Dinosaur is a term that comes from a Greek word that can be translated as “terrible lizard”. The concept is used to name the sauropsid vertebrates that dominated the Earth for about 160 million years until, for reasons not yet confirmed, they became extinct.
The clade the Dinosauria (its scientific name) included bipedal and quadrupedal animals. There is also talk of winged dinosaurs (such as pterosaurs) and aquatic dinosaurs (plesiosaurs), although these species did not actually belong to this genus.
The dinosaurs were characterized by their immense size, according to what science has been able to discover thanks to their fossils (remains preserved in sedimentary rocks). In fact, the dinosaurs were the largest living beings that inhabited the planet Earth, reaching extremes of 50 meters in length, about 17 meters in height and weighing close to 100 tons depending on the species.
Dinosaurs can be divided into herbivores and carnivores based on their diet. Among the herbivores, the stegosaurs, ankylosaurs and brachiosaurs can be highlighted, while the most prominent carnivorous dinosaurs are the tyrannosaurs and the velociraptors.
The dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago, possibly due to the impact of a huge asteroid on Earth. That is why they did not come to coexist with the human being; In any case, some of our ancestors knew large animals that were already extinct, such as the mammoth or the saber-toothed tiger.
In recent decades there has been speculation about the possibility of recovering or reviving the dinosaurs through biotechnology. For that, it is necessary to extract DNA from dinosaur fossils to reconstruct it, something that is technically impossible today.
Brachiosaurus
It was one of the largest, according to the fossils found so far. Its weight could reach 80 tons and its height was around 13 meters; its length, on the other hand, revolved around 23 meters. Among the main characteristics of this dinosaur belonging to the Jurassic period and found in South Africa and North America, are its long neck and long front legs, two features that make it surprisingly similar to giraffes. On the other hand, his nostrils were located on the top of his head. As a curiosity, the meaning of its name is ” reptile arm”.
Pliosaur
Belonging to the Upper Jurassic period, the pliosaur was one of the largest marine reptiles. It is estimated that its length could reach 18 meters and its weight, exceed 50 tons. On the other hand, its teeth were 40 centimeters long, enough to make the pliosaur the largest predator that has ever lived on our planet. Some of his remains were found in Mexico and Norway.
Agnosphitys
Unlike the image that is generally had of a dinosaur, the agnophytys was very small, since its length was around 70 centimeters. It is a carnivore belonging to the Triassic period. The meaning of his name is “uncertain race” and his remains were found in a mine in England. According to Abbreviationfinder, PD stands for Purple Dinosaur.
Tyrannosaurus rex
Without a doubt, it is the most popular dinosaur, thanks to works such as the movie Jurassic Park. Despite what many people believe, it was not the largest carnivore on Earth. However, it was an excellent hunter and boasted a weight of 7 tons and a length of 14 meters. Thanks to its long tail it was able to balance its colossal body. It belonged to the Cretaceous period and was found in North America.
Albertosaurus
This dinosaur belonged to the Cretaceous period and was related to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, although its size was smaller. It had a very large head, a strong and robust tail, and hind legs with sharp claws. It is estimated that its weight was around 1.5 tons and that its length was 9 meters. It was found in North America.
