1. The word “dinosaur” means “terrible lizard,” coined by Richard Owen in 1842. 2. Dinosaurs lived for over 165 million years; humans have existed for less than 0.1% of that time. 3. Not all dinosaurs were giants; some were as small as chickens. 4. Microraptor had four wings and could glide between trees. 5. Tyrannosaurus rex had a bite force more potent than any animal in history, about 12,000 pounds per square inch. 6. Many dinosaurs had feathers, not scales, including Velociraptor. 7. Triceratops horns could grow up to 3 feet long. 8. Some dinosaurs could run over 40 miles per hour. 9. Stegosaurus’s brain was the size of a walnut. 10. Brachiosaurus was one of the few dinosaurs whose front legs were longer than its back legs. 11. The closest living relatives of dinosaurs are birds, not reptiles. 12. Ankylosaurus had armor so strong it could break a T. rex’s teeth. 13. The most significant known dinosaur footprint is 5.5 feet wide, found in Australia. 14. Dinosaurs lived on every continent, including Antarctica. 15. Spinosaurus is believed to be the largest carnivorous dinosaur, even bigger than T. rex. 16. Some dinosaurs swallowed rocks (gastroliths) to help digest food. 17. Parasaurolophus used its head crest as a trumpet-like instrument for communication. 18. Dinosaurs didn’t all go extinct. Birds are technically modern dinosaurs. 19. Allosaurus had three claws on each hand, ideal for slashing. 20. The heaviest dinosaur, Argentinosaurus, may have weighed 100 tons. 21. Compsognathus was so small that it could fit in a human backpack. 22. Some dinosaurs could see in color, similar to birds. 23. Therizinosaurus had claws over three feet long, the longest of any animal ever. 24. Dinosaurs had air sacs in their bones to make them lighter and more agile. 25. Oviraptor means “egg thief,” though it was wrongly accused; it was actually guarding its own eggs. 26. Some dinosaurs built nests and cared for their young, like modern birds. 27. The first dinosaur fossils were mistaken for dragon bones in ancient China. 28. Diplodocus could crack its long tail like a whip to scare predators. 29. Pachycephalosaurus had a 10-inch-thick skull perfect for headbutting rivals. 30. Deinonychus inspired the look of the movie “Velociraptors.” 31. Many herbivores had tooth batteries, hundreds of teeth that constantly replaced themselves. 32. Some dinosaurs migrated seasonally, just like modern animals. 33. Corythosaurus’s crest worked like a built-in amplifier for sound. 34. Dinosaurs laid eggs in colonies, much like modern seabirds. 35. Irritator was named after how much it irritated scientists that the fossil had been tampered with. 36. Troodon was one of the most intelligent dinosaurs, with a brain-to-body ratio similar to modern birds. 37. The first discovered dinosaur fossil was found in 1824. It was a Megalosaurus. 38. Dinosaurs could survive injuries that would kill modern animals, including broken bones that healed. 39. Cryolophosaurus lived in Antarctica, proving dinosaurs could survive in cold climates. 40. Quetzalcoatlus, though not a dinosaur, was the largest flying animal ever, with a 33-foot wingspan. 41. Some dinosaurs, like Maiasaura, lived in herds of thousands. 42. Dinosaurs experienced earthquakes, volcanoes, and shifting continents just like we do. 43. Tyrannosaurus rex’s vision was better than an eagle’s. 44. Velociraptors were covered in feathers and about the size of a turkey, not 6 feet tall like in movies. 45. Fossils show Protoceratops and Velociraptor died locked in combat. 46. Some species could control their body temperature, like modern mammals. 47. Dinosaurs evolved into over 1,000 known species, and new ones are still discovered yearly. 48. Sauroposeidon was so tall that it could look into a fourth-story window. 49. The asteroid that ended the dinosaurs hit Earth at 67,000 miles per hour. 50. Without dinosaurs, mammals and eventually humans may never have evolved.

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