Dinosaur

Restoration of a landscape, during the Triassic period (about 250 to 200 millions years ago), with two species of dinosaurs : the bipeds, carnivorous Coelophysis was about the size of a modern ostrich, while the greater, long-necked Plateosaur was about the siez of an elephant. It is believed to be herbivorous.

Life restoration of a herd of Anchisaurs, in a forest, during the Early Jurassic (about 190 millions years ago). About the size of a sheep, Anchisaurs were herbivorous dinosaurs.

Up to 6meters long and 3 meters tall, the Ceratosaur was a giant carnivorous living during the Jurassic, about 140 millions years ago.

Drawing of a Tarbosaur, an Asian relative of the Tyrannosaur, and carnivorous as it. Both were giants (about 12 meters long and 4 meters tall, about 5 tons) carnivours dinosaurs, among the last non-birds dinosaurs, living in the Late Cretaceous, about 70 to 65 millions years ago.

After the disparition of all the others, 65 millions years ago, birds are the only remaining dinosaurs. The Argentavis was the greater flying bird ever known : it could reach 7 meters wingspan, and probably looked much like a modern condor. It disappeared 6 millions years ago, in the Miocene.

Dinosaurs are a very large group of animals : birds are the only extant dinosaurs, but many others (and very different !) kinds of dinosaurs lived long time ago, and are known by their fossils.

While some dinosaurs were close relatives to the birds, and had feathers, like their cousins, other were more distant cousins, and had a more reptilian appearance.

Tyrannosaurs, Diplodocus, Triceratops, Hadrosaurs, Stegosaurus... are among the most famous dinosaurs.

Most of dinosaur disappeared 65 millions years ago, when a great meteorite fell down upon the Earth and provoked a cataclysm. Birds were the only ones to survive (in fact, only a few of them too : many kinds of birds (including birds with teeth in their beak !) also disappeared at this time), and had descendant : this is why birds are the only current dinosaurs, and many others dinosaurs, quite different from birds, are unknown from us until we discover their fossil : this is why many dinosaurs are amazing creatures.

Most of dinosaurs were small to medium-sized creatures, but some of them were really bigs, and among the greater animals that ever lived on Earth. These ones are often the most famous dinosaurs, including the famous Tyrannosaur (one of the greatest carnivore animal that ever lived on Earth : it is only overstepped by a few taller carnivore dinosaurs, like the Spinosaur), and the long-necked Sauropod, like the Diplodocus or the Apatosaur. These giants animals often reached about 30 meters long, about the same length as the modern blue whale, the greater current animal on Earth. But blue whale lives in ocean, while sauropods were terrestrial animals, making them the greatest terrestrial animals of all times. One of them, Amphicoelias, is very poorly known, since only two pieces of bones have ever been discovered. By the few we know, it is believed to be 40 to 60 meters long, and could thus be the taller animal that ever lived on Earth !

On the other hand, many birds were quite smaller : the Microraptor, a feathered, and probably flying, dinosaur, was among the smallest : reaching 60 to 80 cm (inclunding the tail, it was about the size of a modern pheasant.

More on this topic

• List of dinosaurs

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