Dinosaurs Facts for Kids

Mary Anning, one of the greatest fossil hunters ever, found her first ichthyosaur fossil when she was only 12 years old.

The word raptor comes from Latin and means 'thief' or 'plunderer,' which is why fast, grabbing dinosaurs got that name.

Dilophosaurus did not actually have a frill or spit venom — those were inventions for the movie Jurassic Park.

Plesiosaurs, the long-necked sea creatures, lived at the same time as dinosaurs but were technically not dinosaurs.

Giganotosaurus from South America was nearly as big as T. rex and lived about 30 million years earlier.

Plant-eating dinosaurs far outnumbered meat-eaters, just like plant-eaters outnumber predators in nature today.

A tiny dinosaur tail covered in feathers was found perfectly preserved inside a piece of amber.

Some baby dinosaurs grew incredibly fast — a T. rex could gain about 5 pounds a day during its teenage years.

Gallimimus looked and ran like a modern ostrich, reaching speeds of about 30 miles per hour.

Ammonites, spiral-shelled sea creatures, lived alongside dinosaurs for millions of years and went extinct at the same time.