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dinosaur: Quick Facts

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News •

This may be the best evidence yet that dinosaur blood can fossilize • Nov. 6, 2026, 11:00 AM ET (Science News)
Scientists say they’ve found the strongest evidence yet of red blood cells in a dinosaur bone • Nov. 3, 2026, 1:16 PM ET (CTV News)
Traces of ancient blood found in 115 million-year-old dinosaur fossil, new study claims • Nov. 2, 2026, 4:01 PM ET (Live Science)
Strange beaked ‘hell chicken’ is the first fruit-eating dinosaur • Oct. 30, 2026, 11:06 AM ET (CTV News)
Meet the 'hell chicken,' a feisty little dinosaur who feasted on fruit • Oct. 27, 2026, 6:01 PM ET (CBC)

Facts

Also Known As Dinosauria

Photos and Videos

Illustration showing various dinosaur species drawn to scale and grouped by geologic era: Late Cretaceous, Early Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic. Dinosaurs range from large species like Brachiosaurus and Tyrannosaurus to smaller ones like Velociraptor and Compsognathus, with a human silhouette included for size comparison. Measurement bars at the bottom indicate 1 meter and 3 feet for scale reference.
dinosaur phylogeny
Dinosaur National Monument
fossil
Illustration of Plateosaurus, a large, long-necked herbivorous dinosaur from the late Triassic period, shown in profile with a human and dog for scale. The Plateosaurus stands on four legs, highlighting its long tail and neck, and may have reared up to reach high vegetation. Scale bars indicate 1 meter and 3 feet, and text notes its length of 26 feet and European origin.
Illustration of an Iguanodon, a large herbivorous dinosaur with a beaked mouth, robust body, hoof-like fingers, and spiked thumbs. Human and dog silhouettes are shown for scale, emphasizing the dinosaur's size. Text describes its features, time period, and geographic range.
Illustration of Compsognathus, a small, slender dinosaur from the late Jurassic period, shown with a long tail and agile posture, with a mouse for scale. Text notes its 2 to 3 foot length and describes it as a swift predator from Europe.
Illustration of Troodon, a slender, birdlike dinosaur from the late Cretaceous, shown with large eyes, a long tail, and clawed hands, with a scale bar and comparison to a modern bird.
Illustration of the dinosaur Coelophysis, showing a slender, long-tailed predator with birdlike hollow limbs, standing beside a modern bird for size comparison. Measurement bars indicate Coelophysis could reach about 9 feet in length. Text notes it lived in large herds during the Late Triassic in North America.
Illustration of Eoraptor, a small, slender, bipedal dinosaur from the late Triassic period, shown next to a modern bird for scale. Eoraptor has a long tail, sharp teeth, and measures about one meter (three feet) in length, highlighting its primitive features and its significance as a possible model for the common ancestor of all dinosaurs.
Did Dinosaurs Really Have Feathers?
Dr. Jingmai O'Connor smiles and gestures toward a fossil of Archaeopteryx on display at the Field Museum, with exhibit text visible in the background.
Person in inflatable T. rex costume lifting small dumbbells in a gym beside a weight rack; text overlay reads “design flaw?” with an arrow pointing to the T. rex's arms.
Silhouette of a bird with outstretched wings holding a Hello, my name is ? badge, next to a set of four large, weathered bones on a dark background.
Side-by-side illustration comparing a modern black-and-white bird on the left with a feathered dinosaur, Archaeopteryx, on the right, both with wings spread.
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Related Topics and References

Topics

Key People

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Edwin H. Colbert
American professor, curator, and paleontologist
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Barnum Brown
American paleontologist
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Earl Douglass
American paleontologist
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Paul Sereno
American paleontologist
Sir Richard Owen
Richard Owen
British anatomist and paleontologist
Henry Fairfield Osborn
Henry Fairfield Osborn
American paleontologist
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John Ostrom
American paleontologist
Edward Drinker Cope, c. 1889
Edward Drinker Cope
American paleontologist
Marsh, Othniel Charles
Othniel Charles Marsh
American paleontologist
Mantell, detail of an engraving
Gideon Algernon Mantell
British paleontologist

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