Dinosaur for 4 year old

20 Best Dinosaur Toys for Kids in 2022

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Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

Toy Monster Jurassic World Captivz Mega Egg Clash Edition

Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

Toy Monster Jurassic World Captivz Mega Egg Clash Edition

$60 at Amazon$30 at Walmart$30 at Tractor Supply Co

There are so many dino-themed surprises loaded up inside this Jurassic World-themed egg, including lava slime, a trio of buildable dinosaurs, a vehicle and a playmat. "I loved the green slime around the dinosaur and using the tool to dig out the fossil," one of our tiny testers reported. "I loved taking the pieces apart and putting them back together again. I have been playing this every day since I got it." Ages 3+

RELATED: The Best Toys and Gifts for 3-Year-Old Boys

Good Housekeeping Kids Book Award Winner

Roar! I’m a Dinosaur

Good Housekeeping Kids Book Award Winner

Roar! I’m a Dinosaur

Now 23% Off

$7 at Amazon

This is the best book for dinosaur fans, since it lets kids become dinosaurs. Two die-cut holes in the top of the book let readers peer through, transforming the pages into dino masks. “I would read the sentence about the dinosaur and then flip the book to peer out at my son," says one of our parent testers. "He. LOVED. It. I couldn’t believe it!" Ages 0 – 4

RELATED: The 2022 Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Awards

Best Dinosaur Advent Calendar

Schleich Dinosaur Advent Calendar

Best Dinosaur Advent Calendar

Schleich Dinosaur Advent Calendar

Now 44% Off

$18 at Amazon

Why settle for one dinosaur toy when you can have 24? This advent calendar comes with tons of figures and accessories, all with the level of detail Schleich is known for. Behind the doors, they'll find a Velociraptor, a baby Stegosaurus, a baby T-Rex, an Archaeopteryx and a Saichania, along with a researcher and other items. If you don't want to go the advent calendar route, Schleich has tons of figures for dino fans, from amazingly detailed single dinosaurs to the imaginative Dinosaur Volcano Play Set to the limited-edition T-Rex made to celebrate FAO Schwarz's 160th anniversary. Ages 4+

RELATED: The Best Toy Advent Calendars for Kids

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Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

MindWare Dinosaur Escape Shiny Mosaics

Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

MindWare Dinosaur Escape Shiny Mosaics

$24 at Oriental Trading

This dinosaur gift keeps the A in STEAM. The magnetic pieces let kids make different dinosaur mosaics (or whatever art they'd like). "I like the shiny pieces," one kid tester reported. "I like the dinosaurs. The colors are fun." It comes with 10 patterns, two make-your-own backgrounds, 300 magnetic shapes and a case to store everything in. Ages 3+

RELATED: The Best Toys and Gifts for 3-Year-Old Girls

Best Dinosaur Building Toy

LEGO T. Rex Dinosaur Breakout Building Set

Best Dinosaur Building Toy

LEGO T. Rex Dinosaur Breakout Building Set

Now 20% Off

$40 at Amazon$50 at LEGO$40 at Walmart

Whether or not they've seen the Jurassic World movies, they'll thrill to all that comes with this LEGO set. It comes with structures that are easy for preschoolers to build, including an airport, a helicopter, a dinosaur transport cage and a fence that collapses during the dinosaur "breakouts." In addition, the set comes with figures of Owen Grady, Zia Rodriguez a wildlife guard and, of course, a T-Rex. Ages 4+

RELATED: The Best Toys and Gifts for 4-Year-Old Boys

Artsy Dinosaur Gift

Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets Dinosaur Waterslide

Artsy Dinosaur Gift

Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets Dinosaur Waterslide

Now 12% Off

$23 at Amazon

Good Housekeeping Institute experts have long been fans of Crayola's line of Scribble Scrubbie toys because of the replay value: Kids can color in and draw designs on these white dinos, wash them off and then color them in all over again! This set comes with four dinosaurs, a waterfall play area, three markers, three bottles of color drops and a brush. Ages 3+

RELATED: The Best Toys and Gifts for 4-Year-Old Girls

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Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

Professor Maxwell's VR Dinosaurs

Good Housekeeping Toy Award Winner

Professor Maxwell's VR Dinosaurs

Now 15% Off

$59 at Amazon

Now kids can learn about dinosaurs in the virtual and real world all at once! The kit comes with supplies to do more than 30 hands-on science activities, like erupting a volcano, digging out a fossil or making amber lollipops. But the real magic begins when the kids don included VR goggles (app required) and see the activities — along with an 80-page book of dinosaur information — come to life! Good Housekeeping Institute parent testers say their kids were awed by the VR, which made them feel like the dinosaurs were right there alongside them. Ages 7+

RELATED: The Best Toys and Gifts for 7-Year-Old Boys

Best Coding Toy for Dinosaur Fans

Learning Resources Coding Critters Rumble & Bumble

Best Coding Toy for Dinosaur Fans

Learning Resources Coding Critters Rumble & Bumble

Now 14% Off

$37 at Amazon$37 at Walmart$50 at Wayfair

Rumble and Bumble, this little triceratops pair, can help preschoolers learn to code without any screens necessary. They come with a storybook full of activities that teach them the basics of coding. They can also play fetch, hide and seek and other games, and they come with more than 20 pieces in a play set that can also be used for open-ended imaginative play. Ages 4+

RELATED: Best Toys and Gifts for 5-Year-Old Girls

Best Family Game for Dinosaur Fans

TOMY Jurassic World Pop-Up T-Rex

Best Family Game for Dinosaur Fans

TOMY Jurassic World Pop-Up T-Rex

$17 at Amazon

This game requires nerves of steel! A T-Rex is inside a crate, ready to escape. Players must take turns inserting different-colored bones into the slots — but watch out, because one will make the dino pop out! "This is a super fun game to play with my siblings," one kid tester reports. Ages 4+

RELATED: The Best Board Games for Kids

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For Future Paleontologists

National Geographic Dino Dig Kit and Dinosaur Book

For Future Paleontologists

National Geographic Dino Dig Kit and Dinosaur Book

$24 at Amazon

They'll feel like real paleontologists with this kit, which lets kids dig out a T. Rex tooth replica molded from a real fossil. The kit also comes with a book where they can learn more about dinosaurs, dig-out tools like brushes and a magnifying glass and — a perennial kid favorite — fossilized coprolite (dinosaur poop). Ages 8+

RELATED: Best Toys and Gifts for 8-Year-Old Girls

Best Dinosaur Gift on Amazon

VTech Chomp and Count Dino

Best Dinosaur Gift on Amazon

VTech Chomp and Count Dino

$22 at Amazon$21 at Walmart

This smiling dino makes it easy for kids to practice numbers, counting, colors, shapes and foods. "Feed" it the different tokens, and it'll react differently depending on which one is used. Rotating the spinning disc makes it play different songs, and the buttons offer sounds and songs featuring the different shapes, colors and numbers. Ages 1+

RELATED: The Best Toys and Gifts for 1-Year-Olds

Best Dinosaur Plush Toy

Jellycat Bashful Dinosaur Stuffed Animal

Best Dinosaur Plush Toy

Jellycat Bashful Dinosaur Stuffed Animal

$25 at Amazon

This plush is a perfect baby gift, but even adults have been known to collect Jellycat stuffed animals, because they're ultra-soft and super satisfying to hug. There's also a larger, floppier, darker green version. Ages 0+

RELATED: The Best Gifts and Toys for 2-Year-Olds

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Great for Pretend Play

Terra by Battat T-Rex Transport

Great for Pretend Play

Terra by Battat T-Rex Transport

$25 at Amazon

Perfect for imaginative play, this comes with a six-wheeled truck with real working doors, cab lights and realistic truck sounds — plus a T-Rex passenger. And they can fill out the rest of the dinosaur world, there are more prehistoric toys from Terra By Battat, including the elaborate Jungle Expedition Dinosaur Play Set or the ever-popular bucket of small dinosaurs. Ages 3+

Affordable Dino VR Gift

Abacus Brands Dino Dig VR

Affordable Dino VR Gift

Abacus Brands Dino Dig VR

$35 at Amazon$64 at Walmart

If Professor Maxwell's larger VR Dinosaurs set is out of your budget, this offers a smaller, more affordable way to explore the prehistoric world in augmented reality. First, kids can use the included tools to dig out a dinosaur fossil. Then, they don the app-enabled VR goggles to see what the world looked like when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Ages 8+

RELATED: Best Toys and Gifts for 8-Year-Old Boys

Best Dinosaur Puzzle

Studio Roof Stegosaurus 3-D Puzzle

Best Dinosaur Puzzle

Studio Roof Stegosaurus 3-D Puzzle

$13 at kidochicago.com

When they're done with this puzzle, they'll have created something that they can proudly display on a dresser or shelf. It's also made from recycled cardboard and printed with vegetable inks. Ages 3+

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Imaginative Play Set

Playmobil Dino Robot

Imaginative Play Set

Playmobil Dino Robot

Now 24% Off

$36 at Amazon

For the Playmobil Dino Rise line, dinosaurs are armored and ready for battle! In this set, a robot dinosaur, equipped with a projectile catapult, is ready to launch an attack, but Jaden and his raptors are ready to defend. The set includes a Jaden figure, a miner, two velociraptors, the dino robot, two cannons with projectiles, energy crystals, and other accessories. Ages 5+

Great Puzzle Design

Mudpuppy Mighty Dinosaurs Jumbo Puzzle

Great Puzzle Design

Mudpuppy Mighty Dinosaurs Jumbo Puzzle

$15 at braveandkindbooks.com

This puzzle comes with 25 oversize pieces that, when connected, make a 22" x 22" puzzle perfect for preschoolers. The puzzle is made from 90% recycled paper and printed with soy-based ink. Ages 3+

Best Building Toy for Toddlers

LEGO Dinosaur Nursery Building Set

Best Building Toy for Toddlers

LEGO Dinosaur Nursery Building Set

$20 at Amazon

Even the littlest builders can get in on the fun with this Jurassic World DUPLO set. The nursery comes with three baby dinosaurs (along with a Claire Dearing) and enough pieces to build a habitat for each of them. There's also a DUPLO version of the T-Rex breakout if you want to expand the world even further. Ages 2+

RELATED: The Best Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers

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Best Dino Stocking Stuffers

Dan & Darci Dig a Dozen Dino Egg Dig Kit

Best Dino Stocking Stuffers

Dan & Darci Dig a Dozen Dino Egg Dig Kit

Now 33% Off

$20 at Amazon$25 at Walmart

These work for stocking stuffers, goodie bag favors, Easter baskets and other places where you might need just-a-little something. The dozen dino eggs each have a different type of dinosaur inside, including a Pterodactyl, an Ankylosaurus, a Dilophosaurus, a Tyrannosaurus, a Stegosaurus, a Diplodocus and others. The kit also comes with dig-out tools and cards with facts about each one. Ages 6+

For DIYers

Djeco Dinosaur Origami

For DIYers

Djeco Dinosaur Origami

$10 at kidochicago. com

Perfect for a rainy-day activity, this inexpensive origami set comes with 24 different sheets featuring dinosaur motifs. Kids can fold them into prehistoric scenes, and then finish them off with the included stickers. Ages 4+

Marisa LaScala

Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.

11 best dinosaur toys for kids in 2023

Did you know that Diplodocus poop weighed about two tons, or that the T-rex was known as the Lizard King (sorry Jim Morrisson)? I didn’t, well, not until my 3-year-old son told me. He knows EVERYTHING about EVERY type of dinosaur.

Of course, I think my toddler is a genius, but to be fair, all kids know stuff about dinosaurs, and many kids love dinos. It’s a phenomenon, but one rooted in basic childhood development, say the experts.

“Around ages three to four, children tend to develop intense specific interests. This is the age when imagination-based play really takes off,” says Hannah Knott, MS, Certified Child Life Specialist, and Assistant Professor at Azusa Pacific University. “At this age children are still figuring out how to distinguish reality from fantasy; what is real and what’s my imagination? When the line between fantasy and reality is a bit blurred in your developing mind, something as cool as a dinosaur becomes that much more fascinating,” says Knott.

But why does my three-year-old need to play with dinosaurs? Why not the duck-billed platypus? It could be the continuous dino marketing of toys, books, and movies, but dinosaurs are so much more than cool products and storylines. They're a mix of reality and myth; that award-winning combination is what makes dinosaurs so mesmerizing, says Knott.

“Even though [adults] know these were real creatures that existed, because no one has ever interacted with a living dinosaur, they retain an element of fantasy that we are captivated by,” adds Knott. “The fact that some dinosaurs would have been so huge and so strong gives them almost a superhero status, especially to a child.”

Sure dinosaurs can peak a child’s imagination, and get their heart racing, but they can also make a positive impact on a child’s educational development, says Knott.

“Studies have shown that children learn more when they enjoy the process,” says Knott. “Having fun or being excited about what you’re learning increases neuron activity. When you enjoy something you’re doing, your brain is producing more oxytocin, more dopamine, more norepinephrine, and those are related to motivation, attention, and memory,” she adds.

The inner child in me knows there are a lot of great things about dinosaurs, but the grown up in me also knows that dinosaurs are not known for their warm and gentle nature. Some parents may find their child’s love of a ginormous carnivorous lizard that topples buildings a bit off-putting, but this is normal developmental behavior, says Knott.

“Playful aggression, sometimes called rough-and-tumble play, is also an important aspect of dramatic play that helps children learn cooperation, boundaries, and reciprocity,” says Knott. “So, when a child is crashing dinosaur toys together, or growling and pretending to bite her brother because she’s the carnivorous dinosaur and he’s the unfortunate prey, it’s not necessarily something to discourage. Playful aggression helps children learn how to get along, and as long as everyone is having fun, it’s a good sign social-emotional learning is happening,” adds Knott.

If you have a child that’s just gaga for a Gallimimus — inside dinosaur joke — here is a list of must-have prehistoric toys for kids of all ages. Go forth and embrace the dinos.

Must-have dinosaur toys for toddlers and kids

Schylling Dino Skull Hand Puppet

When my son plays with his cow and cowboy hand puppet, the conversations tend to be pretty epic. Will they talk about the good ole days before comets, or will they discuss inflation and the stock market? Who knows? Dinosaur hand puppets are one-size-fits-all, and each hand puppet is sold separately.

Edx Education Dinosaur Counters (Set of 32)

This toy is simple, colorful, creative and fun to pick up and put down. Use these to learn colors, practice counting or just for imaginative play. My three-year-old can’t get enough of his “jar of dinosaurs.”

Tonies Dinosaur Audio Play Figurine from National Geographic

The Tonies storybox is a huge winner in our house — it’s all story time and no screen time. Just plop your little Tonie on the box and let the adventure unfold. This Tonie from National Geographic teaches kids about the various dinos, their fossils, their natural security defenses and talks about the times in which dinos lived. (Toniebox Audio Player is sold separately.)

Mudpuppy Glow-in-the-Dark Dinosaur Fossil Puzzle

This 500-piece puzzle assembles and then dazzles. Just flip the light to flip the script on the scene. What was once an array of colorful dinos becomes a glow-in-the dark fossil site. It’s a great gift for dino fans age eight and up.

Pillowfort Dinosaur Weighted Plush Throw Pillow

Not all dinosaurs have to be ferocious. This cuddly little guy is always ready for a snuggle or to be the voice of reason for the more feisty dinosaurs. Soft and weighted, this plush pillow is ready to hibernate whenever your child is.

Melissa & Doug Prehistoric Playground Dinosaur Rug

Now this prehistoric park is one I can get behind, and one that your kiddo can sit his or her behind on. This colorful play rug from Melissa & Doug is machine washable, and includes four dinosaur play figures. A great play piece for a child just starting out in imaginative play.

The Noble Collection Jurassic Park Chess Set

Brachiosaurus, to rook, or is it Velociraptor check or is it Pteranodon checkmate? Either way, this Jurassic Park chess set will keep the chess playing fun going for centuries. It comes with 32 sculpted dinosaur pieces, and an 18 ½-inch tall chess board. Fit for kids age seven and up.

Abacus Brands Virtual Reality Dinosaurs

Want to walk with a dinosaur, or at least feel like you are walking with one? This immersive dinosaur experience puts your child in prehistoric times, without any of the prehistoric dangers. Gift set includes an activity book, VR goggles and a dig-out fossil. Best suited for someone aged eight and up.

Magna-Tiles Dino World XL

Talk about when imagination and cognitive play meet—these Magna-Tiles come in XL pieces for XL dino-loving fun and Jurassic level builds. The set includes 50 pieces and is recommended for ages three and up.

PoolCandy Tube Runner Motorized T-Rex Pool Float

This dinosaur toy is one for the whole family to enjoy, and one that will be the hit of your next summer pool party. This motorized dinosaur float is a legend in itself. Big enough to accommodate an adult up to 250 pounds (or roughly 5. 9 three-year-olds), this float will have you cruising in style from one end of the pool to the next.

Power Wheels Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler

This two-seater play Jeep is 100 percent nicer than my first actual car. It has trunk space, power lock brakes and parent-controlled speed. Ideal for kids ages three to seven.

Dinosaurs for kids - interesting facts about dinosaurs

It is inexplicable but true: many children love dinosaurs. Perhaps because these are semi-fabulous giant creatures and they no longer frighten at all, since they have long since died out. What is known about dinosaurs: what were they like, when and how long did they live, what did they eat and why did they disappear from the face of the Earth? So, in order.

Who are dinosaurs and what did they look like?

"Dinosaur" is translated from Greek as "terrible lizard". These are scaly creatures that walked on two or four legs and laid eggs. Dinosaurs lived on the planet for 160 million years. They lived everywhere: from Asia to Antarctica. The remains of dinosaurs were also found in Russia - in the Urals, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in Yakutia.

Before them, more than 4 billion years ago, the Earth was inhabited by more primitive organisms: algae, mollusks, later - fish.

In total, scientists have studied more than a thousand species of dinosaurs. They were very different from each other: some - with sharp claws and spikes on the body, others - with horns.

Many people mistakenly think that all dinosaurs were huge. Indeed, some reached the size of a five-story building, but there were also tiny ones - the size of a chicken. It is customary to depict dinosaurs as gray or green, but in fact, scientists do not know exactly what color these creatures were. This is because dinosaur skin is extremely rare. It is believed that their color merged with the colors of the environment - so it would be easier for dinosaurs to hide from enemies.

Dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago. The fact that they once existed, it became known only in the 17th century. Dinosaur bones were first discovered by English scientist Robert Plot in 1677.

Why did dinosaurs become extinct?

Science does not know. There are several versions. The most common: the climate is no longer suitable for dinosaurs (became too cold or hot) or volcanic eruptions have poisoned the atmosphere.

What did dinosaurs eat?

Despite their formidable appearance, many of them were not predators - they ate ferns, leaves, cones, flowers and fruits from trees. In those days, the Earth was humid and hot and favorable conditions were created for the growth of numerous plants, so that herbivores did not have to starve.

But there were also carnivorous dinosaurs, who hunted animals and ate their eggs. Some of them could not chew and swallowed stones so that the food itself was ground in the stomach.

The main task of dinosaurs was to get food and at the same time protect themselves from predators. Herbivores defended themselves with horns and spikes, carnivores had teeth and claws.

How long did dinosaurs live?

There is no exact answer to this question either. Scientists think that large dinosaurs lived for a relatively long time - up to 300 years, and small ones - up to about 20.

In any case, even long-lived dinosaurs did not catch the appearance of man on the planet: people began to inhabit the Earth only 64 million years after their extinction.

Who studies dinosaurs and how?

This is done by paleontologists - people who specialize in studying the remains of extinct organisms. They work both in excavations - in places where fossils were found - and in laboratories. These scientists search, extract from the ground, and then carefully study the bones of ancient animals.

In laboratories, paleontologists find out how the creatures that own the found bones lived and hunted, and determine their age. Sometimes conclusions have to be drawn with only a couple of bones, or even one at all.

In addition, specialists make copies of bones, from which skeletons are then assembled and exhibited in museums.

Paleontologists also study fossilized footprints left by dinosaurs. To understand what kind of animal left the footprint, scientists find out the “age” of the rock where they found this print, and compare the shape of the fingers and feet with the appearance of the dinosaurs that lived in that era.

Paleontologists give names to dinosaur species, often based on the name of the area where the bones were found.

What types of dinosaurs are there?

As already noted, there are more than a thousand species. Let's take a closer look at the most famous ones.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

One of the largest predators of all time. He walked on two legs with two clawed toes on each, had a large skull and a long heavy tail, teeth the size of bananas.

Some scientists believe that the Tyrannosaurus rex could not run and was clumsy, so it did not hunt, but ate only dead animals. However, the more common view is that these dinosaurs were both predators and scavengers, stealing prey from others whenever possible. Tyrannosaurus was able to eat up to 150 kilograms of meat in one sitting, but then starve for several days.

The skeleton of the largest tyrannosaurus rex was found in 1991 in the province of Canada. The length of the skeleton reached 13 meters, weight - almost 9 tons.

Ichthyosaurus

These are aquatic dinosaurs that look like dolphins: head fused with the body, very large eyes, fins. There are many teeth in the mouth. Ichthyosaurs weighed mainly up to 2 tons, reached several meters in length. Although species are known, the length of which reached 24 meters, and body weight - 40 tons.

The first ichthyosaur was found in Russia in 1821, while the largest accumulation of dinosaur bones of this species was found in Germany.

Ichthyosaurs were carnivorous - they ate fish and shellfish and hunted in packs. The cubs were born in the water and immediately knew how to swim. Ichthyosaurs did not go to land.

Stegosaurus

Distinctive feature - bone plates and spikes on the back and tail (to protect against attacks). These dinosaurs walked on four legs. They ate only tender leaves, because they had poorly developed jaws. Stegosaurus teeth were almost unsuitable for chewing. In order to assimilate even delicate plant food, the stegosaurus was forced to swallow stones - they frayed the plants in its stomach.

Stegosaurus reached 9 meters in length and weighed up to 9 tons - about the size of an elephant. The bones of these dinosaurs were first found in the United States in 1877.

Triceratops

Distinctive feature - three horns (one at the tip of the nose, two - above the eyes), bone "collars" on the head and a beak on the muzzle. "Collars" served to protect the head and shoulders, males scared off enemies with their horns and fought, including for females in the mating season, and cut branches of shrubs and ferns with their beaks.

Outwardly, Triceratops are similar to rhinos, only larger - up to 3 meters in height and 9 in length, with an average weight of about 12 tons. Only the head reached a length of 2 meters. These dinosaurs had several hundred teeth in their mouths.

They ate plants, moved on four thick legs, lived in small groups.

Triceratops are one of the last dinosaurs on Earth. And their bones were first found in the United States in 1899.

Diplodocus

The most tailed dinosaur - with its 11-meter thin tail it drove away predators. And he also had a long neck, a small head with big eyes and long teeth, four paws. In length reached 30 meters.

Diplodocus ate plant foods. To cut off tall trees, they stood on their hind legs. And they also swallowed stones.

Diplodocus were herd animals, swam well and preferred to live in swamps - they came out on land only to eat and lay eggs.

Diplodocus lived on the territory of modern North America. Fossilized dinosaur vertebrae of this species were first found in the USA (Colorado) in 1877.

Velociraptor

These tiny, turkey-like creatures, by dinosaur standards, were about 1.80 centimeters long and weighed just 20 kilograms like a child. Velociraptor bones were first found in the Gobi Desert (Mongolia) at 1924 year.

It is not known exactly what these dinosaurs looked like: they were previously depicted as lizard-like, with green scaly skin, now it is believed that they had plumage like birds. Some even suggest that the feathers were multicolored. Surely scientists know that the Velociraptor had three fingers with sharp claws on the front limbs and four on the back.

Despite their modest size, velociraptors were dangerous and agile predators. They jumped on the victim, grabbed with their teeth and stuck their claws into it, inflicting mortal wounds.

Velociraptors became "trendy" after the 1993 Jurassic Park movie. By the way, there they look huge and hunt in packs. Both are inventions.

Pterodactyl

Many consider pterodactyls to be dinosaurs, and they are wrong. Pterodactyls are pterosaurs, or winged lizards, relatives of dinosaurs. Unlike dinosaurs, pterodactyls could fly. Of modern animals, they were similar in appearance and habits to birds and bats.

The forelimbs of pterodactyls turned into wings (span reached 8 meters), the body was covered with fur. Some had a tail, not all had teeth. Pterodactyls were distinguished by long clawed limbs.

These pangolins lived like modern birds: in flocks, they flew during the day and looked for food, at night they slept upside down, clinging to tree branches.

The method of subsistence depended on the size of the pterodactyl. Small ones, the size of a crow, ate insects, larger ones - fish and lizards. Some pterodactyls were two meters long and one and a half meters high and weighed more than 75 kilograms.

It is believed that pterodactyls had a good brain and had excellent eyesight. They lived in the territories of the USA, East Africa, Western Europe, Australia, Russia. Their bones were first found in Bavaria (Germany) in 1784.

Other "prominent" dinosaurs

Largest : seismosaurus. It weighed over 50 tons and reached 36 meters in length. Found in what is now the United States.

The heaviest : titanosaur (up to 80 tons!)

The smallest : compsognathus. Its average length was only 60–100 cm, and its weight was about 2 kilograms, but this baby had more than 60 sharp teeth. Found in what is now Germany.

The very first : of those currently explored, either Herrerosaurus or Eoraptor. Both bipeds lived approximately 230-225 million years ago.

The longest necked : according to modern data, this is a Mamenchisaurus. Its neck reached 14 meters in length.

The fastest : Ornithomemmosaurus. He ran at speeds up to 50 kilometers per hour.

The most big-eyed : Dromiceiomyom. His eyes were on the sides of his head. Thus, this dinosaur created an excellent overview - and an advantage over enemies.

The most toothy : Hadrosaurus. He had 980 teeth!

The "longest-named" : micropachycephalosaurus (meaning "small fat-headed lizard"). Most often, his bones are found in China.

Possibly the smartest : troodon. His brain was the size of a bird—comparatively large. Most dinosaurs had small brains, about the size of a walnut.

Interesting facts about dinosaurs

1. The closest living relative of dinosaurs is the crocodile. Birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs.
2. The first dinosaurs were small. Larger ones appeared much later. In addition, the first dinosaurs were predators.
3. Dinosaurs are believed to have excellent eyesight and a good sense of smell. They had large eye sockets and nostrils and large areas of the brain responsible for sight and smell.
4. Some dinosaurs built nests. But not for life, of course, but for laying eggs. Scientists do not rule out that small dinosaurs could sometimes hide in caves.
5. Experts still don't understand how dinosaurs slept. Perhaps herbivores are standing, and predators, which the structure of the skeleton allows, are lying down.
6. Dinosaurs lived in an era when there were about 22 hours in a day. As you know, the rotation of the Earth is gradually slowing down.
7. Dinosaurs were unknown in ancient China. And their bones were considered the bones of dragons and used in medicine! One of the Indian tribes thought that these were the remains of the larger ancestors of the buffalo, and the British did not even rule out that these were the bones of giant people. Or, well, elephants.
8. Dinosaurs did not have to wash themselves: the dried mud fell off the scales by itself or was thrown off along with them.
9. Dinosaurs in search of food and places to live could migrate great distances - to entire continents.
10. Huge dinosaur bones weren't as heavy as we think. Because most of them were hollow inside, like modern birds.
11. Many dinosaurs went hunting at night.
12. The largest dinosaur eggs were the size of a basketball. At a time, a dinosaur could lay from one to four dozen eggs.
13. The very name "dinosaur" was born in the 19th century. In 1824, the president of the Royal Geological Society mentioned huge bones discovered in 1815 in Great Britain. In the future, experts found other huge animal bones, and in 1842, biologist Richard Owen identified a suborder of "terrible lizards" (dinosaurs).
14. A relatively new species of dinosaur was discovered in 2015. Because of the short horns above the eyes, this species was called "hellboy" (as a comic book hero).
15. Most likely, the dinosaur is not the largest creature on Earth. The weight of a blue whale can reach 170 tons - this is more than the weight of even the largest dinosaur.
16. In the state of Colorado (USA) there is a City of Dinosaurs. The streets there are named after different types of these ancient creatures.

What dinosaurs didn't do:

• didn't fly;
• did not live at sea;
• did not hibernate;
• did not sweat;
• did not have a couple for life;
• did not drop their tail like lizards;
• were not viviparous (at least, scientists do not know anything about this).

On the other hand, scientists continue to excavate and research. It is possible that we still have a lot to learn about dinosaurs.

Geography courses for children aged 6-13

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in Russia and the world in an exciting format through games, stories and riddles

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9 exciting cartoons about dinosaurs that will take you to the prehistoric era - Afisha-Kino

June 9, 2022

What to do with children? Of course, show them cartoons about dinosaurs, with the help of which you can travel to Earth before the beginning of time and see a world in which far from people reigned.

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