Dinosaurs - these prehistoric creatures have been central to TV shows geared toward children. Why? Like people, they vary in shape, color and temperament. Humans can relate to their daily struggles for survival.
Ten fun facts about dinosaurs for kids:
Fact #1: Current mystery: the lifespan of a dinosaur. Scientists speculate that they lived for up to 200 years. Yes! If true, these species had plenty of years to roam the earth.
Fact #2: Dinosaur skulls had "windows" or large holes. These openings made their skulls lighter. For those who had skulls as long as a car, this feature helped them lift their heads effortlessly.
Fact #3: Scientists are still looking for dinosaurs. They estimate that 1,850 members of this group may lay under continents such as Antarctica and South America. To date, they have found 1000 different species of non-avian dinosaurs and over 500 distinct genera.
Fact #4:The average Joe believes dinosaurs were massive. Truth: most dinosaurs were smaller - almost human size. Since larger bones fossilize easier, bigger dinosaurs have been discovered and re-created for the public.
Fact #5: Paleontologist Richard Owen formulated the word "dinosaur" based on the Greek meaning of "terrible lizard". This term was meant to infer these beings were much more majestic in stature than a common lizard.
Fact #6: Most dinosaurs were akin to birds. These beings had a single body opening for urination, defecation and reproduction. They also built nests and laid eggs.
Fact #7: Herbivorous dinosaurs lived in herds for protections. The numbers could range into the thousands. Saurapods are classified in this category. They traveled several miles a day leaving visible "superhighways".
Fact #8: Paleontologists, people who study fossils. make mistakes. For example, Gideon Mantell (1790-1852) place a thumb claw atop the nose of an Iguanodon. This error took 40 years to correct.
Fact #9: Some dinosaurs have more notoriety than others. The Stegosaurus is the state dinosaur of Colorado. It's skeleton was found in Morrison, CO, around 1982.
Fact #10: Historians believe dinosaurs existed 65 million years ago and survived through three periods of the Mesozoic era: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.
Surprised? These ten fun facts about dinosaurs for kids show that several myths surround them. They weren't all the ferocious, over-sized meat-eating monsters depicted in movies, but man-sized plant eaters taking care of their families like the rest of creation. Go figure.
Ten fun facts about dinosaurs for kids:
Fact #1: Current mystery: the lifespan of a dinosaur. Scientists speculate that they lived for up to 200 years. Yes! If true, these species had plenty of years to roam the earth.
Fact #2: Dinosaur skulls had "windows" or large holes. These openings made their skulls lighter. For those who had skulls as long as a car, this feature helped them lift their heads effortlessly.
Fact #3: Scientists are still looking for dinosaurs. They estimate that 1,850 members of this group may lay under continents such as Antarctica and South America. To date, they have found 1000 different species of non-avian dinosaurs and over 500 distinct genera.
Fact #4:The average Joe believes dinosaurs were massive. Truth: most dinosaurs were smaller - almost human size. Since larger bones fossilize easier, bigger dinosaurs have been discovered and re-created for the public.
Fact #5: Paleontologist Richard Owen formulated the word "dinosaur" based on the Greek meaning of "terrible lizard". This term was meant to infer these beings were much more majestic in stature than a common lizard.
Fact #6: Most dinosaurs were akin to birds. These beings had a single body opening for urination, defecation and reproduction. They also built nests and laid eggs.
Fact #7: Herbivorous dinosaurs lived in herds for protections. The numbers could range into the thousands. Saurapods are classified in this category. They traveled several miles a day leaving visible "superhighways".
Fact #8: Paleontologists, people who study fossils. make mistakes. For example, Gideon Mantell (1790-1852) place a thumb claw atop the nose of an Iguanodon. This error took 40 years to correct.
Fact #9: Some dinosaurs have more notoriety than others. The Stegosaurus is the state dinosaur of Colorado. It's skeleton was found in Morrison, CO, around 1982.
Fact #10: Historians believe dinosaurs existed 65 million years ago and survived through three periods of the Mesozoic era: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.
Surprised? These ten fun facts about dinosaurs for kids show that several myths surround them. They weren't all the ferocious, over-sized meat-eating monsters depicted in movies, but man-sized plant eaters taking care of their families like the rest of creation. Go figure.
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