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Cool Dinosaur Coloring Book Game For Kids

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:18:47 +0000

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!

Dinosaurs

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:02:20 +0000

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.

Zephyrosaurus

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:01:29 +0000

Zephyrosaurus, pronounced ( ZEF – ear – ro – SORE – us), means ” westward wind lizard”. The Zephyrosaurus was a very small, swift, herbivore dinosaur. This means that it only ate plants and vegetation. It roamed in parts of North America during the middle Cretaceous Period, millions and millions of years ago. Some of its tracks have been discovered between Maryland and Virginia, in the United States of America.

The Zephyrosaurus was named in 1980 and is known by some its bones that were found at that time. These bones are, also, called fossils. Partial skull bones and a few partial vertebrae bones were found in Montana, in the United States. With its small head, long legs, and short arms the Zephyrosaurus would look like a small version of the T-Rex. It only stood three feet tall and was six feet long. The weight of the Zephyrosaurus is still unknown, today.

Though the Zephyrosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur, it was most likely a good source of food for some of the larger, meat-eating dinosaurs because it was so small. Being much smaller than the other dinosaurs, it would have been almost impossible for the Zephyrosaurus to defend itself. Because of this, the Zephyrosaurus was probably one of the first dinosaurs to become extinct.

As of today, there is still little information that is known about the Zephyrosaurus dinosaur. Paleontologists are studying and researching everyday to find more data about the animal. As more fossils and data are unearthed, they will be placed in museums. Hopefully, one day soon, we will be able to see an entirely put together Zephyrosaurus.

FACTS of the ZEPHYROSAURUS

1. When was the Zephyrosaurus discovered?
The Zephyrosaurus was discovered in 1980 by H.D. Sues.

2. What did the Zephyrosaurus weigh?
The weight of the Zephyrosaurus is still unknown.

3. What region could the Zephyrosaurus be found in?
The Zephyrosaurus is thought to have roamed in North America.

4. What was the Zephyrosaurus’ diet?
The Zephyrosaurus was an herbivore.

5. How tall was the Zephyrosaurus?
The Zephyrosaurus was only three feet in height.

6. How long was the Zephyrosaurus?
The Zephyrosaurus was six feet in length.

Zalmoxes

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:00:47 +0000

Zalmoxes, pronounced (zal – MOCK – sees), is a small dinosaur that once roamed the woodlands of central Europe. The Zalmoxes was discovered in 1902 in Romania and more fossils were found in Austria. There are two types of species known as Z. Robustus and Z. Shqiperorum. The robustus species grew up to ten feet long and the shqiperorum species grew up to fifteen feet long.

Zalmoxes roamed the earth during the late cretaceous period, which was over sixty-nine million years ago. It was named after an ancient Romanian deity. Zalmoxes were herbivorous. This means that they only ate plants and vegetation. They were smaller than most of the other dinosaurs and were most likely delicious for the carnivorous dinosaurs.

Features of the Zalmoxes included narrow beaks and slightly pointed skulls. They were not related to birds, although, they did have pelvic bones similar to that of a bird. Zalmoxes introduced another sub-category of the ornithopod family known as rhabdodontid iguanodonts. The height of the Zalmoxes is still unknown. The maximum weight of a Zalmoxes dinosaur was eighty kilograms.

There have been so many fossils found that there is a complete Zalmoxes, almost. With the research that paleontologists are doing, everyday, it will not be much longer until the dinosaur is completely finished. Soon, you will be able to go the Natural Museum of History and see the Zalmoxes on display. The Zalmoxes is another dinosaur that resembles the T-Rex. It was just a smaller version.

FACTS of ZALMOXES

1. When was Zalmoxes discovered?
The Zalmoxes dinosaur was discovered in 1902 by Nopcsa.

2. How much did the Zalmoxes dinosaur weigh?
The maximum weight of a Zalmoxes dinosaur was eighty kilograms.

3. In what region could the Zalmoxes dinosaurs be found?
Zalmoxes roamed in the woodlands of central Europe.

4. What type of diet did the Zalmoxes have?
Zalmoxes dinosaurs were herbivores.

5. What was the height of Zalmoxes dinosaurs?
The height is still unknown.

6. How long could a Zalmoxes get?
The Z. Robustus species of Zalmoxes could grow up to ten feet in length. The Z. Shqiperorum species of Zalmoxes could grow up to fifteen feet in length

Yunnanosaurus

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:00:12 +0000

Discovered in the Yunnan Province of China in 1942 by Yang Zhongjian, the Yunnanosaurus was one of the very last Prosauropods to walk the earth. This voracious herbivore lived during the Jurassic Period and consumed a large variety of different plants to support its massive thirteen hundred pound frame. Yunnanosaurus is a species that contained dinosaurs that varied greatly in size from one another. The smaller members of the species were twenty-three feet long and seven feet high, while the largest members of the species were over forty-two feet long and fourteen feet high. This dinosaur also had a neck that was extremely long for its length and was used to eat the leaves off of taller trees.

Yunnanosaurus is most widely known for its unique set of teeth which looked much like spoons and helped this animal to consume a large quantity of plant material. In fact, this animal ate so many plants that it would wear its teeth down on a daily basis. Fortunately for the Yunnanosaurus, it was one of the few dinosaurs that had self-sharpening teeth. These unusual teeth are very different from the teeth that other Prosauropods had and bore a greater resemblance to its distant cousins, the Sauropods. Scientist believe this occurred because the teeth of Yunnanosaurus evolved separately from its body in a process known as convergent evolution.

Since the original discovery of Yunnanosaurus in 1942, several other specimens have been found. The second specimen was found in 1951 and scientists originally believed this one to be a separate species. This was later proven to belong to the same species and was merely a juvenile. Over the years the bones of several Yunnanosaurus have been discovered with the last one being unearthed in 2007. To date, scientists have unearthed over twenty skeletons of this species. Some of these are only partial skeletons, but quite a few of them are complete and in very good shape. Scientist have devoted a large amount of time to figure out as much as they can about this species. The scientific community continues to devote its time and resources to unlock the secrets of the Yunnanosaurus so that we can learn more about this fascinating species of dinosaurs.

Discovered: 1942
Weight: 2 tons
Region: China
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 14 feet
Length:42 feet

Yingshanosaurus

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:59:42 +0000

Yingshanosauras whose full name is Yingshanosauras jichuanensis, is a dinosaur that roamed the earth bout 150 million years ago. It belonged to the stegosaurus genus which is well known for having plates and spikes along the back and tail for protection. Yingshanosauras was apparently a highly developed animal.

Yingshanosauras was a rather large land animal which walked on all fours having its shorter limbs in the front and a thick rounded back side. As it walked, its head would remain low to the ground while its tail would go up in the air. A rather short neck supported its tiny head which likely resembled the head of a lizard.

The Yingshanosauras was an herbivore and he likely ate whatever vegetation was available in the region. He was not an unusually aggressive animal however he was well prepared physically to defend himself.

While he bears similarities to another stegosaurus species: the Tuojiangosaurus there are a couple of distinct details about this stegosaurus which sets him apart from other dinosaurs. A couple of which is that he lived in the region that we know today as Yingshan, China, and that this species had a prominent pair of flat wing-like spines about his shoulders.

Apparently these wing-like spines on his shoulders were huge, and much like the spines along his tail, these shoulder spines were likely used as an instrument of self defense. He also had two rows of plates along his back rather than just one row.

Knowledge of this dinosaur’s existence is relatively new with discovery and documentation beginning in the mid 1980s, and further archeological research will be needed to know much more about the Yingshanosauras. In fact the only known fossil records have been lost which has posed a major setback in attaining and confirming information about the species. The full name Yingshanosauras jichuanensis is merely an incomplete informal description. More information about his genus is yet needed to give him a more suitable name.

The discovery of Yingshanosauras is encouraging and we hope to learn much more about this species as further fossil discoveries are made.

1. When Discovered: Late Jurassic, circa 145 mya
2. Weight: Unknown
3. Region: Yingshan, China
4. Diet: Herbivore
5. Height: Unknown
6. Length: 5 meters (17 ft)

Yangchuanosaurus

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:59:12 +0000

Yangchuanosaurus meaning “Yongchuan lizard” derived its name from the region it was discovered in. Judging by skeletal remains he was a huge, ferocious land animal that lived about 145 million years ago during the Jurassic period. Nearly complete skeletal discoveries of this dinosaur have been uncovered in Yangchun, China which is where this beast apparently lived.

A known hunter, Yangchuanosaurus was meat eater notorious for stalking its prey. Comparatively this dinosaur was highly intelligent which may explain his predatory nature. His stature allowed for him to contend in battle with other large carnivores and it is highly likely that he was often the winner.

The Yangchuanosaurus was also known for its size, being the largest predator in just about whatever area he chose to roam. At full growth this dinosaur could weigh in at some 5200 pounds, and was able to grow up to 35 feet long. He was a very strong dinosaur with extremely strong hind legs which he used to walk and run. His two front arms were shorter, allowing him to grab hold of potential food, then using his three fingered clawed hands he would tear apart his meal before consuming it with his razor sharp teeth. His neck was short and thick, supporting a big head which could grow up to three and a half feet round.

With his strong hind legs, the Yangchuanosaurus would run at top speeds after his prey making him a dominant predator among other animals. After catching up to his prey, it is believed that this dinosaur would then use his powerful hind legs to crush his prey. The Yangchuanosaurus did not have much of a taste for smaller animals. His target was medium to large sized plant eating animals. It is evident that he had a rapacious appetite and a fear of no competitor. It is no wonder that this dinosaur was so fierce.

Facial features of the Yangchuanosaurus included a crest on the front of his snout, which ran from his nose and stopped right before his eyes. It is thought that this area was fully covered with horns which are another mechanism he could use to defend himself. Most modern artistic renderings of the Yangchuanosaurus show this area of the head to be a bright color which would likely be useful to the dinosaur for attracting a mate.

As of today, no complete skeleton of has been found; so much is still to be learned about this awesome dinosaur.

1. When Discovered: June 1977
2. Weight: 5200 pounds
3. Region: Yangchun, China
4. Diet: Carnivore
5. Height: 15 feet
6. Length: 35 feet

Yandusaurus

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:58:36 +0000

Yandusaurus (pronounced YAN-doo-SAWR-us), the name means “Yandu reptile,” was a member of the hypsilophodontid dinosaur genus and the earliest known example of such dinosaurs. This fact makes Yandusaurus an important evolutionary piece of this particular genus of dinosaurs. Yandusaurus flourished approximately 163 to 165 million years ago during the Bathonian age of the Middle Jurassic in what is now modern day China. All other examples of hypsilophodontid are from the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous periods.

Yandusaurus was a small animal that only stood about a third of a meter (one foot) high. It was at least three times as long as it was high and weighed about 7 kg (15 Ib). Yandusaurus had a head with a short snout and had a wide, high skull that featured sockets what would have allow it to have large eyes. These large eye sockets imply that Yandusaurus had excellent eyesight. It had a somewhat thin body and a long neck. Also, Yandusaurus had a long tail that scientists believe the dinosaur used to balance itself while it ran due to the animal’s similarity to other species that used their tail in this fashion, in fact all other ornithopods do so, but due to only have one fossil example of the animal with the base of its tail still intact this remains purely conjecture.

Yandusaurus propelled itself with a pair of long, athletic hind limbs, which were built for quick running with clawed feet. These legs would have allowed it to escape from predators like Szechuanosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus. Its front limps were also relatively large and featured clawed hands. No one is certain whether or not Yandasarus was able to grasp anything with its hands.

Paleontologists believe that Yandusaurus was primarily a plant-eater due to the structure of its teeth and jaw. Its teeth were triangular shaped with surface ridges that are similar to many other plant eating dinosaurs; however, it is possible that Yandusaurus may have eaten some types of insects as well.

Yandusaurus fossils were first uncovered in 1978 in the Sichuan Province in the People’s Republic of China.

1. 1978
2. 7 kg or 15 Ib
3. China
4. Herbivore
5. 0.3 meters or 1 foot
6. 1-1.5 meters or 3-5 feet

Xuanhuasaurus

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:57:59 +0000

The Xuanhuasaurus, pronounced (SHWAN-HUAH-SAWR-us), is also know as the Xuanhuaceratops. Xuanhuaceratops is pronounced (SHWAN-HUAH-SER-uh-tops). It is one of the many dinosaurs that have never been fully described. Paleontologists do not have much information on this dinosaur, at all. Paleontologists are scientists that study dinosaurs. The dinosaur is thought to have been named after a county in China. That county is Xuanhan County. The name Xuanhuasaurus means ” Xuanhan Lizard”.

The Xuanhuasaurus dinosaur was thought to have roamed the earth during the late Jurassic period and the early Cretaceous period. This was millions and millions of years ago. With fossils being discovered in northeastern China, that is where paleontologists think the dinosaur may have lived. A partial fossil was discovered in 1985. The dinosaur was then named, in 1986, by paleontologist Zhao Xijin.

Some of the features that are known about the Xuanhuasaurus are its beak and that it had two feet. This means that it walked on two legs instead of four. Paleontologists, also, know that the Xuanhuasaurus was a herbivore. That means that the Xuanhuasaurus only ate plants and vegetation. They did not eat meat, at all. It was very dangerous for herbivorous dinosaurs because the meat-eating dinosaurs could enjoy them for a snack.

The Xuanhuasaurus was in the species type of X.niei.Xuanhuasaurus. This is all of the information and date that scientists have on the Xuanhuasaurus. That is not stopping them, though. The search for more information and images of this creature is still ongoing. Maybe one day soon, we can see a full version of this dinosaur on display at the Museum of Natural History.

1. When was the Xuanhuasaurus discovered?
The Xuanhuasaurus was discovered in 1985.

2. How much sis the Xuanhuasaurus weigh?
This fact is still unknown.

3. In what region did the Xuanhuasaurus roam?
It is thought that the Xuanhuasaurus roamed in northeastern China.

4. What kind of diet did the Xuanhuasaurus have?
The Xuanhuasaurus was a herbivore.

5. How tall was the Xuanhuasaurus?
This fact is still unknown.

6. How long did the Xuanhuasaurus grow to be?
This is another fact that is still unknown.

Xuanhanosaurus

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:57:18 +0000

A lot of dinosaurs, including the Xuanhanosaurus, is recognized only from scattered bones, typically from its back, shoulders and arms. An adequate amount of information is known about similar dinosaurs of the Jurassic era to recreate a convincing picture. Usually, this dinosaur had long, powerful arms and legs. It’s distinguishing roundish head looked almost humorous. Other dinosaurs probably didn’t think he was funny.

A Chinese paleontologist named Dong Zhiminq discovered the Xuanhanosaurus. He is suggesting the dinosaur (at times ), walked on all four legs, if that’s the case, it would make it the only carnivorous dinosaur to have ever done so. They also had a strong, neck and a huge head with sharp serrated teeth. He had an enormous tail, a immense body and the toes had sharp claws with heavy bones. The arms on this creature were short and only had three fingers with claws on it.

The Xuanhanosaurus was a smart dinosaur. His intelligence was high amid the other dinosaurs. These dinosaurs were reasonably fast runners because they walked on two muscular legs.

The only fossils that have been discovered are the front limb and six primitive looking vertebra’s. The arm from the Xuanhanosaurus was more robustly built. This arm alone was about the size of the arm of the later theropod allosaurus. Two of the fingers were large and thick with claws while the third was slim and most likely had a claw however it wasn’t found with the fossil and not yet discovered.

Scientists are eager to find more fossils of the Xuanhanosaurus in hopes they can gather the information and study it. With these other fossils, scientists will have more clues to determine which family this strange dinosaur belonged to.

1.When was the Xuanhanosaurus discovered ? The Xuanhanosaurus was discovered about 181 to 169 million years ago.
2.How much did he weigh? About 1 ton.
3.What region was he from? This dinosaur was from China’s Lower Saximiao Formation.
4.What did he eat? He was a carnivore, a meat eater.
5.How tall was he? About 10 feet
6.How long was he ? 30 feet long