Simple facts about dinosaurs

• Dinosaurs were ancient reptiles.
• The word dinosaur means "terrible lizard."
• The word fossil means "dug up."
• By studying fossil footprints, scientists can tell how a dinosaur walked and how heavy it was.
• They lived in a time called the Age of Reptiles. The word repule means something that creeps. Most reptiles creep, though others walk and swim. All reptiles breathe air through lungs, as people do.
• Lizards, snakes, and turtles are all reptiles.
• So are alligators and crocodiles.
• These reptiles are today's living relatives of dinosaurs.
• During the Age of Reptiles there were also tiny, furry animals (mammals) on the Earth, and primitive birds.
• Some dinosaurs lived in or near wet places like swamps, streams, and lakes, while others lived on land.
• Seientists know there were several hundred kinds of dinosaurs. But they didn't all live at the same time. Sometimes one kind would die out and another would take its place.
• Dinosaurs came in all sizes and shapes. The smallest were no larger than chickens; the largest were as big as ten elephants put together.
• Many dinosaurs used their long tails to balance their heavy bodies.
• The name Tyrannosaurus Rex means "king of the tyrant lizards."