Vertebrates are animals with backbones. One of the species of vertebrates are humans. The backbones help land animals move around better.
Archaeopteryx
It was the first known bird that originated with the dinosaurs. It was found in Germany and that country is known for alot of prehistoric birds in 1820. The first feather print was found in limestone right after the fossil peeked through the ground in 1861.
Coelophysis
It was one of the earliest well-known dinosaurs and was a flesh eater. The body of the Coelophysis was built like a
bird's, and its head was stork-like. It also had an S-shaped neck, and a slim body. Most people
think its skin was thin and scaly. Its long jaws where covered with teeth. It is thought to be
an ancestor of birds. Its diet was small vertebrates.
Ceratosaurus
It was also a carnivorous dinosaur and it
battled over females. They went
after the largest
prey such as Diplodocus, a long-necked dinosaur. They could only feed a family for two days.
Diplodocus
It was one of the largest dinosaurs because of its long neck and legs. It probably put its two front legs on a tree to reach the highest branches. Its teeth were built to grind up food just like our back teeth. They only ate leaves and other green parts off of plants. This made them herbivores.
Edmontosaurus
It was one of the largest armored dinosaurs. The only way to hurt it was when it was upside-down, and that was not to easy to do since they weighed alot. Its head was also heavily armored, but the difference is that its head was covered with a thick coat of skin. The rest of its body was covered with spikes-- even its tail.
Herrerasaurus
It was a large carnivorous dinosaur that was shaped alot like a T-rex. It would hunt and
scavenge for food. They hunted in packs from two to 18. They had a short arm and strong claws for
grasping prey. The killing of their prey was done by their claws and curved sharp teeth.
Ichthyosaurus
They are an extinct group of porpoise-like marine reptiles. Their bodies were fish-like and didn't have an obvious neck. Their limbs were modified into paddles and used to steer the dinosaur through the water. Their tails were forked, much like those of a tuna's and had bony supports in the lower lobes. A long slender skull supported many sharp teeth. Body shape and skull structure suggest they were fast-moving predators.
Sarcosuchus
The sarcosuchus had a spiky head and neck frill that would have protected its neck from almost any carnivorous dinosaur. Rival males also probably bashed their heads in battles. They probably locked their horns and started shoving each other until they broke free. They would do this to win over a female. Scientists think that their horns varied in size by age and sex.
Triceratops
Its name means "three horned face". It was the largest horned dinosaur that
walked the earth. He was about as big as a school bus! In films like The
Flintstones, people rode these
creatures, and we believe that if people were around then, they might have
been interested in riding them--that is if they didn't get eaten first!
Tyrannosaurus Rex
It was the largest and deadliest carnivore in the world.
What we know is that it hunted alone because one kill would only be enough to feed one of their
kind. Almost everyone knows about this tyrant lizard. It is probably the most popular dinosaur of
all and is in many films.
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