herbivores). Paleontologists have also found that dinosaurs were different sizes, some were fast and some were slow, and that some walked on two legs while others walked on four legs. Some dinosaurs even did both! Here are some of the dinosaurs that we will be learning about. To learn more about dinosaurs, visit http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/
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Triceratops
The Triceratops looked like a rhinoceros because of the three horns on its face. The two longer horns are guessed to have provided protection against predators. Triceratops was an herbivore, meaning that it ate plants. It wasn’t very tall, so it ate plants that were close to the ground. The triceratops walked on all four legs and couldn’t run very fast because its legs were short.
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Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus
The Stegosaurus was also a plant-eating dinosaur and ate plants that were close to the ground. It had flat, triangular plates along its back and spikes on its tail for protection. One interesting fact about the Stegosaurus is that its hind legs were two times longer than its front legs. Most of the time the Stegosaurus walked on all fours, but paleontologists think that it may have reared up on its hind legs to get food. Maybe this explains why its hind legs were two times longer than its front legs.
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Apatosaurus
(Brontosaurus)
(Brontosaurus)
The Apatosaurus was a dinosaur with a very long neck. It was an herbivore and used its neck to reach food up high. It also ate food close to the ground. Because of its huge body size, the Apatosaurus couldn’t fit into dense forests so it used its long neck to reach in and get food. The Apatosaurus had a long, whip-like tail to ward of predators. Its tail was also used as a third leg used for balance when grazing for tall vegetation. The Apatosaurus walked on all fours and moved slowly.
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Tyrannosaurus Rex
Tyrannosaurus Rex
The Tyrannosaurus Rex is a carnivore, which means that it ate meat. It had a huge head and tiny arms. The Tyrannosaurus Rex walked on two feet and used its stiff, pointed tail to make quick turns and to counterbalance its huge head. The Tyrannosaurus Rex preyed on plant-eating dinosaurs.
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Velociraptor
Velociraptor
The Velociraptor was a meat-eating dinosaur that moved around on two feet. It had two short arms and a stiff tail, just like the Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, the Velociraptor was quite smaller than the Tyrannosaurus Rex. In fact, it was about 3 feet tall. Its height helped the Velociraptor to run very quickly. It probably ate plant-eating dinosaurs that couldn’t move as fast as it could.
