Welcome to the fascinating world of dinosaurs! These magnificent creatures dominated our planet for over 160 million years during the Mesozoic Era. From the Triassic period 252 million years ago, through the Jurassic, and into the Cretaceous period ending 66 million years ago, dinosaurs evolved into countless species of all shapes and sizes.
The story of dinosaur discovery begins in the early 1800s in England. Scientists like William Buckland and Gideon Mantell found strange fossilized bones and teeth that didn't match any known living animals. In 1824, Buckland described the first dinosaur, Megalosaurus, though the term 'dinosaur' wouldn't be coined until 1842 by Richard Owen.
Dinosaurs are classified into two main groups based on their hip structure. Saurischians, or lizard-hipped dinosaurs, include the meat-eating theropods like Tyrannosaurus and the long-necked sauropods like Brontosaurus. Ornithischians, or bird-hipped dinosaurs, were mostly plant-eaters and include duck-billed ornithopods and horned ceratopsians like Triceratops.
Let's meet some of the most famous dinosaurs! Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the largest land predators ever, with massive jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth up to 8 inches long. Triceratops had three distinctive horns and a large bony frill for protection. Stegosaurus was famous for the double row of plates along its back and the four sharp spikes on its tail, called a thagomizer.