Dinosaurs were the dominant land animals for 160 million years, making them one of the most successful groups of animals ever. The name dinosaur translates as 'terrible or wondrous lizards' and they certainly evolved in a diverse range of sizes and shapes, from the gigantic plant-eating sauropods to the quick meat-eating tyrannosaurs. They also sported an impressive array of body modifications including horns, scales and crests. So far, the remains of over 1,000 different dinosaur species have been identified from fossils though technically, birds are feathered dinosaurs, meaning dinosaurs aren't really extinct at all.
Did you know?
Dinosaurs were given their name by the English paleontologist Richard Owen in 1841.
Scientific name: Dinosauria
Rank: Superorder
Common names: terrible, powerful, wondrous lizard
A comparison of dinosaur size in relation to humans - from the 30m long Diplodocus to the 70cm tall Compsognathus.
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