Dinosaurs


The Topic:

Dinosaurs

Websites on Specific Dinosaur Types: There are hundreds of more websites on dinosaurs. If you need information on a specific type of dinosaur, then try looking on our alphabetized links-page, the companion called Dinosaur Websites. Here you will find a few hundred A to Z links for more dinosaur pages. Don't miss it!


Easier - Dinosaurs are large reptiles that lived millions of years ago. There were many different dinosaurs. Dinosaurs came in many different sizes and shapes. They also lived differently and in different places. Some were meat-eaters, others ate only plants. Some dinosaurs were enormous, up to 150 feet long and weighing more than 77 metric tons. Others were much smaller.

Harder - The name dinosaur comes from the term Dinosauria, which means 'terrible lizards.' However dinosaurs were only distantly related to lizards. Dinosaur is the name of a prehistoric reptile group that first appeared on the earth about 230 million years ago. They lived in nearly all natural settings, from open plains to forests to the edges of swamps, lakes, and oceans. Then about 65 million years ago, the dinosaurs died out. They were not 'rediscovered' by man until the early nineteenth century, when their fossil remains were first recognized.

Many different theories have been developed to explain dinosaur extinction, and new discoveries continue to change and extend our understanding of these reptiles which once dominated the planet. For example, experts once believed that all dinosaurs were clumsy, slow-moving, unintelligent creatures that lived much like today's reptiles. However fossil evidence later suggested that some dinosaurs, especially small theropods, were more active and intelligent.


Museum of Palentology at Berkeley University: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/; What does modern science have to say about the dinosaurs? Are they truly obsolete, long-extinct relics of a more primitive and experimental stage in the history of life, or is there more to the Dinosauria than meets the eye?; Other Not To Be Missed Sections:; (2) DinoBuzz http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinobuzz.html; (3) Dinosaurs in Cyberspace: Dinolinks http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinolinks.html
4) Truth is Stranger than Fiction
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinosaur.html

Dino Russ's Dinosaur and Vertebrate Paleontology Information: http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/dinos/dinos_home.html; This dinosaur lair links to almost everything you could possibly want to know about dinosaurs.
Oology from American Museum of Natural History: http://ology.amnh.org/paleontology/index.html; This website provides interviews with dinosaurs, information about fossils, a dinosaur poll, a quest to find a dinosaur, and information about the job of paleontologist. This attractive website contains lots of great resources.; Other Great Museum Sites; 2) Sue at the Field Museum http://www.fmnh.org/sue/
3) Dinosphere http://www.childrensmuseum.org/dinosphere/teachers/activities.html

Zoom Dinosaurs from Enchanted Learning: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/; This is a comprehensive on-line hypertext book about dinosaurs. It a great site for information on dinosaurs and many activities also.; Not-To-Be-Missed Section:; Dinosaur Glossary http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/glossary/


Using the websites, complete one or more of the following activities.

Dinosphere. Try activites for nonreaders, young children, and older children at Dinosphere.

Complete Online Activities at Discovery Room. Go to the Paleolab. Prehistoric animals masquerading as dinosaurs have invaded a museum! Dinosaur Imposter is looking for a few Dino-Detectives to help them filter out the fakes. Dinosaur Jumble has a mixed up dinosaur. See if you can unscramble the bones (Requires Internet Explorer 4) and reveal the identity of this ferocious predator. At DinoScience! you construct your own dinosaur by matching fossil skeletons with their skulls! At What's In a Name?, you can test your DinoKnowledge by solving dinosaur riddles! Check out the Sue activities.

Visit a Virtual Museum. Go to the Smithsonian website and take a virtual tour of a museum.

Let's go on a DinoQuest Expedition. What do you need to be good at in order to excel in the pit, uncovering and removing dinosaur bones? Would you like to go on this Bonedigger's special?

Visit Sue. Sue is a real dinosaur found in South Dakota. She's the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found. Visit Sue at the Field Museum in Chicago. Design your own online museum for a dinosaur you invent. What kind of dinosaur is it? Where is it found?

Be a Museum Curator. Wealthy entrepreneur, Gil Bates has hired you to complete a dinosaur artifact collection for his personal museum. He has allocated 3.5 million dollars with which to purchase the startup collection. You can go to ebay to get prices. Carefully select your purchases to put together the best collection possible. Draw a floor plan that shows how you will display the collection. Prepare a final presentation that you will show Mr. Bates informing of your complete plans for the museum.

Debate the Causes of Extinction. Research the different theories for why dinosaurs abruptly disappeared. Decide what you believe was likely and debate the issue. Begin with some of the information found at these websites:

1) Dinosaur/Extinction http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/dinosaur.html

2) What Killed The Dinosaurs? at Dino Buzz http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/extinction.html

3) The KT Event at DinoBase

Complete a Dinosaur WebQuest. Adapt or follow the directions found at one of the following webQuest sites:

1) Dinosaurs Ruled the World - Which One Will Again? (Grade 4) http://www.lfelem.lfc.edu/tech/DuBose/webquest/reinhardt/dinosaur.html
2) Dinosaur WebQuest (Grade 2) http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/webquests/dino/dinowq.htm

3) Dinosaur WebQuest
http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/samoset/webquest/dinowq.htm
4) Great Dinosaur Disappearance http://www.arches.uga.edu/~aebenson/dinointro.html
5) Here Come the Dinosaurs http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/dino/dinosaurs.html
6) I Dig Dinosaurs http://can-do.com/uci/ssi2000/dinosaurs.html
7) Land Before Time (Grade 1-2) http://team.liunet.edu/~monteforte/webquest/index.htm

8) Mr T's Dinosaur WebQuest http://imet.csus.edu/imet3/vito/webquest/
9) WebQuests (Grades 3-8) http://www.childrensmuseum.org/dinosphere/kids/webquests.html

What Would It Be Like If Dinosaurs Still Lived? Write a story about what life would be like if dinosaurs still lived on earth today. For example, would they live in the wild? Where might they most likely still live? Would they be pets? Would they only be alive in a zoo? Consider the possibilities.

Websites By Kids For Kids
Dinos (1997 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge): http://library.thinkquest.org/10981/; There are several theories on what killed the dinosaurs. Five theories of extinction are presented: temperature, death by suffocation, wiping out by egg muck, supernova explosion, and impact theory.; RelatedSite:; DinoQuest (Section of Disappearance, 1999 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge) http://library.thinkquest.org/26615/dinoindex.htm

Dinosaur World (2000 ThinkQuest Junior Project): http://library.thinkquest.org/J001504/; This project includes includes facts about fifteen different dinosaurs. It also has a dinosaur quiz and links to other dinosaur websites

Dinosaurs (1998 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge): http://library.thinkquest.org/22973/; Here you can hunt down dinosaur books in the library, click on buried fossils in the field, and examine an atlas for signs of dinosaurs all over the world.; Similar Project:; Dinosaurs (2001 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge) http://library.thinkquest.org/C0128701/

Dinosaur Treks (Platinum award, 2000 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge): http://library.thinkquest.org/C005824/; Learn all about individual dinosaurs, their tracks, and their associated extinction theories.

Meet the Dinosaurs: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/dinosaur/dinosaur.htm; Mrs. Shaul's 1st grade class did reports on many dinosaurs. Their reports were full of; cool and interesting facts about dinosaurs.

More than a Dozen More Dinosaur Sites
Ask A Dinosaur Expert at Dino Russ's Lair: http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/dinos/rjjinput_form.html; If you have specific questions about dinosaurs, first check out the suggestions and information below. Intention of this site is to provide you (or lead you to via links to many other much better sites) the information you seek concerning dinosaurs. If after exhausting the links and suggestions provided, you still have a question then feel free to ask it of the expert.

DinoBase at University of Bristol: http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/dinobase/dinopage.html; This database contains a listing of the different dinosaurs, their classification, lots of pictures, and more dinosaur information.

Dinorama at National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/dinorama/; This site has information about dinosaurs and current methods of learning about them. It includes timelines, animations, and fun facts.; Another National Geographic Dinosaur Site:; 2) Dinosaur Eggs http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/96/dinoeggs/

Dino-ROAR from Scientific American: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000134B3-7BF6-1C76-9B81809EC588EF21; Listen to what dinosaurs may have sounded like in various file formats, and learn how scientists came up with the computer simulations.; Other Related Articles from Scientific American:; 2) It's a Bird, It's a...Dinosaur? at Scientific American; http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00038E4C-7D07-1C76-9B81809EC588EF21&pageNumber=1&catID=4; 3) Rebuilding the Lost World; http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0000C171-83B0-1C76-9B81809EC588EF21&pageNumber=1&catID=4

Dinosaurs: Facts and Fiction from U.S. Geological Survey: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs/; A wealth of new information about dinosaurs has been learned over the past 30 years, and science's old ideas of dinosaurs as slow, clumsy beasts have been totally turned around.

Dinosauria On-Line: http://www.dinosauria.com/; This is a technical site on dinosaurs, complete with pictures, discussion of anatomy and relationships, and dictionaries and maps to aid you in defining important terms, listing known genera, and other essential information.

Dinosaur Illustrations: http://www.search4dinosaurs.com/; This site helps you locate great illustrations of dinosaurs that have been posted on the Internet.

Dinosaurs: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/2830/dinosaur.htm; Here you will find descriptions of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, diagrams, timelines, charts, and some images and descriptions of dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Planet from Discovery.com: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/dinosaurplanet/dinosaurplanet.html; Several places to explore. Find out what dinosaurs lived near you.; Related Web Sites:; 2) Curse of T. Rex from Nova Online http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/trex/; 3) Walking With Dinosaurs at ABC Online http://www.abc.net.au/dinosaurs/default.htm

Dinosaur Resources for K-12 from Internet School Library Media Center: http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/dinosaurs; This huge links-page connects to lots of websites with general information about dinosaurs.
Discovering Dinosaurs at Britannica.com: http://dinosaurs.eb.com/; This site traces dinosaur hunters and their discoveries throughout time. It also has some fun and informative activities to do, and IMAX movie clips!

Rex Files: http://www.newscientist.com/nsplus/insight/rexfiles/rexfiles.html; For the past century dinosaurs have dominated our imaginations--from the schlock-horror nightmares of the 1950s to the Jurassic Parks of the 1990s. During the past decade dinoresearchers have come up with theories on everything from dino DNA to weird illnesses they suffered.

Dinosaur Museums

Carnegie Museum of Natural History: http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/dinosaur.htm; In 1909, Carnegie paleontologist Earl Douglass traveled to Utah, where he uncovered dinosaur bones in the Jurassic Morrison Formation. This discovery, perhaps one of the greatest discoveries of dinosaur bones ever made in North America, led to the development of the great Carnegie Quarry, now called Dinosaur National Monument.

Dinosaurs at The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia: http://www.acnatsci.org/museum/dinohall/; Explore the process of scientific discovery as you visit the five main sections of the Academy's Dinosaur Hall the processes of discovering dinosaurs.
Dinosphere at Children's Museum of Indianapolis: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/dinosphere/index.html
Great materials for kids at this children's museum including a virtual field trip and WebQuests.
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology Drumheller, Alberta, Canada: http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/peek/
Visit the website of this world class exhibition and research facility whose mandate is to collect, conserve, research, display and interpret paleontological history, with special reference to Alberta's fossil heritage.

Russian Dinosaur Exposition from Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences: http://www.mathematical.com/dinoexpo.html; Visit this online version of the largest traveling exposition in the world, composed of 66 specimens of which 33 are complete skeletons.

Virtual Tour of the Dinosaur Exhibits! from Smithsonian Institution: http://www.mnh.si.edu/museum/VirtualTour/vtnavigation.html; In this site, you will get the opportunity to view many of the dinosaur specimens that are on exhibit.; Related Websites:; 2) The Dinosaur Hall from National Museum of Natural History; http://photo2.si.edu/dino/dino.html; Other Similar Dinosaur Exhibits:; 3) Dinosaurs in Hawaii! http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/dinos/; 4) Dinosaurs in New Mexico at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History http://www.nmmnh-abq.mus.nm.us/nmmnh/dinosinnm.html

Museum of Paleontology at the University of California at Berkeley: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/; This site offers an impressive array of online paleontology exhibits, education resources, catalogs and collections, and links to related sites.

Websites for Teachers
Dinosaurs (Grade K): http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/ylp/97-98/97-98_units/97-98mini-unit/emaki_dinosaurs/table_content.html; This is a mini-unit for children to learn about dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs: A Thematic Unit (Grade K-3): http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/Dinosaurs.htm; Students will explore prehistoric times to expand their knowledge of dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs by W. Guzak (Grade K-1): http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/YLP/Units/Mini_Units/94-95/Guzak.Dinosaurs/index.html; This mini-unit plan for dinosaurs involves learning in language and literacy, math, and science.

Dinosaurs: http://www.sedl.org/scimath/pasopartners/dinosaurs/; A number of different lessons on this subject.

Dinosaur Theme Page at Community Learning Network: http://www.cln.org/themes/dinosaur.html; This page links to curricular resources (information, content...) and instructional materials (lesson plans) which will help teachers provide instruction in this theme.



dinosaur plant eater carnosaur skeleton fossil flying lizard meat eater herbivore claw paleontology armor-plate metabolism brain Carboniferous Period tail fossil teeth slashing toe Cretaceous Period horn shield paleontologist head neck fontanelle arm skin duck-bill Triassic Period Jurassic Period bi-pedal amniotic egg hollow-bone forelimb jaw Mesozoic era coprolite Earl Douglas reptile Cambrian Period leg spines hip social structure Megazostrodon snout track gastrolith Devonian Period bipedal quadrapedal prehistoric duckbill Dinosaur National Monument extinct


Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 3/00. Updated by Nancy Smith 10/02. Updated 12/05.