Ask A Dinosaur

Ask a Dinosaur This diagram shows you how big we were compared to an adult person. (c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved. Can anyone find a fossil? Fossils of dinosaurs are found buried in rocks all over the world. Beaches, quarries, riverbanks—and if you are very lucky even your own backyard—can be possible places to find fossils. North America In North America, look for fossils of T-rex, Triceratops, Parasaurolophus, and many others. What was the first dinosaur found? Early people found dinosaur fossils but didn’t know what they were. It was scientists in the 1800s who started naming us. I am an Iguanodon and I was one of the first to be named. South America Some of the largest and oldest dinosaurs have been found in South America. My thumb spike was put on my nose at first! I could walk on four legs or run on two legs. 6 (c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved. Fossils of Plateosaurus, Iguanodon, and Baronyx are just a few of those found in Europe. Many fossils have been found in China and other parts of Asia, such as Protoceratops and dinosaurs with feathers. Asia Europe Australia was much colder in dinosaur times and, so far, only small dinosaurs such as Minmi have been found. Africa Who names the dinosaurs? The fossils of Brachiosaurus and Spinosaurus, along with many others, have been found in Africa. Antarctica The paleontologist who finds a new type of dinosaur can name it. The person might choose someone’s name or use the place name where the fossil was discovered. Mostly, our names tell you something about what we looked like. Australia and New Zealand Antarctica was not as cold as it is now and dinosaurs lived here, including a type of hypsilophodont. (c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved. 7 Were dinosaurs as big as skyscrapers? Not quite, but there were some huge ones like me. I am a Barosaurus. I belong to the group of long-necked, long-tailed, plant-eating dinosaurs known as sauropods. 5 things to know about me... 1. I lived in the Jurassic period about 156–145 million years ago. 2. I’ve been found in North America and Africa. 3. My name means “heavy lizard.” 4. I probably moved around in a herd. 5. I ate huge amounts of plants, such as conifer and tree ferns. Did the ground shake when you moved? Oh, yes! I weighed more than three elephants and walked in a similar way with my pillarlike legs underneath my bulky body. Sauropod means “lizard foot.” My tail could be used like a whip. You would only have been able to stretch up to reach my knee. 8 (c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved. Did baby dinosaurs play? We are Leaellynasaura, and we were probably fed, protected, and raised by our mothers. We may have learned how to find food, get along with others, and survive through playing. Were your nests cozy? Eggs were laid in a circular pattern. Our nests were made from soil and leaves and they were closely packed together, a bit like the nests of seabirds today. Is this your mom or is it your dad? We had larger eyes and a shorter snout than our parents so that we looked cute, which made our mothers want to look after us. Maiasaura means “good mother lizard.” It’s guesswork! Some paleontologists think female dinosaurs may have had bigger hips for laying eggs and were a little bigger than the males. Although the males may have had big features to impress a mate. 16 (c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved. Were dinosaurs noisy? I am a Parasaurolophus and it’s thought I made a very loud noise to warn other dinosaurs that an enemy was nea