Dinosaurs
Did you know that dinosaurs have lived and evolved for longer any other species on earth? Once a significant part of our planetary history, existing for over 185 million years, they remain a perpetual source of mystery and amazement, a perennial theme in popular media and science shows, fascinating to both children and adults alike. Dinosaurs have captured our collective imagination. We wonder not only about how they lived, but also how they mysteriously died. It is believed that an asteroid nine miles in width struck in the region we now know as the Gulf of Mexico and wiped them off the face off the earth in one tragic, terrible blow.
How Dinosaurs Got Their Names
Etymologically, in Greek, “deinos” is “fearfully great” and “sauros” is “lizard.“ So, putting it altogether, the name means “fearfully great lizard.” The name was coined by scientist Sir Richard Owen in 1842. The individual names of the dinosaurs are due to a variety of reasons. For example, the Brachyceratops was named for its short-horned face; the Baryonyx was named for its heavy claw; the Astrodon was named for its star tooth; the Brachypodosaurs was named for its short-footed feet; the Chassternbergia was named in honor of scientist, Charles Sternberg; the Albertosaurs was named after Alberta, Canada; and the Velociraptor, meaning “speedy robber,” was named after its conjectured behavior.
Tumultuous Earth Eras and Dinosaurs
Before gigantic creatures roamed the earth, life on earth struggled to exist, and prior to the age of the dinosaurs, there were three distinct earth eras.
The first era was the Archeozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, believed to have been between 251 to 65 million years ago. During this age, the earth’s surface was transforming from molten matter into solid rock, continental plates were forming, and the atmosphere was inhospitable to most forms of life because it consisted of only seventy-five percent nitrogen and fifteen percent carbon dioxide. What life that did exist was very simple:
free floating DNA cells, with no nucleus, and no organelles. These were known as Prokaryotic cells.
The second era was the Proterozoic Era, estimated to have been between 2,500 to 542 million years ago. During this age, living cells became more sophisticated, featuring both nucleus and membrane organelles. Toward the close of this era, a soft-bodied organism resembling a jellyfish, began to appear.
The third era was the Paleozoic Era, estimated to have been between 542 to 151 million years ago. During this age, primitive animals and plants began to appear. This was the time when the first fish began to swim, the first coral began to form, the first plants begin to grow, the first wingless insects begin to crawl on the ground. However, toward the close of this era, in a time called the Permian period, a huge calamity destroyed most of the emerging life form, leaving a mere five percent clinging to precious life. This calamity may have been due to the volcanic turbulence of the entire earth, at that time a land mass called Pangaea. Scientists conjecture that massive volcanic eruptions destroyed the delicate oxygen balance.
Then during the Mesozoic Era, estimated to have been between 542 to 151 million years ago, life on earth began to show up again, but this time survived and evolved, first as incipient plants and animals, then into gigantic forms. It was now that the Dinosaurs roamed the earth in spectacular regions filled with enormous plants.
The Mesozoic Era is broken up into three distinct periods: the Triassic Era, the Jurassic Era, and the Cretaceous Era. Each era showed a significant leap in the evolution of the dinosaur.
During the Triassic Era, from 250 to 200 million years ago, the first dinosaurs began to show up, and prior to this time, there were only large reptiles. This was the real age of dinosaur evolution. Archosaurs, socket-toothed reptiles, evolved soon after the mass extinction of creatures in the Permian period, and these were the ancestors of the dinosaurs. In particular, it is believed that Theocodonts, were the ancestors of the dinosaurs. These creatures resembled crocodiles, walking low to the ground. They had long jaws and tails, as well as carnivorous appetites. The dinosaurs were relatively smaller than would appear in later ages. The struggled to survive in an earth age where the weather and atmosphere changed dramatically. But despite this flux in the conditions necessary for life on earth, the first mammals began to appear in the oceans.
During the Triassic Era, from 250 to 200 million years ago, the first dinosaurs began to show up, and prior to this time, there were only large reptiles. This was the era when both small and large dinosaurs now began to show up on earth. Although the Hollywood movie, “Jurassic Park,” did a lot to popularize dinosaurs in the public imagination, they also used poetic license to describe dinosaurs, and portrayed many incorrect dinosaur facts, including showing the larger more terrifying dinosaurs that would only show up in the next age, the Cretaceous Era.
During the Cretaceous Era, from 135 to 65 million years ago, dinosaurs evolved into the many species that are studied today, but this was also the age when they all mysteriously became extinct. This was the time when Tyrannosaurus roamed the earth and the Velociraptors struck terror in the hearts of their prey.
The Evolving Story Of Dinosaurs
From the complete skeleton of a Stegosaurus found in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to tracks left in the mud, scientists have been slowly piecing together the story of dinosaurs. For example, the Velociraptor behavior as a vicious dinosaur is based on a fossil recording of its 15 inch claws. We continue to learn more about dinosaurs each passing year. We now know that dinosaurs, lizard-like creatures that lived many millions of years ago, were both very big and also very small, some as large as a double story house, others as small as chickens. We also know that some were purely vegetarian, others exclusively carnivorous, an eating pattern that still exists in animals on earth today. But, one thing scientists have not been able to find any evidence on is the color of dinosaurs; it’s possible that they were as colorful as today’s tropical birds. Ultimately, then, the study of dinosaurs is the evolving story based on careful detective work.
Cool Dinosaur Coloring Book Game For Kids
We found a cool little flash game that’s sure to be great fun for the young ones in your family. You can choose from three different dinosaurs and color them any way you like! Enjoy!