Mad about... Dinosaurs

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A cotologue record for this book is ovqiloble from the British Librory Published by Lodybird Books Ltd BO Strond London WC2R ORL A Penguin Compony

46810975 O LADYBIRD BOOKS LTD MMVIII IADYBIRD ond the device of o Lodybird ore trodemorks of Lodybird Books Produced by Colcium for Lodybird Books

ISBN:

Ltd

Ltd

9281 84646 922 0 Printed in Chinq

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Whclt were dinosclurs? Dinosqurs were reptiles thqt first wolked on Eorth between 203 ond 225 million yeors ogo, during o time colled the Mesozoic erq. Then suddenly, 65 million yeors ogo, they oll died out. Fossils of dinosour bones show us how they moy hqve looked. There were mony different kinds of dinosour. Some were peoceful. Others, such qs Deinonychus, were fierce hunters.

Plqnt-eoting Stegosourus hqd two rows of bony plotes thot ron olong its bock ond toil.

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Apotosourus wos o giont, slow-moving plont-eoter.

If you have o computer, you con downloqd o poster of different dinosours from www. I odyb ird.

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Time of the dinosours The Mesozouc ero wos divided into three periods: the Tricrssic, Jurcrssic ond Cretqceotls. Eoch period hod o different climcrte ond its own type \ of plonts. Dinosours olso chonged from one period to onother.

Mqny leofy plonts grew In the Jurossic period. Thot meqnt there wos plenty of food for plont-eoting dinosours, ond they grew bigger qnd bigger.

Archoeoptery one of the eorliest of birds. It hod feothered wings ond o feothered toil.

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Brochiosourus

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Other creotures shqred the dinosour world. Some, cqlled pterosqurs, flew in the skies.

TRIASSIC

JURASSIC

200-250

L45-200

million yeors ogo

million yeors crgo

CRETACEOUS 65-r45 million yeors ogo some creqtures, such os

Ichthyosourus, swctm in the seos

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DinoSo ur bodieS Lorge meot-

dinosours hqd similqr skeletons. These included o skull spine, ribs, hips, shoulders, legs, ond toil. Dinosours hcrd different body shopes, depending on how they lived.

A11

eoters, like

Albertosourus, hod huge skulls to corry the

weight of their tooth-filled jaws.

Meqt-eqters' teeth were different to plont-eqters' teeth. Meot-eqters hqd shorp teeth for gripping qnd teoring flesh. Plont-eqters hqd flotter or rounder teeth for grinding up plonts.

Diplodocus wos o plont-eoter 1

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sottor'urus

The first dinosqurs wolked on two legs. As dinosours become lo.rger, some of them wqlked on four legs to hold up their lorge stomochs. t)|

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Allosoul'tts wcls o meot-eoter

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Weird ond wonderful Dinosours come in mony shopes orrd sLzes. Some of them looked very stronge!

Corythosourus had o

brightly coloured heod crest. It moy hove used its crest to ottrqct q mote.

Oviroptor's beok like o bird's.

wq.s

just

Tricerotops hod three lorge horns on its foce. Tricerotops herds mqy hove grouped together to moke on outword-fqcing circle. Their bobies would hove been sofe inside the circle.

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Spinosourus hod o bony soil olong its bock. Blood vessels inside the soil moy hqve wqrmed up in the sltlr. Thcrt would hove kept this dinosour worm.

Huge

pldnt-edters Tricerotops'heod

Some of the lqrgest dinosours were plont-eqters. They hod to eot huge omounts of food to stlrvive. The plonts they qte were tough ond

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thqt's the height of a fully-grown mon!

difficult to digest. Cetioscrurus wcrs cur enormous dinosqur. It wos 16 metres long. When it wos first discovered, scientists thought Cetiosqurus wos

Some lorge plont-eoting dinosqurs

q whole becouse

swqllowed stones to help breok down the food inside their stomqchs.

it wqs so big! Sperm whole

Brqchiosqurus hod o very long neck. It wos held up by incredibly strong muscles. Brochiosourus

Diplodocus hod on extremely long bock snd toil. It wqs os long qs two buses. Its four, pillor-like legs helped to keep it upright.

wcrs os

toll trs cr

four-storey

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15

frrledt-edters Meot-eqting dinosqurs usuolly hqd long, strong legs. They used them to run quickly, so they could cqtch their prey. They qlso hod strong jows, shorp teeth ond deqdly clows. Allosourus could open its jows for oport ond move

them outwords to eqt huge chunks of flesh.

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eosily cotch

its prey.

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Tyronnosourus rex used its forword-focing eyes to see exoctly how fff owoy its prey wos before it ottocked.

Tyronnosourus rex's shorp teeth were qbout 18 centimetres long.

Deinonychus used its rozor-shorp, swivelling toe clqws to slosh into the flesh of dinosqurs. By hunting in pocks, Deinonychus could bring down dinosours much bigger thon itself.

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Defence Mony plqttt-eqting dinosours hod horns or spikes, which they used to defend themselves. Others simPlY used their enormous Srze to Score owoy enemies. Edmontonio hod shorP shorp spikes

spikes olong eoch side of its body. Tough, bony ridges on its bock gove

it more

protection.

Euoplocepholus hqd o lorge qt the end of club Tyronnosourus

l.r,rr ffi

rex

itS tOiI.

It

coUld

bring down qn qttqcker just by giving it oshorp top on the shin.

Sgme dinosqurs could reor up

ontd'their two bqck legs to moke themselves bigger.

II

Living together Some dinosours lived together. Plont-eoters often lived in lorge groups, or herds. Some meot-eoters lived in smoll groups, or pocks. A few dinosours moy hqve even

communicctted with

sound with its qir-filled crest. The sound moy hove worned other dinosqurs thqt on enemy wos neqr.

o-rms of dinosour

eoch other.

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Porqsqurolophus could moke o trumpeting

protecting eggs

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ossili zed nests show us thqt boby dinosours stoyed in their nests F

eggs

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Hypsilophodon Iived in herds.

for o long time. This moy meon thot mother dinosours nurtured their young.

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iI DinoSo ur hunting Dinosour fossils hove been found o11 over the world. However, it is very unusuol to find o complete dinosour skeleton. Scientists who hunt for ond study dinosctur fossils ore colled pqlqeontologists (p ay -lee-

Dinosour fossils ore often found by occident. Roin ond wind con weor owoy rock to show fossils beneqth its surfo"ce. Fossils ore

olso found when the eqrth crocks open, such qs during on

eorthquoke.

on- r oLLo-ils fs ) . Polqeontologists cleon up fossils ond piece them together to moke o dinosour's skeleton.

The most commonly found fossils ore bones, clows qnd teeth. Footprints, nests ond even dung fossils ctre qlso sometimes found.

Tyronnosourus rex

II Dinosclur ndmeS

soy

ilteoning

Albertosourus

ol-esnt-oh-soRp-us

Allosourus

el-oh-soRE-us

Apotosourus

lllome

Dinosour nomes ore usuqlly mqde up from Lcrtin or Greek words. Dinosours ore often given their nomes becquse of the woy they look. For exomple, Tyronnosourus meons 'tyront ltzord'. Opposite is o list of otl the dinosours in this book. It tells you how to soy

their nomes ond whcft they meolt.

Corythosourus, the helmet lizqrd

Tricerotops mectns three-horned foce

qh-par-oh-sonn-us

Alberta lizord other lizord deceptive lizord

Archoeopter;m

ork-ee-oP'l-er-ix

qncient wing

Brochiosourus

BR.AK-ee-oh-soRn-us

orm lizord

Cetiosourus

ssn-tee-oh-soRp-us

whole lizord

Compsognothus

KoMP-soh-xav-thus

elegont jow

Corythosourus

ron-rith-oh-sonp-us

helmet lizord

Deinonychus

die-NoN-i-kus

terrible clow

Diplodocus

di-pr,oH-doh-kus

double beom

Edmontonio

ed-mon-tolln-ee-oh

of Edmonton

Euoplocepholus

you- op-loh-snr'-oh-lus

well ormoured heod

Gigonotosourus

gig

Herrerosourus

he-nnH-ro-sonE-us

Herrero's lizord

Hypsilophodon

hip-sih-los-foh-don

high ridge tooth

Ichthyosourus

m-thi-oh-soRE-us

fish lizord

Iguonodon

ig-wue-noh-don

iguona tooth

Mamenchissurus

MAH-men-chi-soRn-us

Mussaurus

InUS-SORE-US

lizord from Momen mouse lizord

Oviroptor

oHv-ih-nep-tor

egg

Poehycepholoscurus

PAK-

Porqsourolophus

pqr- o-sonn-oh-loAF-us

beside Sourolophus

Pterosour

tnnn-oh-soRE

finger reptile

Soltoscurus

selt-oh-soRE-us

of Solto

Spinosourus

spwn-oh-soRE-us

Stegosaurus

srnc-oh-sonE-us

thorn lizqrd roof lizord

Tricerotops

try-snnna-tops

three-horned foce

Troodon

rnon-oh-don

wounding tooth

Tyronnosourus rex

tie-naN-oh-sone-us rex

Ultrqsourus

ULT.TO-SORE-US

tyrant lizord ultrq lizord

Velociroptor

vrl-o-si-nep-tor

quick

-erv-oh -toe- soRE -u s

ee-

snr- q- loh - soRE -u s

giqrrt southern lizord

thief

thick-heoded lizord

plunderer

25

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Fontostic facts O

O

'Dinosqur' meons 'terrible lizord' in Lcftin.

Dinosour hunters look of fossilized dinosour dung, colled coprolites, to find out whot dinosours qte.

Smqll, boneless creotures colled qmmonites died

Some huge plont-eoters,

So for, obout 700 different kinds of dinosour hqve been found.

out with the dinosqurs. Lots of ommonite fossils con be found todoy.

such os Diplodocus ond Brochiosourus, mqy hqve lived for qbout 100 yeqrs.

Dinosqurs usuolly wqlked on their toes,

just like dogs, cqts ond chickens. A pqd of tissue on the bqck of the dinosqur's

think dinosqurs become extinct when o meteor hit the Eqrth Some people

foot octed os o shock qbsorber.

ond wiped them out.

Mqrty dinosqur fossils hove been found in Mongolio's Gobi Desert.

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Dinosqur fossils hqve been found qll over the world. Perhops there ore some where you live!

The smqllest dinosour skeleton ever found is the skeleton of o boby dinosour cqlled Mussqurus, or'mouse

lizqrd'. It cqn fit in the pqlm of o

il-s

person's hond.

rrl)

South

Americo

) O

Ploces where dinosqur fossils hove been found

27

Am o,zing dinoso

vr clwclrdS

fu@@vfrest Brqchiosqurus looked like o mossive giroffe. It weighed between 30 qnd 50 tonnes the some os ten elephonts!

Uomg@St m@Gk Momenchisourus hqd the longest neck of oll dinosours. It hod 19 bones in its neck, which wos 14 metres long. Thot's obout four times longer

thon o giroffe's neck!

U@wg@st Ultrosourus wos o huge

.ffiirffiirffii

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plont-eqter thot lived in the Jurqssic Period. It wos up to 39 metres long - the length of three buses!

Compsognothus wos only one metre long ond weighed obout the some os o chicken. Although it wos smoll, it wos o fost, successful hunter.

m@mt@st Gigonotosourus wcrs the biggest of qll meqt-eqting dinosqurs. It wos L4.3 metres long. Thqt's qbout qs long os cr lorge lorry.

Tyronnosourus rex

brcdn>\

Troodon wos probobly the brightest dinosour. For its body size, its broin wos bigger thqn cmy other dinosour. It Iived in the Cretqceous period ond wos o fierce hunter.

29

.,'-l.r

)i_ Closscr

ry

climote - the woy the

InCex Mesozoicerd-qtime

weqther is over o long period

between 65 ond 248 million

B

of time.

yeors ogo when dinosours

communicate - to 'tqlk' to onotheq usuolly through

lived on Eorth.

bqbies bones

meteot -

o lorge rock

thqt

noise or touch.

trqvels through spoce.

creSt - o tuft of feqthers, fur or skin olong the top of on qnimol's heod.

nurture - to look ofter. pack - o smoll group of

L6-L7,22,25

pock

c

communicotion 20 L3,2I,30 crests Cretqceous

period

of the Mesozoic ero, obout

pdloeontologist

65-144 million yeors ogo.

o scientist who studies the

digest - to breok food down

fossils of extinct onimols.

in the stomoch. deceptive - to give the

thot steols from others.

wrong ideo obout something.

prey - qn onimol hunted by

extinct - to hove died out. fossils - bones or other body

onother for food.

ports found in the ground. herJ - o lorge group of

qnimol whose body

L7,20

plorrt-eoters

22-23

7,9, L0, 14-L5, 18,

20,26,28

prey

food

-

7

L6-r7,26 6,20,22-23, 26-27, 30

s

skeletons skin spikes

L0,22-23,26 6

18-19

tl

herds horns

L3,20-21, 30 13, 18, 24-25

jows Jurossic

T toils teeth Triossic

J

o cold-blooded

16-17, 30

,9, 10, 14-15,

fossils

plunderer - person or onimol

reptile -

hunters

poloeontologists

8, 29, 30

F

some type.

L5,29 20,22

P

clows

meot-eoting onimqls of the

CretoceouS - the lqst period

7,9, 10, 14, 18 10-11, 16, 22,25 8, 30

period

IL, L6,25

period

8-9, 28, 30

temperoture is controlled by

plont-eoting onimols thot live ond feed together.

the temperoture of the sun,

Jurossic - the middle period of the Mesozoic ero, obout

survive - to keep on living. Triossic - the first period

L44-208 million yeors ogo.

of the Mesozoic ero, qbout

Lotin -

208-248 million yeors o.go.

on old longuoge often

6,22,27,29

n, necks nests

L3,20,26

crir or wqter

thqt surrounds it.

t/l meot-eoters

10-1L, L6-I7,

ero

6, 8, 30

Mesozoic

20,28

used by scientists to nome

onimqls ond plonts.

31

30

TT

lAsd

abG)utu"u

Dlnoscturs Frorn food qnd fossils

to herds qnd horns, this

book is pdcked with foscinoting fqcts for qll

children who dre mod about dinosdurs.

Titles in this series:

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l-orl I Dinoscurs

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