Illustratedencycloped Iadinosaursandprehist
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I L L U S T R A T E D E N C Y C L Baryonyx THEROPODS F A C T F I L E O # Tyrannosaurus Rex’s head was about 1.5 m long. Its lower jaw was hinged in such heropods were a group of mostly a way as to maximize its gape. An eight-year- P meat-eating saurischian ( 13) or old child could have squatted in its jaws. “lizard hipped” dinosaurs. They all T # Compsognathus, discovered in Germany had three toes and their name means in the 1850s, was the first ever dinosaur to E “beast-footed”. Theropods were the first be found as a complete skeleton. kind of dinosaur to evolve. They had large # Most experts agree that birds evolved eyes and long tails.They ran on their two Baryonyx A meat-eating dinosaur from the Compsognathus A tiny meat-eating from small dinosaurs. Archaeopteryx, the D strong back legs, leaving their arms free to Cretaceous period. It had the body of a dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. It was first known bird, is closely related to the raptors and may have evolved directly from grasp or pin down their prey. They ranged large carnivore, about eight metres long, about the size of a chicken and preyed on them. The presence of small bumps or quill in size from tiny Compsognathus, the size but its skull was long and narrow, with insects and lizards. It was probably the bones on a Velociraptor fossil I of a chicken, to 18 m long Spinosaurus. small, sharp teeth, a bit like a crocodile. It fastest bipedal animal of all time, running indicate that it definitely Most experts believe that birds evolved probably fed on fish, wading through the at speeds of about 65 km per hour. had feathers. A from theropods during the Jurassic period. shallows and hooking them out with its long thumb-claw. Allosaurus A large meat-eating dinosaur Ceratosaurs An early group of theropods from the Late Jurassic. It grew up to 12 m that usually had horns or ridges on their Archaeopteryx long. It had sharp teeth and three big, snouts. Their name means “horned clawed toes on each foot. It probably lizards”. They had four digits on each hand Therizinosaurus A large meat-eater from hunted in packs to bring down large prey. and a gap between their front and back the Late Cretaceous. It grew up to 12 m 14 teeth. They included Coelophysis, 15 D Archaeopteryx A bird-dinosaur from the long. It had a small head with a toothless Ceratosaurus and Dilophosaurus. Jurassic period. It is the earliest known beak and three gigantic, curved finger- bird. Like birds, it had feathers, wings and Coelophysis A small meat-eating dinosaur claws. The biggest of these claws may a small, light body. However, it had much from the Late Triassic. It grew up to three have been more than one metre long. I more in common with theropods. Like metres long. It had a long, narrow head Tyrannosaurus rex (above) Although technically a theropod, it mostly them, it had strong jaws and sharp teeth, and sharp teeth, which it used to eat Raptors A group of meat-eating dinosaurs fed on plants and termites. It was N Ornithomimids A group of fast-running a long neck and stiff tail and three clawed lizards and other small prey. from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. probably covered with feathers. dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period. fingers. It fed on meat, fish and insects. It probably hunted in packs. One fossil find shows a They had a huge curved claw on each Deinonychus’ s feathered Velociraptor Their name means “bird-mimic lizards” and Tyrannosaurus rex A large, flesh-eating foot, used to slash their victims. Raptors O long, curved and a Protoceratops refers to their ostrich-like appearance. dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. included the five-metre-long Utahraptor claw locked in battle (above). They fed on plants and small animals such It grew up to 12 m long. Some of its saw- and the two-metre-long Velociraptor. Deinonychus (left) would work as a as insects and lizards. They had long beak- edged teeth were 18 cm long. pack to bring down large dinosaurs, shaped mouths and most species had no Spinosaurus A large meat-eating dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex may have hunted by S such as this Tenontosaurus. teeth at all. They included Ornithomimus, from the Cretaceous period. It was the ambushing its prey or it may have Struthiomimus and Gallimimus. largest of the theropods, growing up to scavenged on carrion. It belonged to the Deinonychus A large meat-eating dinosaur 18 m long. It had a large sail of skin on its tyrannosaur family, which included the A from the Early Cretaceous. It was about Oviraptor A 2.5-metre-long meat-eater back, held up be spines projecting smaller Albertosaurus and Daspletosaurus. three metres long, with a large head, from the Cretaceous period. Its name, outwards from its backbone. powerful jaws and a relatively large brain. meaning “egg thief”, refers to the theory U Its name means “terrible claw”, and refers that it ate eggs from the nests of other Tetanurans A group of to its lethal, scythe-shaped toe-claws. dinosaurs. A fossil of an Oviraptor has been theropods with straight tails. These were so long that Deinonychus had found sitting on its nest with its forelimbs Their name means “stiff tails”. They had Compsognathus, R to raise them up while it ran. Deinonychus folded, like those of a bird. It probably had only three digits on each hand. The a quick hunter, probably hunted in packs, in order to bring feathers, which would have helped to keep group included raptors, rnithomimids, was just down prey much larger than themselves. both the eggs and the young warm. tyrannosaurs and therizinosaurs. 75 cm long. S A N D ! Covers 12 major subject areas of prehistory P R ! More than 160 keywords alphabetically listed E H and clearly explained I S T ! Fact panels with extra information O R I ! More than 60 detailed illustrations C L I ! Comprehensive index F E ISBN 978 1 7418 3761 9 9 781901 323511 I L L U S T R A T E D E N C Y C L O P E D I A DINOSAURS AND PREHISTORIC LIFE I L L U S T R A T E D E N C Y C L O P E D I A First published in 2012 by Orpheus Books Ltd., 6 Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 4AW, England www.orpheusbooks.com Copyright ©2012 Orpheus Books Ltd. Created and produced by Nicholas Harris, Sarah Hartley, Katie Sexton, Ruth Symons and Erica Williams, Orpheus Books Ltd. Text Ruth Symons Illustrated by Peter Dennis, Elisabetta Ferrero, Ray Grinaway, Gary Hincks, DINO SAUR S Studio Inklink, Steve Kirk, Simon Mendez, Nicki Palin, Peter David Scott Consultant Chris Jarvis, Oxford University Museum of Natural History All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a AND PREHISTORIC LIFE retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ISBN 978 1 7418 3761 9 Printed and bound in Singapore CONTENTS ABOUT THIS BOOK ach double page contains a brief introduction, TIMELINE 6 Eexplaining the general subject, followed by key words arranged in alphabetical order. To look FIRST LIFE 8 up a specific word, turn to the index at the back of this book: this will tell you which page to go to. If you EARLY AMPHIBIANS want to learn more about a subject, take a look at the & REPTILES 10 factfile, or follow the arrows to read related entries. ORNITHISCHIANS 22 INTRODUCTION BOLD WORDS KEY WORDS AND ENTRIES FACTFILE This explains the These highlight Key words are arranged alphabetically The factfile provides extra MARINE REPTILES 12 general subject useful words that across each double page. Each entry information on the subject. Facts PREHISTORIC BIRDS & and provides some do not have their provides a short explanation of what are presented in easy to read basic knowledge. own entry. the key word means. bullet points. MAMMALS 24 Excavation The process of examining layers Relative dating A way of estimating the Sedimentary rock A type of rock that is of soil for fossils and other material age of an object by showing that it came formed by the pressing together of rock FOSSILS from the past. before or after another object. Relative fragments. These fragments, including dating relies upon stratigraphy and index sand, gravel and mud, are formed when Fossil footprint A fossilized fossils. It is less exact than absolute dating. other rock types are worn away by the Fossilized ossils are remains of once-living footprint, sometimes called an amonites in things preserved in rock. Most wind and rain. They gradually settle in sedimentary “ichnite”. Fossil footprints are a 1 2 Sediment Eroded rock fragments that are FIRST HUMANS 26 living things are eaten or rot away layers. As more layers settle on top of each rock type of trace fossil. The depth of transported by wind, water or ice and laid F other, the particles are compressed and when they die, leaving no trace. But the prints and the distance 3 4 down elsewhere. These fragments can cemented into sedimentary rock. Fossils sometimes, if animals are quickly buried, between them can tell us how cover skeletons and other once-living are only found in sedimentary rocks. their remains may turn into rock and be fast a dinosaur walked or ran, and materials, compressing over time to form F A C T F I L E preserved as fossils.