Zoom Dinosaurs DINOSAUR QUESTIONS

Q: How LONG was T-Rex from head to tail?
from Chris .A, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England; June 30, 1999

A: T. rex was about 40 feet (12 m) long. For more information on T. rex, click here.

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Q: MY FAMILY AND I WOULD LIKE TO GO ON A DAY-DIG. ARE THERE ANY DINOSAUR DIGS THAT LET YOU DO A DAY-DIG?
from KC W, San Diego, CA, USA; June 29, 1999

A: I don't know about day digs in particular, but Dinosaur National Monument (in Utah and Colorado) might be of interest. They have a web site with a lot of information at: http://www.nps.gov/dino/ Also, to find more potential places to visit, this web page lists a lot of digs: http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/dinos/dig.html

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Q: I have been doing research on the posibility of the aquatic creatures in Lake Champlain("Champ") being related to a plesiosaur. The problem is I can find no information about this ancient creature. Any that would beable to offer me would be appreciated. Thank you.
from Holly A, hedgesville, WV, USA; June 29, 1999

A: For a page on Plesiosaurs (there were a lot of different types), click here.

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Q: Where is the best place to find information on studies of E.L.E.(Extinction.Level.Events.)? I have looked everywhere I know to and still havent found anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, John
from John P., Bristol, VA, USA; June 26, 1999

A: An Extinction-Level Event is a catastrophic event that is capable of causing a mass extinction. Examples of such events include a large asteroid or comet hitting the Earth, a huge change in the Earth's temperature, tremendously increased volcanism, etc. This event would greatly damage the ecosphere of Earth, causing many groups of organisms to die.

The study of Extinction-Level Events is the study of catastrophic events that could cause a mass extinction. A good way to study ELE's is to study past mass extinctions. The biggest mass extinctions that have ever happened on Earth were the Permian extinction (which happened right before the dinosaurs evolved) and the K-T extinction (which killed off terrestrial dinosaurs and many other groups of organisms). The K-T extinction is one of the most studied mass extinctions and sheds light on extinctions in general. For more information on mass extinctions, click here; for information on the K-T extinction, click here.

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Q: PLEASE ANWSER THESE QUICKLY! Is T-rex tyranosaurus rex? What is the first dinosaur found in the world? What kind of a dinosaur is the biggest and little dinosaur? Is there more than one kind dinosaur?
from Rachel A., Carteret, NJ, USA; June 25, 1999

A: Yes, T-rex is Tyrannosaurus rex. For the first dinosaurs found, see the FAQ #7 above. For the biggest and smallest, see #3 and #4 above. For the number of dinosaurs, see #11.

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Q: How tall was the Utahraptor?
from Kevin K., Levittown, PA, USA; June 25, 1999

A: For information on Utahraptor, click here.

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Q: What type of habitat did the Moschops live in ?
from Hershey, PA, USA; June 24, 1999

A: Moschops, a therapsid (a direct ancestor of mammals) was a plant-eater from the fossil-rich Karroo Beds of South Africa during the late Permian period, over 250 million years ago (before the dinosaurs evolved). The environment of the Permian Karroo was warm and rich in plant and animal life and water. For more information on Moschops, click here.

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Q: what is the difference between the long necked dinosaurs?
from Chris B., Blackpool, lancs, CITYSTATE, uk; June 23, 1999

A: Although all the long-necks (sauropods) were plant-eaters, there were many differences in the sauropod families. For example, Titanosaurids had armored skin; Brachiosaurids had a giraffe-like stance, front legs longer than the rear legs and nostrils above the eyes; Diplodocids had a whip-like tail, a neck held low and nostrils above the eyes; Cetiosaurids had almost solid vertebrae and a shorter tail; Camarasaurids had hollowed-out chambers in their vertebrae and a relatively big (for a sauropod), box-like head, and nostrils above the eyes.

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Q: DID DINOSAURS REALLY HURT HUMANS AND WHAT WAS THE SMALLEST DINO BUT THE MOST DANGEROUS
from Nicole a., london, ky, USA; June 23, 1999

A: The dinosaurs lived and died millions of years before people evolved. The only way a dinosaur could hurt a person were if a fossil fell and hit the person. The smallest dinosaur that was truly dangerous was probably the smallest-known raptor, Velociraptor (but this is a very subjective answer).

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Q: Did dinosaurs have problem with radioactivity?
from A.T., ?; June 23, 1999

A: Not that I've ever heard of.

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Q: how were the dinosaurs named?
from Amber R., Lima, MT, USA; June 22, 1999

A: See the FAQ # 10 above.

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Q: Did dinosaurs walk on their toes or on their flat feet? PLEASE ANSWER
from Brittany, Lima, MT, USA; June 20, 1999

A: Dinosaurs walked on their toes; the scientific term for this is digitigrade. Only a small part of the foot touches the ground and the animal can move very quickly.

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Q: Ineed info. on Deinocheirus, Spinosaurus, Saurophaganax, Bruhathkayosaurus.
from ??; June 20, 1999

A: For an information sheet on Spinosaurus, click here. The others are in the Dino and Paleontology Dictionary.

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Q: Why is it a "theory" that the T-Rex laid eggs? I just came from the IMAX T-Rex show and throughout the whole show they made it a big deal that eggs for this particular dinosaur were not found so it is only in theory that the eggs existed or that the tyrannosaurus laid eggs or even protected the eggs or hatchlings-(supposing it laid eggs). The show didn't make sense! The tyrannosaurus is a reptile, correct?
from Danielle C., Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA; June 19, 1999

A: I haven't sen the T. rex IMAX show yet, but it's true that T. rex eggs haven't been found yet. Even though the dinosaurs were reptiles, laying eggs isn't guaranteed; there are exceptions to just about everything. (Think of mammals, who by definition give live birth. The duck-billed platypus, a mammal. lays eggs!) It is very likely, however, that T. rex did lay eggs. For more information on T. rex, click here.

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Q: What do YOU think killed the dinosaurs?
from Michelle W., Richmond, Virginia, USA; June 19, 1999

A: I thinks that the Alvarez asteroid theory is probably the most likely cause of the K-T extinction.

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Q: From what language does the word dinosaur come?
from Michelle W., Richmond, Virginia, USA; June 19, 1999

A: Greek. For more information on the word dinosaur, click here.

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Q: Which lived first, stegosaraus or Iguanodon?
from Michelle W., Richmond, Virginia, USA; June 20, 1999

A: Stegosaurus lived first, about 156-145 million years ago (during the late Jurassic period). Iguanodon lived later, about 135-110 million years ago (during the early Cretaceous period). For more information on Stegosaurus, click here. For more information on Iguanodon, click here.

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Q: What is a fossil?
from Michelle W., Richmond, Virginia, USA; June 20, 1999

A: Fossils are mineralized impressions or casts of ancient animals and plants.

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Q: please explain how they died.
from cody, alexandria, alabama, USA; June 19, 1999

A: Click here for a page on extinction.

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Q: Was the Seismosaurus probably the overall biggest dinosaur out of the sauropods? and if it is, is it the biggest dinosaur in history or at least one of them?
from Ryan H., Moreno Valley, CA, USA; June 18, 1999

A: The biggest sauropods were the biggest dinosaurs. Seismosaurus was one of the biggest dinosaurs ever, but a few other newly-found sauropods (like Argentinosaurus and Andesaurus) may have been even bigger. It isn't certain because many of these fossils are incomplete.

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Q: I would like to learn about dinosaurs of the ocean and rivers. What were they called?
from sam h., philadelphia, pa, USA; June 18, 1999

A: No dinosaurs lived entirely in the water. You may be thinking about Pleisosaurs, Ichthyosaurs, and Nothosaurs, which were groups of reptiles from the Mesozoic Era that were adapted to life in the water.

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Q: WHAT COLOR ARE DINOS? ARE THEY BRIGHT OR DULL COLORED? HOW CAN YOU TELL BOYS FROM GIRLS?
from CHELSEA H., BOSSIER, LA, USA; June 17, 1999

A: No on eknkows what colors they were. Also, there's no definitive way to tell which fossils were male and which were female,

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Q: i need any information you can give me on Mesosaurus. do you know any cool facts or interesting characteristics about this dinosaur?
from Nancy E., New York, New York, USA; June 17, 1999

A: Mesosaurus wasn't a dinosaur, but was an interesting, extinct, fresh-water dwelling reptile. This animal's fossils were used to reinforce the proof of continental drift. For more information on Mesosaurus, click here.

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Q: Who were the enemies of the Parasourolophus? I/we have been looking for a week and need it for a Grade 2 report due tomorrow! Any help you can give us would be appreciated! signed Todd's Dad thx again Ron!
from Todd B., Calgary, Alberta, Canada; June 17, 1999

A: The actual predators of most dinosaurs are not known (which is why they are so hard to find in dinosaur references). To determine that one type of dinosaur hunted and ate another one is very difficult using the fossil record. Some of the extremely rare fossils indications of the predator/prey relationship are: fossilized stomach contents (like Baryonyx, who ate fish), fossilized dung (T. rex dung with crushed Triceratops bone in it), or two dinosaurs that died in battle (like a Velociraptor found fighting a Protoceratops). I've never heard of any Parasaurolophus predator evidence findings.

Without solid fossil evidence, your only recourse is guessing. To find out the pool of possible predators, first determine when and where the dinosaur lived (Parasaurolophus lived in North America during the late Cretaceous period, about 76-65 Million years ago). Go to the page on late-Cretaceous dinosaurs to see which meat-eaters lived at the right time and place. You can eliminate meat-eaters that were a lot smaller than Parasaurolophus (which was about 33 feet long (10 m).

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Q: What was the longest dinosaur and what did it look like?
from Andrew S., peterborough, CAMBRIDSHIRE, England; June 17, 1999

A: For the longest (and biggest) dinosaurs, see the FAQ #3 above.

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Q: Which dinosaur weighed the most?
from Randi H, SNYDER, TX, USA; June 17, 1999

A: The biggest dinosaurs probably weighed the most (weight figures that you see for dinosaurs are only estimates and are much less reliable than length fiigures). For the biggest dinosaurs found so far, see the FAQ #3 above.

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Q: family life and enemies of triceratops?.
from ?; June 16, 1999

A: Nothing is know about the family like of Triceratops, but Tyrannosaurus rex did eat it. Triceratops bones have been found in a T. rex coprolite (fossilized feces). For more information on Triceratops, click here.

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Q: Out of all the dinosaurs ever which one was there the most of?
from Denise F., Bowling Green, Ohio, USA; June 16, 1999

A: The hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs).

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Q: How much meat could a T-rex tear off in one bite?
from Nicole M., Bakersfield, CA, USA; June 16, 1999

A: About 500 pounds. For more information on T. rex, click here.

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Q: What did Nanotyrannus eat?
from Mario N, Peobody, Mass, USA; June 14, 1999

A: No one knows. Only a skull of Nanotyrannus, a small tyrannosaur has been found, and it isn't even certain that it is a genus of its own; it may be just a juvenile example of T. rex or Albertosaurus. It was, however, a meat eater.

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Q: Can you tell me at least 3-5 plants that were present during the Jurassic Period that a Stegasaurus might have eaten routinely?
from NICHOLAS S., Branford, CT, USA; June 14, 1999

A: Some Jurassic plants include ferns, cycads, horsetail, gingko, and conifers, but no one knows exactly what Stegosaurus ate, only that it ate low-lying plants because its head was close to the ground. For more information on Stegosaurus, click here. For more information on the Jurassic period, click here.

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Q: How much meat can a T-rex eat in 1 bite?
from Bobby S., Morgan Hill, USA; June 12, 1999

A: T rex could bite about 500 pounds (230 kg) of meat in a single bite. For more information on T. rex, click here.

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Q: What time did the teratosaurus live?
from kim m, porcupine, south dakota, USA; June 10, 1999

A: Teratosaurus lived during the late Triassic period. For more information on this rauisuchian, click here. It was not a dinosaur.

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Q: How does the Scaphognathus hunt and where does it live?
from Bonnie Y., Shelter Island, NY, USA; June 10, 1999

A: Scaphognathus lived in what is now Europe. This good flier may have hunted by swooping down on is prey, which it found using its keen eyesight. For more information on this pterosaur, click here

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Q: what dinosors were found in New Jersy?
from Mike P., Long Valley, NJ, USA; June 9, 1999

A: Click here for a list of dinosaurs found in each state of the US.

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Q: Where are Dinosaurs bones found
from Justin H, North Bay, Ontario, Canada; June 9, 1999

A: If you mean location, they've been found on every continent on Earth. If you mean the type of rock they're found in, its Meoszoic Era sedimentary rock.

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Q: can tyrannasuarus eat plants?
from Anthony F., Newport, RI, USA; June 7, 1999

A: Tyrannosaurus was adapted to a meat-eating life (like modern-day lions, who can eat vegetation, but usually don't, except as a purgative). For information on T. rex, click here.

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Q: Can a Pterodactly swim?
from Anthony F., Newport, RI, USA; June 7, 1999

A: Probably not. For information on Pterodactlys, click here.

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Q: what kind of habitat does a stegosaurus live in?
from Dandi D., parma, ohio, USA; June 7, 1999

A: Habitats are very difficult to infer from the sparse fossil data. A few of the dinosaur's contemporaneous plant or animal fossils are sometimes found, but even then, determining what the environment was like is pretty difficult. Paleontologists usually refrain from saying much about particular dinosaurs' habits because of this.

Without making too many assumptions, you can figure that since Stegosaurus was a large plant-eater with a head close to the ground, it had to live somewhere where there were a lot of low-lying plants (you can eliminate deserts and tundra). It would probably sink into swampy ground with its thin feet, so you can eliminate this type of habitat. Other than that, no one knows what its habitat (or even which plants it ate).

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Q: What is the tallest dinosaur?
from Joseph de B., Ilocos Sur, Phillipines; June 6, 1999

A: Ultrasauros.

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Q: What was the size of each of Brachiosaurus four feet? What were the dimensions?
from Kim P.,Montvale, NJ, USA; June 6, 1999

A: The large sauropods (like Brachiosaurus) made bathtub-sized footprints.

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Q: Were dinosaurs the first thing to roam the Earth?
from Jane D., ??; June 5, 1999

A: No, many plants and animals came before them. See the geological time chart for a brief overview of what came when.

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Q: do animals have blood groups? about how many years ago did dinosaurs live?
from ASHISH, bangalore, karnataka, india; June 5, 1999

A: Yes many animal species have different blood types, including people, horses, and dogs.

Dinosaurs lived from about 228 million years ago until 65 million years ago.

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Q: Was Glyptodonte ever a name for a dinosaur? A turtle of some sort, I believer?
from Tess T., Dallas, TX, USA; June 5, 1999

A: Glyptodon was one of the largest Pleistocene armadillos. It was about 10 feet (3.3 m) long and 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. For more information on Glyptodon, click here.

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Q: Was the Giganotosaurus the biggest dinosaur in history?
from Katie W, Manawatu, NewZealand; June 4, 1999

A: No, but Giganotosaurus was probably the biggest meat-eating dinosaur. The biggest dinosaurs were the sauropods from the Jurassic period (see questions #3 above).

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Q: How many T.Rex fossils, if any, have been found in Europe?
from Sarah G, London, U.K.; June 4, 1999

A: No t. rex fossil have been found in Europe. Fossils of different Tyrannosaurus species have been found in the USA (in Montana, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming), Canada (Alberta and Saskatchewan), and east Asia (Mongolia). For more information on T. rex, click here.

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Q: What kind of dinosaurs do Tyrannasaurus Rexs eat? What animals are Tyrannasaurus Rexs Preditors
from Garrick C., Providence, RI, USA; June 4, 1999

A: T. rex was at the top its local food web. For information on T. rex's diet, click here.

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Q: How old did most dinosaurs live until.
from Breanna J; June 4, 1999

A: For information on dinosaur life spans, click here.

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Q: Did T-Rex lay eggs?
from ?; June 3, 1999

A: Yes.

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Q: what color was the velociraptor?
from Brian H., Troy, MI, USA; June 3, 1999

A: No one knows what colors any of the dinosaurs were. See Questions #1 above.

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Q: Looking for information on Nothosaurus.
from ?; June 2, 1999

A: For information on Nothosaurus and other Nothosaurs, click here.

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Q: What dose Ichthyosaurus name mean?
from Sarah F., Reno, NV, USA; June 2, 1999

A: Fish lizard. For information on Ichthyosaurs, click here.

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Q: Where does a Parasaurolophus find it's food.
from Alycis, Olds; June 2, 1999

A: Parasaurolophus was an herbivore, eating pine needles, leaves, and twigs. Fossilized stomach contents have been found, consisting mostly of land plants. Parasaurolophus probably lived near the plants that it ate. It may have migrated in order to find food and/or reproduce. For more information on Parasaurolophus, click here.

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Q: What did Tyrannosaurus eat.
from ?; June 2, 1999

A: T. rex ate Triceratops, and perhaps a lot of other ceratopsians, duck-billed dinosaurs, and anything else it could catch. For information on T. rex, click here. For information on what dinosaurs lived in North America during the late Cretaceous period with T. rex, click here. For more information on T. rex, click here.

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Q: I'm doing a science project on the Diplodocus. I need to know about their life cycle. Thank You. Cody G.
from Cody G., Pittsburg, PA, USA; June 2, 1999

A: Diplodocus hatched from a huge egg. As it ate a lot of plants, it matured into a giant dinosaur and eventually died. Not much is known about the particulars of its life cycle. For information on Diplodocus, click here.

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Q: How big/tall is the Pleisiosaurus? Does it now have a different name? (I can't find it anywhere.) Thanks.
from Dina B., Grafton, MA, USA; June 1, 1999

A: (pronounced plee-zee-oh-SAWR-us) Plesiosaurus was about 7.6 feet (2.3 m). Plesiosaurus was a flippered marine reptiles from the early Jurassic period. It had with a long neck, 4 wide, paddle-shaped flippers, and a tapered body. It lived in what is now England and Germany. It was not a dinosaur. For more information on Plesiosaurus (and other plesiosaurs), click here.

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Q: Is there information on pachycepoyosaurs
from Jasmin m, del, USA; June 1, 1999

A: Yes, click here for information on Pachycephalosaurus.

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