divination 

All types of dinosaurs with names, their description. Unusual dinosaurs What are dinosaur names

How many types of dinosaurs do you know? Check out our list of the most famous dinosaur species.

Here you will be provided with material about all aspects of life and the appearance of dinosaurs. The Mesozoic era will be described in great detail. Our information is collected very carefully and does not miss even a single small detail. The sources of our articles are modern domestic research and foreign paleontological developments. Our information will be interesting for both children and adults. It will be useful not only to an ordinary amateur, but also to a scientist.

The majestic era in the life of our planet is that multimillion-dollar segment of history when mysterious dinosaurs lived on Earth. So let's try to unravel their secrets!

Dinosaurs, who are they? Let's start with the definition of the type.

If we translate from the ancient Greek the Latin word "Dinosauria", then we get the phrase "terrible lizard". In 1842, the Englishman Richard Owen (a famous zoologist and paleontologist) introduced this term into science.

So, according to scientific classification, dinosaurs are a superorder (in rank definition) or a broad group of land reptiles that lived on Earth in the Mesozoic era, namely 231.4 - 66.2 million years ago. These animals had a number of similar features. Chief among these was the constitution of the body, especially the bones of the pelvis. Further on the site you will see a comparative diagram of the hip region of different types of land dinosaurs. Consider the left model - it demonstrates the constitution of the pelvic bones of amphibians and a large detachment of reptiles. In this model, the paws are clearly spaced on the sides and quite curved. The model in the center refers to dinosaurs and mammals. The model on the right refers to the Ravizukha, which became extinct in the Triassic period.

In turn, representatives of dinosaurs are divided into 8 groups:

ornithopods (Ornithopoda), pachycephalosaurs (Pachycephalosauria), ceratopsians (Ceratopsia), ankylosaurs (Ankylosauria), stegosaurus (Stegosauria), sauropods (Sauropoda), theropods (Theropoda) and therizinosaurs (Therizinosauria).

The illustration shows a skeletal reconstruction model of each order created by paleontologist Scot Hartman.

We want to draw your attention to this fact: winged and sea pangolins do not belong to dinosaurs, they are classified as separate orders of reptiles.

From ferocious theropods like Tyrannosaurus Rex and Spinosaurus to huge sauropods like Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus.

In 1888, a man named Harry Seeley proposed to classify dinosaurs into two groups based on their hip joint structure, these groups are called Saurischia (hipped lizard) and Ornithischia (hipped bird). These two groups can be divided into subgroups such as families, subfamilies, etc. Let's take a look at some of the interesting subgroups and examples of dinosaurs that are part of them.

Theropods

Theropods - The name Theropod means "beast foot". This group includes all carnivorous (meat-eating) dinosaurs. An interesting fact is that birds did indeed evolve from theropods, and not from Ornitic (avian) dinosaurs. Theropods walked on two legs and included several fearsome-looking but popular dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor.

sauropods

Sauropods have evolved and learned to walk on all fours. They usually grew to enormous sizes. They were herbivores (they ate plants). This species included classic dinosaurs such as Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus.

Ornithischian dinosaurs

Ornithischia - The name Thyreophora means "shield bearers". This group includes armored dinosaurs such as Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus. They were herbivores that lived throughout the Jurassic until the Late Cretaceous.

cerapods

Cerapods included many interesting groups such as Ceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs, Triceratops, and Ornithopods (bird) dinosaurs such as Iguanodon.

The origin of dinosaurs has been one of the most poignant mysteries and discussions of the last century. But even now, extremely little is known about these lizards. What were they like? Can the dinosaur be considered the "king of nature" and the top of the food chain of its period?

These and many other questions have not yet been answered. Even those fragments of information that archaeologists and paleontologists managed to collect are based more on the analysis of fossils and theories built around the principles of life of similar organisms.

Many species of dinosaurs are still only superficially studied, and therefore there is no need to talk about a sufficient knowledge base on this issue.

Basic classification of dinosaurs

The difference between dinosaur species is dictated by habitat, food preferences, dietary habits, and even class.

Some names come directly from the names of the discoverers, as well as the territories where the skeleton of one or another pangolin was first found.

The type of dinosaur also varied significantly depending on which predator dominated the region. Yes, to

for example, huge diplodocus were perfectly protected from small aggressors, for example, deinocheirs, but not only hunted for the young of this subspecies of herbivores, it literally threatened their population.

In general, dinosaurs can be divided into 4 classes:

  • Predators.
  • Herbivores.
  • Flying.
  • Water.

However, some dinosaurs managed to combine several classes in their specificity.

Predators

The class of predators includes several subspecies, which can be conditionally grouped into two categories: large and flocking.

The class of the first, for example, can be attributed to "Tyrex", in other words, a tyrannosaurus rex. He was one of the most famous predators of his period, which is about 65 million years ago.

This dinosaur, like its fellows, is characterized by a solitary lifestyle with hunting mainly for large game. With a fangs length of 15-19 centimeters, it was not a problem for this lizard to bite through even the strong shell of a stegosaurus or to come together in a fight with a triceratops.

Its name even contains a direct reference to the reputation of the lizard - namely, the prefix "tee", whose entomology is close to "terror", which translates as "horror".

Allosaurus, Dilaphosaurus, Carnotaurus and Megalosaurus should also be attributed to the same kind of dinosaurs.

The latter species are quite characteristic, but the complete skeleton of this lizard has never been found.

pack predators distinguished by considerable intelligence and hunted mainly young growth of large herbivorous dinosaurs and sick loners.

Could not only coordinate their actions within the pack, they were in contact with

other representatives through sound effects. If the brain of an average stegosaurus reached the size of a walnut, then in a velociraptor it was already the size of a large orange.

A distinctive feature of this type of dinosaur is a large claw on the first toe of the hind paw, through which hunting took place.

Velociraptor jumped on the back of its prey, after which it tried to break the spine or inflict wounds leading to blood loss. This species of dinosaurs is characterized by hunting in a pack, the type of which is similar to the actions of wolves.

Herbivores

The class "herbivores" has several subspecies. Most often they are named according to the names of several of the most famous representatives (Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Diplodocus).

At one time, the last of those mentioned was for the entire period of the existence of lizards. Its length from the nose to the tip of the tail reached 30 meters.

Ultrasaurus was supposed to be the new record holder, but, as in the case of Megalosaurus, a complete lizard skeleton has not been found. This species is characterized by huge sizes, even the “smaller” of them, namely the Apatosaurus reached a record 22 meters.

A dinosaur called Triceratops was not in danger of a head-on fight. Like the modern rhinoceros, this dinosaur crushed the enemy with its horns, although they were present in the amount of three pieces, and the neck of the lizard was covered by a bone “collar”, which also served to regulate heat transfer.

Stegosaurs and brontosaurs preferred defense to attack. Such dinosaurs just had to stand on their feet, huddle together and patiently wait out the attack. Their backs are tightly protected by a horny shell.

The stegosaurus also had spikes at the tip of its tail, with which the lizard skillfully defended itself from small aggressors.

One of the heaviest dinosaurs, namely the brontosaurus, had a heavy bone mace at the end of the tail, which could easily break through the skull, for example, of a velociraptor.

Aquatic

Aquatic dinosaurs are almost completely represented by the predator class. The largest of them, namely the plesiosaur, according to a number of scientists, may well be the same. The length of his neck reached 11-15 meters.

Mosasaurus and Ichthyosaurus are named as the ancestors of modern dolphins.

Pliosaurus, also known as "predator x", was the most aggressive. This dinosaur is characterized by attacks, including on its own relatives. It is likely that killer whales are the heirs of the pliosaurus. Most of these lizards died out after the average water temperature began to drop as a result of the onset of the ice age.

flying

Some flying dinosaurs later evolved into birds, others remained a subclass of their own, but they posed a serious threat to their habitat and deserve a mention.

He hunted insects (the size of which reached 2 meters during the existence of the lizard) and he himself was far from small. It was in his skeleton that the remains and traces of the feather cover were found, after which the origin of modern birds from this subspecies was proved.

The second subclass, represented by pterodactyl, had a wooly coat and huge leathery wings. Dinosaurs of this species are characterized by a diet of fish, fruits and insects.

Each type of dinosaur was distinguished by its own specifics and features. Such a concise description is not capable of giving a full assessment of them, but it is sufficient for the primary one. At one time, dinosaurs were a huge force, but later lost the battle to nature and even mammals, losing the championship once and for all.

All dinosaurs are unusual in their own way, because for modern man these animals are completely exotic and curiosity. But among them there are absolutely breathtaking specimens that amaze the imagination with their size, cruelty or rage, and sometimes cause an involuntary smile to appear on their faces. It is these creatures that will be discussed below.

This unusual animal existed about 76 million years ago. Parasaurolophus belonged to the order of duck-billed dinosaurs, which were named for their characteristic appearance. An outstanding feature of this creature, which distinguishes it from all other relatives, was the modified nasal bones of the skull, which turned into long hollow tubes, curving far behind the head. The tubular scallop made the muzzle of the parasaurolophus not scary and even funny, which was quite true, given the exclusively plant-based diet of the huge “vegetarian”.

During exhalation, the animal could close the nasal passages with special bridges and pass air through hollow bone outgrowths. At the same time, a loud trumpet sound was heard, reminiscent of the sound of large wind instruments. Paleontologists suggest that through such unusual "songs" parasaurolophus could communicate with each other, transmit signals of danger, challenge each other to a duel, or attract partners with "serenades" during the mating season. Judging by the anatomy of this chordate, the circulation of air inside the tubular nasal bones could serve as a kind of "air conditioner", cooling the giant's overheated brain in the heat. In addition, the crest protected the head from blows from branches while running in the middle of a dense forest.

This dinosaur holds the title of the largest carnivorous creature that ever existed on the planet. The weight of the reptile reached almost 20 tons in adulthood. Only the outgrowths on the back, forming a kind of crest, towered a couple of meters. It is for the presence of such a crest that this terrible monster got its name, which translates as "vertebral lizard." This spinal appendage had several functions: it served as a cooling chamber for the spinal cord, frightened opponents, and was the main decoration of the male looking for a mate for procreation.

Scientists are sure that the body of the Spinosaurus is the ideal body of a killer predator. While most dinosaurs of that period had curved teeth, those of Spinosaurus resembled sharp, even knives, allowing them to catch even the most slippery and nimble prey. After the victim hit the teeth, the monster began to sharply turn its head from side to side, releasing life from the captured animal in a few seconds. The victims who fell into this mouth did not have the slightest chance of salvation.

The Spinosaurus was engaged in the extraction of food not only on land, it attacked fish in deep-sea rivers and on the coast of the seas, therefore, both aquatic inhabitants and terrestrial creatures suffered from the irrepressible appetite of a huge predator.

The first voiced hypothesis that birds evolved from dinosaurs was met aggressively at the time. But many years later, more weighty arguments were found in the form of the skeleton of Epidexipteryx, which was first mistaken for the remains of a feathered one. A detailed study baffled paleontologists, since this animal had all the signs of dinosaurs, but, at the same time, it had plumage. An unusual short dinosaur, close in size to a modern pigeon, weighed only 160 g. The name "epidexipteryx" is translated as "showing feathers."

Having carefully studied the structure of the remains, paleontologists came to the conclusion that Epidexipteryx could not fly, most likely, feathers performed the function of protecting the skin from cold and heat. The plumage was unevenly concentrated on different parts of the body and had a pronounced bright color, which made the animal noticeable in the era of faded green, brown and gray fauna. Particularly prominent were four unusual feathers in the tail, which are very different in structure from modern ones, since they consist of filamentous formations without a central axial shaft. The functions of such a tail were to coordinate movements while moving along the branches and attract the opposite sex, greedy for bright plumage.

If the previous representative of dinosaurs, when discovered, could be mistaken for a bird, then this one would have passed for an insect. To imagine that a fossil dinosaur could be 50 mm long is really difficult. Longisquama has unusual appendages on its back, resembling hockey sticks in shape. Their length reaches 12 cm, which exceeds the length of the entire body. These dorsal appendages are formed by modified scales covering the back.

Unusual education and its purpose caused a lot of controversy among professionals. Over the years, a version has been developed that the outgrowths of this creature were needed for passive flight. Jumping from a hill or a tree, longiskwams could slowly glide down, while the predator that hunted them remained hungry in the same place. Perhaps it was thanks to such an adaptation that miniature "parachutists" were able to live on Earth for about 11 million years. Despite their tiny size, longisquams were predators, eating smaller insects, which they found in abundance on the canopy of trees, where they lived most of their lives.

The unusual appearance of this animal makes directors and producers make Pteranodon the protagonist of many feature films or documentaries about the prehistoric period and the era of dinosaurs. These animals actually look spectacular, but, unlike the aggressive cinematic image, the Pteranodon was an exceptionally peaceful and harmless creature that ate only the fish it caught. There were not even the rudiments of teeth in the beak, so the winged creature simply swallowed unchewed food, which was smoothly digested in the stomach for many hours.

The wingspan of the Pteranodon reached up to 7 meters, and scientists suggest that the flight speed with such parameters was impressive. He had to eat well to provide himself with the energy he needed to fly. It is not known whether this creature would be completely safe for humans, as scientists note the great impact force of the wings and the high power of the beak, with which Pteranodon could easily break even a thick sea shell. It is likely that when meeting a potentially dangerous person, the animal could be the first to go on the offensive and kill the enemy with one blow.

The animal that was the first to appreciate all the delights of life on trees, where predators and enemies cannot get through, is the epidendrosaurus. Something in it resembles birds, but the unusual forelimbs are more like claws. Such an unusual shape appeared for a reason: the third finger lengthened over many centuries until it became convenient enough to quickly and easily get larvae and small insects from the deepest and thinnest crevices in the bark of trees.

This representative of the prehistoric fauna lived approximately 160 million years ago, his remains were found in China in 2002. Now scientists cannot give a definite answer whether the bones found belonged to a cub or an adult creature. Perhaps the following finds will shed light on this. But so far it is unambiguously clear that the epidendrosaurus has become an important step towards the appearance of the very first birds on earth.

Stegosaurus is one of the most recognizable dinosaurs, which is facilitated by its memorable appearance: on its back and tail there are characteristic plates that make up a huge crest. With such outstanding parameters, he was forced to constantly eat in order to provide nutrients to a huge body. Its length reached 9 meters, and the food consisted exclusively of grass, so the supply of calories had to be replenished constantly. For this reason, the main and invariable occupation of the stegosaurus was the search and grinding of grass.

But something else is unusual about him. With such impressive parameters, the brain of this herbivore weighed only 70 g, which was 0.002% of the total weight. If we compare this parameter with a human one, then a person has it 940 times more. Because of this, Stegosaurus has earned the title of the most stupid dinosaur. Apparently, in the Jurassic period, the mind was not a very popular quality, since the stegosaurus was able to successfully exist for 10 million years, and at the same time lived and reproduced well.

Unlike its stupid brother Troodon got the title of the smartest dinosaur. An unusual creature grew to average human parameters - 1.5-2 meters, and just as deftly skillfully moved on its hind limbs. Paleontologists believe that on the run, the Troodon developed a very high speed, in which a person would be far behind them. Judging by the cranium, the size of the brain is comparable to the size of modern primates, which was absolutely incredible in the Jurassic period.

Despite their rather modest size for that time, these animals were dexterous hunters, because they possessed many things that are important in the hunting process: quick wit, excellent eyesight and long tenacious fingers on the front limbs. After the prey was reached, the predator lifted it up and threw it against the stone with force.

The level of intelligence of the Troodon allowed them to hunt in packs, driving the prey from one group to another. At the same time, they developed a peculiar way of communication, vaguely reminiscent of the beginnings of speech. In addition, these smart animals were able to use tools for hunting, which also indicates high intelligence. Scientists believe that if evolution had not led to the extinction of dinosaurs, Troodon could have developed to the level of current people and even surpass them. That is why troodons are considered the most intelligent dinosaurs in existence.

At the moment, the tallest animal on earth is the giraffe: its height reaches 6 meters. Sauroposeidon could contemptuously look at this "short man", since his height was three times greater. This giant weighed 60 tons, and the body length from head to tail was 30 meters. To feed himself, he had to eat a ton of grass and leaves every day, so he chewed all the time throughout his life, lasting about a hundred years, interrupted only by sleep and reproduction. Nature did not provide any defense mechanisms against enemies to Sauroposeidon, compensating for everything with growth.

It was more difficult for the cubs, since they did not have a size advantage. In one clutch of the female, there were about a hundred eggs, but only 3-4 specimens survived to adulthood from the hatched cubs. Education was not included in the list of virtues of Sauroposeidons, so the cubs grew up on their own, trying to survive and protect themselves from daily dangers, and upon reaching puberty they were accepted into the herd.

This is an unusual and very beautiful animal that looks like a real fashionista among creepy and often unsightly creatures. The horned collar around the head, crowned with six symmetrical large spikes, adds charm to the appearance. Styracosaurus was a herbivore, but his life from this did not proceed calmly and resignedly. In the course of a fight or a fight with a predator, the collar spikes could break off, and this was a significant loss, since the long and sharp outgrowths attracted females. In addition, the larger and more beautiful the collar was, the higher the position of the animal in the herd.

On the nose of the styracosaurus was a huge horn, which gives this creature a resemblance to a rhinoceros. Not only the horn, but also the parameters of the body are somewhat reminiscent of this contemporary. The bone horn grew up to 60 cm in length and reached a diameter of 15 cm. It came in handy when larger predators attacked the peaceful and calm styracosaurus.

Dinosaur species of this group lived in the late Jurassic period on the territory of modern North America about 150 million years ago. Paleontologists consider diplodocus to be one of the most easily identifiable dinosaurs. Moreover, this species is the largest of all dinosaurs known from complete skeletons found. Diplodocus were herbivores, and their huge size was a deterrent to the predatory lizards of those times - ceratosaurs and allosaurs.

Allosaurus - a thunderstorm of diplodocus!

Within the framework of this article, we will not be able to consider all types of dinosaurs with names, so we will only turn to the most prominent and famous representatives of these legendary giants. One of them is the Allosaurus. This is a representative of the genus of carnivorous dinosaurs from the group of theropods. Like diplodocus, allosaurs existed in the Jurassic period about 155 million years ago.

These creatures walked on their hind legs and had very small forelimbs. On average, these lizards reached a length of 9 meters and a height of 4 meters. Allosaurs were considered large bipedal predators of the time. The remains of these insidious creatures were found on the territory of modern Southern Europe, East Africa and North America.

Ichthyosaurs - legendary fish lizards

They represent an extinct detachment of large marine reptiles, reaching a length of 20 meters. Outwardly, these lizards resembled modern fish and dolphins. Their distinguishing feature was large eyes, protected by a bone ring. In general, at a short distance, ichthyosaurs could well be mistaken for fish or dolphins.

The origin of these creatures is still in question. Some paleontologists believe that they come from diapsids. This version is supported only by conjectures: apparently, the escape of ichthyosaurs somehow branched off from the main diapsid stem even before this subclass split into archosaurs and lepidosaurs. However, the ancestors of these fish lizards are still not known. Ichthyosaurs died out about 90 million years ago.

Dinosaurs take to the sky

At the end of the Triassic period, the first flying species of dinosaurs appeared on the planet, which appeared unexpectedly in the fossil record. Curiously, they were already fully formed. Their direct ancestors, from which they developed all this time, are unknown.

All Triassic pterosaurs belong to the Rhamphorhynchus group: these creatures had huge heads, toothed mouths, long and narrow wings, and a long and thin tail. The size of these "leather birds" varied. Pterosaurs, as they were called, were mostly the size of both gulls and hawks. Of course, among them were 5-meter giants. Pterosaurs died out about 65 million years ago.

Tyrannosaurs are the most famous dinosaur species.

The list of ancient lizards would be incomplete if we did not mention the most majestic dinosaur of all times and eras - the tyrannosaurus rex. This insidious and dangerous creature fully justifies its name. This creature represents a genus from the coelurosaur group and theropod suborder. It includes a single species - a tyrannosaurus rex (from the Latin language "rex" is a king). Tyrannosaurs, like allosaurs, were bipedal predators with massive skulls and sharp teeth. The limbs of Tyrannosaurus Rex were a complete physiological contradiction: massive hind legs and tiny hook-shaped forepaws.

Tyrannosaurus is the largest species within its own family, as well as one of the largest terrestrial predatory lizards in the entire history of our planet. The remains of this animal were found in the west of modern North America. According to scientists, they lived about 65 million years ago, that is, it was in their century that the death of the entire dynasty of ancient lizards occurred. It was the tyrannosaurs that crowned the entire great era of dinosaurs, which ended during the Cretaceous period.

Feathered heritage

It is no secret to many people that birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs. Paleontologists saw much in common in the external and internal structure of birds and dinosaurs. It should be remembered that birds are descendants of land lizards - dinosaurs, and not flying lizards - pterosaurs! Currently, two subclasses of ancient reptiles are "hanging in the air" because their ancestors and exact origins have not been established by paleontologists. The first subclass is the ichthyosaurs and the second is the turtles. If we have already dealt with ichthyosaurs above, then nothing is clear at all with turtles!

Are turtles amphibians?

And therefore it is clear that, considering such a topic as "Types of dinosaurs", one cannot fail to mention these animals. The origin of the turtle subclass is still shrouded in mystery. True, some zoologists still believe that they originated from anapsids. However, they are opposed by other pundits who are sure that turtles are the descendants of some ancient amphibians. And they do not depend on other reptiles at all. If this theory is confirmed, then a big breakthrough will occur in the science of zoology: it may happen that turtles will not have the slightest relation to reptiles at all, because then they will become ... amphibians!

It is no secret that during the existence of our planet the world of flora and fauna has changed several times. Dinosaurs did not survive to our times, but their existence is confirmed by numerous excavations.

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Types of dinosaurs, their classification

Paleontologists claim that dinosaurs inhabited our planet for over a hundred million years. Scientists came to such conclusions after many years of excavations, which allowed them to invade the bowels of the earth and find numerous remains of giant birds and animals there. What was the reality in those days, one can only guess.

Today we will take a closer look at what varieties of dinosaurs are, and what information about them is available today. In general, when you start to be interested in these animals, it is amazing how much paleontologists know, and no one has ever seen these animals with their own eyes. Now these are the heroes of horror films, fairy tales for children, and so on, it is thanks to the artists that we have a clear idea of ​​​​how such unusual creatures really looked like. Very often different dinosaurs are compared to dragons.

Scientists, unfortunately, have not been able to come to a unanimous conclusion why dinosaurs suddenly died out on our planet. Although in that era not only dinosaurs disappeared, but also many inhabitants of the underwater world. One theory says that it was not the Earth's climate that changed dramatically, but the dinosaurs could not live in a new environment, so one by one they began to die. The second theory (more realistic) says that 65 million years ago a huge asteroid crashed into our planet, which destroyed many earthly creatures.

We will not go into details about why huge creatures disappeared from the face of the Earth, it will be much more interesting to talk about what paleontologists know today. And they know a lot, from the remains they managed to establish which dinosaurs existed, to report approximately how many species there were, and also to give them certain names.

For the first time, the English biologist Richard Owen spoke about dinosaurs, it was he who called animals by this term (by the way, “dinosaur” is translated from Greek as a terrible lizard). Until 1843, scientists did not put forward theories about the existence of dinosaurs. Their remains were attributed to either dragons or other giant mythical animals.

Now the list of species is simply huge and each genus has its own name. For example, you will be interested to know what are the two largest and most ancient groups of these animals. Maybe the names will seem funny to someone, but these are lizard and ornithischian creatures. Next, we list the most famous and, in our opinion, the main species or types of dinosaurs. Do not be surprised that representatives of the most famous breeds could perfectly swim, fly, and not just move on land. A lot of information was studied by scientists before they could draw conclusions that dinosaurs can be divided into such groups:

  • predatory;
  • herbivores;
  • flying;
  • water.

Paleontologists knew exactly how to distinguish one type from another, they were doing more and more research, as a result of which the world learned about trinosaurs, ichthosaurs, pliosaurs, tyrannosaurs, ornithocheirs and so on.

The exact number of species of dinosaurs that existed cannot be established, and it is unlikely that this will ever be known. There are many nuances in the study of fossils. The number of varieties is said to range from 250 to 550 and these numbers are constantly changing. For example, some species have only been identified from the excavation of a single tooth or vertebra. Over time, scientists realize that some species that were previously considered different can actually be attributed to the same thing. So no one can draw firm conclusions. Perhaps most types of dinosaurs exist only in the fantasy of paleontologists and other sensationalists. But since these huge creatures have disappeared from our planet, it means that it was necessary. Nothing happens by chance, and especially the extinction of real giant predators.

Swimming dinosaur: myth or reality?

Paleontologists say that aquatic dinosaurs did exist. To be honest, the population of the seas and oceans in those days was not so harmless. Aquatic fish dinosaurs would happily eat everyone. And they can not even compare with the most dangerous sharks today. The sizes of monsters exceeded the sizes of modern whales. Huge animals could happily eat, for example, another dinosaur, which, by chance, was at the wrong time in the wrong place. Some fish grew up to 25 m (for comparison, a standard nine-story building is 30 m).

Sea monsters were classified as follows:

  • plesiosaurus (a long-necked creature that lived all the time under water, sometimes surfaced to breathe air or grab a flying bird);
  • elasmosaurus weighed about 500 kg, had a small but movable head on a huge (8 m) neck;
  • mosasaurs lived in the seas and oceans, but moved a little like a snake;
  • ichthyosaurs are very warlike and bloodthirsty animals that lived and hunted in packs. There were practically no insurmountable obstacles for them;
  • the notosaurus led a dual lifestyle (on land and in water), eating small creatures and fish;
  • liopleurodons lived exclusively in the aquatic environment, could hold their breath for several hours, dive to the depths and hunt there;
  • Shonisaurus is a completely harmless reptile that was an excellent hunter and fed on mollusks, octopuses, and squids.

Very little is known about the existence of two-headed creatures, many types of dinosaurs were with long claws that helped them move faster. Some types of large marine inhabitants were:

  • with a collar around the neck;
  • with a hood;
  • with a crest on the back (sometimes with two crests);
  • with spikes;
  • with a tuft on his head;
  • with a mace on the tail.

Herbivorous dinosaurs: their classification

This is most likely the most peaceful species of huge creatures. They quietly chewed weed, were happy and entered the fight solely for the purpose of self-defense. Rarely have herbivorous creatures attacked first. At the same time, dinosaurs of this type were not at all weak, defenseless animals. A powerful skeleton, huge horns, a tail with a mace, unrealistically huge sizes, strong limbs that could immediately strike on the spot - all these are the characteristics of completely peaceful animals.

There were several types of herbivorous creatures:

  • stegosaurus - they had peculiar combs on their bodies, chewed grass, from time to time swallowed stones to improve digestion;
  • euplocephalus, which was covered with spikes, a bone shell and had a mace on its tail. This is a truly terrible monster;
  • brachiosaurus - could eat about a ton of greens in just a day;
  • triceratops had beaks, horns, lived in herds, easily defended themselves from enemies;
  • hadrosaurs were quite large, but very vulnerable, it is still a mystery how they survived.

This is not a complete list of species of grass dinosaurs.

carnivorous dinosaurs

Yet most dinosaurs were predators by nature. They had a powerful body structure, huge teeth, horns, shells. All this allowed animals to rise above other living beings, often dinosaurs fought with their relatives. The strongest always won, there was no question of any family ties. Tyrannosaurus was considered the most popular predator, you can find a lot of interesting information about it, watch a video. Tirex is the hero of many horror films, because this born hunter was really scary, disgusting, ruthless, bloodthirsty.

Dinosaur with a long neck (name and species)

Among herbivorous, marine and predatory species, there were breeds that were distinguished by unrealistically long necks. For example, diplodocus is a herbivore creature whose neck consisted of 15 vertebrae. He could easily get branches from the tallest trees.

Flying species or dinosaur birds did indeed have wings, scales, sometimes even feathers. A feature of these creatures were huge very sharp teeth, which cannot be said about modern birds. These are pterodactyls, pterosaurs, archeopteryxes. Ornithocheirus was the size of a small plane, had a light skeleton, a crest on its beak. Such "birds" lived near large reservoirs.

Quite informative, and also interesting to read about the inhabitants of the Jurassic period, isn't it? At that time, the population of the Earth was completely different, terrible and incomprehensible to us, its modern inhabitants.