MEET THE DINOSAURS

The twin crests atop the skull of the Dilophosaurus weren’t weapons, but were display signals meant to show off for members of its own species. Tracks attributed to Dilophosaurus have often been found near prehistoric lakes, suggesting that this dinosaur may have preferred a diet of fish.

Parasaurolophus are herbivores whose diet mostly consisted of chewing on rotted wood and other plant material. Fossilized poop found in Utah suggests that Parasaurolophus may have sometimes eaten freshwater crabs as well as plants.

There’s no dinosaur that strikes fear in the heart of humans quite like Velociraptor. Tyrannosaurus might have size and strength, but the deadly, cunning intelligence of raptors cannot easily be matched. An adult Velociraptor can bite with a force of over 8,000 Newtons, or equivalent to a large American alligator.

An adult Tyrannosaurus rex requires at least 140kg/308lbs of meat every day. And this dinosaur has a special way of tucking in. Thanks to extra powerful neck muscles, Tyrannosaurus Rex can throw a hundred-pound chunk of meat in the air and catch it in a terrifying behavior called intertial feeding.

Spinosaurus is unique in being a semi-aquatic dinosaur, spending much of its time around or in water. Its bones are extra dense to act as a kind of ballast to help Spinosaurus achieve neutral buoyancy while swimming. Spinosaurus feeds on large fish as well as dinosaurs smaller than itself.

Despite being a massive, prickly dinosaur, Stegosaurus has very tiny teeth. These limit the herbivore to a diet of mostly soft foods, like ferns. But the dinosaur didn’t have to worry about breaking a tooth if it crunched something harder. Like all dinosaurs, Stegosaurus constantly replaces teeth throughout its life.

Ankylosaurus was covered from head to tail in osteoderms, or bones that grew in the skin. This dinosaur was so well-protected that even its eyelids had armor. Full-grown Ankylosaurus require over 130 pounds of ferns a day, or as much forage as an African elephant eats.

The humerus, or upper arm bone, of Brachiosaurus is over six feet long. Brachiosaurus was able to reach its neck over 30 feet above ground, allowing it to feed on levels of foliage most other dinosaurs can’t reach.

You can tell male and female Pteranodon apart from each other on the basis of their crests. Males tend to have more ornate and colorful crests than the females. Pteranodon have no teeth, and primarily subsist on a diet of fish.