Dinosaur!

Introduction
1921. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Division.
Dinosaurs first appeared about 225 million years
ago and continually evolved to inhabit diverse
environments and geographic areas; indeed,
dinosaur fossils have been found on every
continent. For more than 100 million years
dinosaurs were the dominant terrestrial animals.
Then, about 65 million years ago, the majority of non-avian dinosaurs and other
species became extinct within a geologically brief period of time.
The term Dinosauria was coined just over 150 years ago by the British anatomist
and vertebrate paleontologist Richard Owen, referring to the three large fossil
"terrible lizards" that had been discovered in Europe. Later in the 19th century,
many discoveries of dinosaur fossils were made in the western United States, and
that period has been called the Golden Age of Dinosaur Studies.

When and Where Dinosaur Lived

Because of the great number of new discoveries about dinosaurs in recent years,
the present time has been referred to as the Second Golden Age of Dinosaur
Studies. Certain questions stimulate both scientific and public interest: What
factors made dinosaurs such highly successful animals for more than 100 million
years?
This resource guide lists Library of Congress sources for those who want to read
about the discoveries and controversies related to dinosaurs. It is not meant to be
a comprehensive bibliography, but a tool to get you started in your research.

Physical features and behavior

Extinction
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Physiology  Bipeds and quadrupeds
After non-avian dinosaurs were o Eurypoda
discovered, paleontologists first o Heavy
posited that they were ectothermic. o Quadrupedal
This was used to imply that the thyreophorans
ancient dinosaurs were relatively
Dinosaur Geoiogic
slow, sluggish organisms, even though
Period
many modern reptiles are fast and
light-footed despite relying on Prosauropoda 2 Jurasisic
external sources of heat to regulate
their body temperature. The idea of Saurischia 1 Triassic
dinosaurs as ectothermic remained a
prevalent view until Robert T. Sauropoda 2 Triassic
Bakker, an early proponent of Sauropodomorph 2 Triassic
dinosaur endothermy, published an a
influential paper on the topic in
1968. Vertebrae 2 Triassic
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is a genus of herbivorous,
Brachiosaurus
four-legged, armored dinosaur from
the Late Jurassic, characterized by
the distinctive kite-shaped upright
plates along their backs and spikes on
their tails
 Ornithischia
o Bird-hipped
o Diverse bipedal
 Quadrupedal
herbivores Brachiosaurus is a genus of sauropod
 Heterodontosauridae dinosaur that lived in North America
 Small herbivores during the Late Jurassic, about 154 to
 Prominent canine-like teeth 150 million years ago. It was first
o Genasauria described by American paleontologist
o Cheeked lizards Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils
found in the Colorado River valley in
o Thyreophora
western Colorado, United States
o Armored dinosaurs
Allosaurus
Allosaurus is an extinct genus of large carnosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived
155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period. The name
"Allosaurus" means "different lizard", alluding to its unique concave vertebrae. It
is derived from the Greek words ἄλλος

Allosaurus carnosaurian

Saurischia 1 Triassic

Sauropodomorpha 2 Triassic

Prosauropoda 2 Jurasisic

Main characteristics dinosaurs share:

They had an upright stance, with legs perpendicular to their body. This is the
main feature that sets dinosaurs apart from other reptiles. Like other reptiles,
they laid eggs.
With the exception of some birds, for example penguins, dinosaurs lived on land,
not in the sea.Their skull had a hole between the eye socket and nostril. This
feature is shared by all archosaurs.
Dinosaurs also had two holes behind the eye socket. Large, strong jaw muscles
went through the holes to attach directly to the top of the skull. As a result, the
jaws were able to open wide and clamp down with more force.