The document provides information about dinosaurs and their evolution over time. It discusses how dinosaurs originated over 200 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era after lava flows created conditions suitable for them. It then describes several different dinosaur species from various periods, including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops. It also discusses ancestral reptiles like Chasmatosaurus that preceded dinosaurs and the lineage of dinosaurs all the way to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
3. Origin of Dinosaurs.....
• More than 200 mya, as North Africa was splitting
away from North America, opening up the Atlantic
Ocean, hot lava poured out of the Earth. The lava,
more than enough to cover the USA, created
inhospitable, conditions for most life… except the
dinosaurs.
• New geological discoveries suggest this natural
catastrophe to be the dinosaurs’ ticket to rule.
4. Period of Existence
• The age of the dinosaurs is called the
Mesozoic Era. It includes the Triassic, Jurassic
and Cretaceous time periods.
• According to the current fossils we have
found, dinosaurs did not come into existence
until the later end of the Triassic Period. That
means that for over 100 million years of the
Mesozoic Era, there were no dinosaurs on
Earth.
5. The Mesozoic Era
New research suggests that
reptiles that lived during the
Dinosaur age were hard-hit.
Here, the carnivorous lizard
Palaeosaniwa chases a pair of
young Edmontosaurus while the
snake Cerberophis and the lizard
Obamadon look on.
During the Mesozoic, or "Middle Life" Era, life
diversified rapidly and giant reptiles, dinosaurs
and other monstrous beasts roamed the Earth. The
period, which spans from about 252 million years
ago to about 66 million years ago, was also known
as the age of reptiles or the age of dinosaurs.
English geologist John Phillips, the first person to
create the global geologic timescale, first coined
the term Mesozoic in the 1800s.
The Permian-Triassic boundary, at the start of the
Mesozoic, is defined relative to a particular section
of sediment in Meishan, China, where a type of
extinct, eel-like creature known as a conodont first
appeared, according to the International
Commision of Stratigraphy.
7. Evolution of Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs evolved from other reptiles (socket-toothed
archosaurs) during the Triassic Period, over 230 mi-
llion years ago. Dinosaurs evolved soon after the Per-
mian extinction, which was the biggest mass extinct-
ion that ever occured on Earth. During this time (the
Triassic period), the mammals also evolved.
During the Triassic Period, dinosaur ancestors we-
re evolving. In the Jurassic Period, the number of di-
nosaurs grew. By the Cretaceous Period, many dino-
saur species had evolved.
Dinosaurs that could migrate were smaller, but
the dinosaurs that were isolated evolved different-
ly. Dinosaurs and other organisms have been histori-
cally placed into hierarchical categories, using a s-
ystem of classification called the Linnaean System.
Today, research on dinosaur relationships uses
an approach called cladistics, which uses the
presence of shared morphological features to rec-
reate the branching tree of dinosaur evolution.
11. About the Linnaean System
• In the 1750s, Swedish botanist Carl von Linne (who is known by the Latin form of
his name, Linnaeus) developed a system to classify all living things. Each living
thing has two scientific names, a genus and a species name. The scientist who first
describes a new organism names it. Since Linnaeus began using this system, over a
million species have been named.
• A scientific name is given in the Linnaean System because living organisms are
called different things in different languages. The house cat, for example, is die
Katze in German; le chat in French; but English, French and German biologists call
it Felis catus.
• In the Linnaean System, similar species are grouped in a genus, similar genera into
a family, similar families into an order, similar orders into classes, similar classes
into phylum, and similar phyla into a kingdom.
• For example:
Dogs, coyotes, wolves: Canis = Canidae Family
• Foxes: Vulpes = Canidae Family
Canidae and Ursidae Family = Part of Carnivora Order
Carnivora Order = Part of Mammalia Class
Mammalia and Fish Class = Part of Phylum Chordate
Chordate and Coral Phylum = Part of Animalia Kingdom
• These categories are known as taxa (singular: taxon), and the study of these
classifications is called taxonomy.
12. Othniel Charles Marsh
Othniel Charles Marsh was an American
paleontologist. Marsh was one of the preeminent
scientists in the field; the discovery or description of
dozens of new species and theories on the origins of
birds are among his legacies.
Marsh died on March 18, 1899, a few years after his
great rival Cope. He was interred at the Grove Street
Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut.
Born: October 29, 1831, Lockport, New York,
United States
Died: March 18, 1899, New Haven, Connecticut,
United States
Notable award: Bigsby Medal (1877)
Books: The Ceratopsia: Based on Preliminary
Studies by Othniel C. Marsh
Education: Harvard University, Phillips
Academy, Yale University, Yale
College, Heidelberg University, Sheffield Scientific
School
Notable student: Charles Emerson Beecher
13. Charles Robert Darwin
Basic Information: Charles Robert Darwin, FRS
FRGS FLS FZS was an English naturalist and
geologist, best known for his contributions to
evolutionary theory.
Born: February 12, 1809, The Mount, Shrewsbury,
United Kingdom.
Died: April 19, 1882, Downe, United Kingdom
Influenced by: Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Alfred Russel
Wallace, Charles Lyell, Thomas Robert Malthus,
Herbert Spencer, Adam Smith, Alexander von
Humboldt, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Georges
Louis-Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, David Hume,
Joseph Dalton Hooker, Adam Sedgwick and John
Herschel.
Children: Anne Darwin, George Darwin, Francis
Darwin, Leonard Darwin, Horace Darwin, Henrietta
Litchfield, Charles Waring Darwin, William Erasmus
Darwin, Mary Eleanor Darwin and Elizabeth Darwin.
14. Quotes of Charles Robert Darwin
• It is not the strongest of the species that
survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones
most responsive to change.
• A man who dares to waste one hour of time
has not discovered the value of life.
• The highest possible stage in moral culture is
when we recognize that we ought to control
our thoughts.
15. Cladogram of Clade Reptilia
This is a cladogram of the clade Reptilia
(reptiles), tracing the ancestry of these
groups.
21. FACTSFACTS
Dinosaurs lived
millions of years
ago
Dinosaurs lived
before people
Dinosaurs existed
in the Mesozoic
Era
Dinosaurs mostly
hatched from eggs
No dinosaur could
fly
Dinosaurs did not
live in water
The largest
dinosaur was 115
ft long and 50 ft
tall
Dinosaurs became
extinct in the
Cretaceous Period
All that’s left of
dinosaurs is fossils
22. Thecodonts
pronounced: thek-o-don-ts
• Thecodonts may have been ancestors of the
dinosaurs.
• Thecodonts (like Chasmatosaurus) were socket-
toothed reptiles that were the ancestors of
dinosaurs, birds, pterosaurs, and crocodilians.
• These archosauriforms were low-slung, meat-
eating quadrupeds had long jaws and a long tail
(they looked a lot like crocodiles).
23. Chasmatosaurus (1)
pronounced: kas-mat-o-sor-us
• Chasmatosaurus (formerly known as Proterosuchus) is the earliest-
known Proteroschian, a very primitive thecodont that lived during
the early Triassic period, about 250 million years ago.
• This socket-toothed, carnivorous reptile had a low-slung body, long
jaws with backwards-facing teeth, a sprawling gait, four short legs
with five toes on each foot, and a long tail. Its upper jaw turned
down at the tip.
• It had teeth on its palate (a primitive feature).
• It was about 6.5 ft (2 m) long. This archosaur was an ancestor of the
dinosaurs.
• Chasmatosaurus may have hunted herbivorous Dicynodonts like
Lystrosaurus on land but may have also hunted fish in the water.
• Fossils have been found in China and South Africa.
• Classification: Suborder Archosauria, Order Thecodontia, Suborder
Proterosuchia, Genus Chasmatosaurus
26. Triceratops
pronounced: try-serra-tops
• Three-horned dinosaur
• Weighed 12,000 pounds
• Cretaceous Period
• Plant-eater
• Name means: ‘three
horned lizard’
• Habitat: Wyoming and Montana in America,
Saskachewan and Alberta in Canada
27. Gallimimus
pronounced: galli-my-mus
• Ostrich Mimic (type)
• Lizard-hipped dinosaur
• Weighed 875-970 pounds
• Late Cretaceous Period
• Omnivore
• Name means: ‘rooster-mimic’
• Habitat: Gobi Desert, Mongolia
28. Minmi
pronounced: min-mee
• Armored Dinosaur
• 10 ft long
• Weighed 1,100 pounds
• Early Cretaceous Period
• Plant-eater
• Name means: Unknown
• Habitat: Grasslands in Queensland, Australia
29. Tyrannosaurus Rex
pronounced: tye-ran-o-sor-us re-ks
• Large Meat-eater
• 40 ft tall/43 ft long
• Weighed 12,000 pounds
• Late Cretaceous Period
• Name means: ‘tyrant king
lizard’
• Habitat: Open Woodland
(North America)
33. Brachiosaurus
pronounced: brak-ee-o-sor-us
• Weighed 80 tons
• Equivalent to 17 African
Elephants
• 16m tall
• 26m long
• Jurassic Period
• Quadrupedal
• Name means: ‘arm
lizard’
• Habitat: Tanzania, Kenya and
North America
34. Sauroposeidon
pronounced: sor-o-poz-ie-dun
• Brachiosaurid Group
• Weighed 36-40 tons
• Giraffe-like Stance
• Upto 18.5m tall
• Tallest dinosaur ever
• Mid-Cretaceous
Period
• Name means: ‘lizard
of the ancient Greek
god of earthquakes
(Poseidon)’
• Habitat: Oklahoma,
Wyoming and Texas,
America (USA)
35. Seismosaurus
pronounced: size-mo-sor-us
• Diplodocidae Group
• Herbivore
• Weighed 30 tons
• 18 ft (5.5m) tall
• 130-170 ft (39-52 m)
long
• Saurischian
• Sauropodomorph
• Type Species:
S.hallorum
• Longest Dinosaur
Ever
• Late Jurassic Period
• Name means: ‘quake
lizard’
• Habitat: New Mexico,
USA
36. Troodon
pronounced: troo-don
• Hunter Animal
• Carnivore
• Brainiest Dinosaur Ever
• 2m long
• Late Cretaceous Period
• Brain size similar to
modern mammal or
bird
• Stereoscopic Vision
• Biped
• Name means: ‘wounding
tooth’
• Habitat: Wyoming, Montana
and Alberta in Canada
37. Velociraptor (1)
pronounced: vel-o-see-rap-tor
• Biped
• Had about 80
very sharp,
curved teeth
• Teeth were
2.5 cm long
• The head was
about 7
inches
(18 cm) long
• 5-6 ft long
• 3 ft tall
• Weighed 7-5
kgs
• Late Cretaceous
Period
• Dromaeosaurid Group
• Name means:
‘speedy thief’
• Habitat: China,
Russia, Mongolia
• Speed: 40 mph (60 km/hr)
38. Velociraptor (2)
pronounced: vel-o-see-rap-tor
• A 3.5 inch (9 cm) long, sickle-like, retractable claw was on the
middle toe of each foot. This claw was its main weapon, and
could probably kill most of its prey (defenseless plant-eaters
like hadrosaurs) easily.
42. Eoraptor
pronounced: ee-o-rap-tor
• Scientific Name: Eoraptor
lunensis
• Oldest Known Species
• 228 million years old
• Early Triassic Period
• Name means: ‘dawn thief’
• Habitat: Ischigualasto Formation, Argentina, South
America and Madagascar
43. Mesosaurus
pronounced: mez-o-sor-us
• Swimming Reptile
• 3 ft long
• Weight: Unknown
• Early Permian Period
• Ate small ocean
animals
• Name means: ‘middle
lizard’
• Habitat: coastal areas of
Southern Africa and
South America
44. Eudibamus (1)
pronounced: yoo-dee-bam-us
• Eudibamus cursoris was a small, fast-moving lizard that lived during the Permian
period, roughly 290 million years ago. It is the earliest-known animal that walked
on two legs (it was facultatively bipedal; it ran on two legs when it needed to).
• Eudibamus' hind legs were long, and its front legs were short and weak (the hind
legs were 64% longer than the front legs and 34% longer than its trunk).
• It also had a long tail.
• This plant-eater used its speed to avoid its predators.
• It was 10.3 inches (26.1 cm) long.
• David Berman (of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History) estimated that
Eudibamus could run about 15 miles per hour (24 kmph).
• Fossils of this synapsid were found in a quarry near Gotha, Germany, in 1993.
• Eudibamus was named by Robert Reisz, et al.
• Eudibamus was not a dinosaur, but another, much earlier type of reptile.
Dimetrodon was a contemporary of Eudibamus.
• Classification: class Reptilia (reptiles), order Eosuchia, suborder Bolosauridae,
family Bolosauridae, Genus Eudibamus, species E. cursoris.
47. Elasmosaurus
pronounced: ilaz-mo-sor-us
• 46 ft long
• Longest of Plesiosaurs
• Carnivore
• Late Cretaceous Period
• Not a dinosaur
• Tetrapod
• Diapsid
• Sauropterygia
• Plesiosaur
• Plesiosauroid
• Went extinct in K-T mass extinction (65 mya)
• Had gizzards
• Laid eggs on sandy shores
• Name means: ‘thin-plated lizard’
• Habitat: Wyoming, USA
48. Pteranodon
pronounced: terr-an-o-don
• Flying Reptile
• 30 ft long
• Wingspan: Upto 40 ft
• Weighed 40 pounds
• Late Cretaceous Period
• Ate small ocean animals
• Name means: ‘winged lizard’
• Habitat: Germany, France,
England, Tanzania
53. Archaeopteryx (1)
pronounced: ark-e-op-ter-iks
• Archaeopteryx (meaning "ancient wing") is a
very old prehistoric bird dating from the
Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago.
• It had teeth, feathers, three claws on each
wing, a flat sternum (breastbone), and a long,
bony tail.
56. Microraptor (1)
pronounced: mike-ro-rap-tor
• Microraptor (meaning "little plunderer") is a newly-
discovered, bird-like dinosaur from China.
• This crow-sized coelurosaurid theropod was about 16 inches
(40 cm long). Its feet were adapted for climbing; it may
have spent much of its life in trees.
• This bipedal meat-eater had some bird-like features,
including its teeth (like those of early birds) and hip (it had a
Rahonavis-like ischium). A partial skeleton (missing the
middle portion) and feather-like impressions were found in
Liaoning, China.
• It is probably an adult, but this is not certain. The type
species is M. zhaoianus; it was named by Xu, Zhou, and
Wang in 2000.
59. Wooly Mammoth (1)
pronounced: woo-lee mam-uth
• Lived 2 mya
to 9,000 years
ago
• Cenozoic era
(Last Ice Age)
• Pleistocene to
early Holocene Epoch
• Known from
fossils and
cave drawings
• Cave paintings found
in France and Spain
• Herbivores
• 9 ft (2.7 m) tall to
over 15 ft (4.5 m) tall
• Weighed 3 tons (2.75 tonnes)
• Ears much smaller than
modern-day
elephants
• Related to Indian
Elephants
• Both males/females
had tusks
• Tusks were
over 17 feet
(5.2 m) long
• Mummified Mammoth
found in Siberian Ice
• Habitat: Tundras of Asia,
Europe and North America
• Scientific Name: Mammuthus
primigenius
60. Wooly Mammoth (2)
pronounced: woo-lee mam-uth
• Classification:
Mammoths are mammals and classified as follows: Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia (mammals)
Subclass Eutheria (Placental mammals)
Order Proboscidae
Suborder Elephantoidea (3 families, 2 of mastodons and 1 of mammoths)
Family Elephantidae (mammoths and modern elephants)
Genus Mammuthus
Species
• M. primigenius (the woolly mammoth, from late Pleistocene Europe and North America - 9 feet=2.7 m tall, a small
mammoth)
• M. planifrons (the flat-browed mammoth, from Pleistocene India)
• M. meridionalis (the southern mammoth, from early Pleistocene Europe - one of the first mammoths - 15 ft=4.5 m tall)
• M. imperator (the imperial mammoth, from early Pleistocene North America, about 2,000,000 years ago - 13 ft=4 m tall
with tusks just as long)
• M. jeffersoni (the mammoth, from Eurasia)
• M. columbi (the Columbia mammoth, from late Pleistocene North America 12 ft=3.7 m tall with twisted tusks)
• M. trogontherii (the steppe mammoth, from middle Pleistocene central Europe 15 ft=4.5 m tall with tusks 17 ft=5.2 m long)
• etc.
• Anatomy and tusks: Woolly Mammoths had long, dense, dark black hair and underfur, long, curved tusks, a fatty hump, a
long proboscis (nose), and large ears. They were about 11.5 feet (3.5 m) long, 9.5 feet (2.9 m) tall at the shoulder and
weighed about 3 tons (2.75 tonnes). The tusks were used for protection, in interspecies dominance, and for digging in the
snow of the ice ages for grass and other food. (Classification: Family Elephantidae)
• Extinction: The Woolly Mammoth probably went extinct because it couldn't adapt to the combined pressures of the
climatic warming that occured when the Ice Age ended, together with predation from humans.
62. American Mastodon (1)
pronounced: um-err-ic-un mast-o-don
• Mastodons were large, widely-distributed mammals that are now extinct. These quadrupeds
were well adapted to the cold weather; they were large (which retains body heat), had thick,
insulating fur, and had long tusks, which they may have used to push through the snow to
obtain food.
• Diet: Mastodons were herbivores (plant-eaters) who ate the leaves of tree leaves, shrubs,
mosses, twigs, and other plants. Some mastodons have been found with food in the mouth or
stomach.
• Anatomy: Mastodons had long, brown, shaggy fur and two large, upper tusks. Mastodons
were smaller than modern-day elephants; they ranged from about 6.5-10 feet (2-3 m) tall at the
shoulder.
• Evolution and Extinction: Mastodons evolved in Africa about 35 million years ago and
spread throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia. About 3.7 million years ago, mastodons migrated
to North America via the Bering Strait land bridge. The last of the mastodons went extinct
about 10,000 years ago, when the last Ice Age ended.
• Mastodons were closely related to the mammoths and the elephant.
65. Saber-Toothed Cats
pronounced; sabe-er too-th-ed cat-s
These extinct cats are notable for two huge canine te-
eth plus other sharp teeth in powerful jaws. These m-
ammals also had powerful jaw and neck muscles that
let them stab prey with their deadly teeth. They ate
mammoths, rhinoceros and other thick-skinned anim-
als.
Examples include: Smilodon (the largest and most po-
werful, from N. America) Hoplophoneus (with short t-
eeth, from the Oligocene), Eusmilus (leopard sized w-
ith very long teeth, from the Oligocene) and Machair-
odus (lion-sized and common; from Europe, during the
Paleocene). Fossils have been found in Pliocene to
early Pleistocene rocks from both North and South
America and other northern continents
66. Smilodon (1)
pronounced: smy-lo-don
• Largest Saber-Toothed Cat
• 4-5 feet (1.2-1.5 m) long
and 3 feet (0.9 m) tall
• Weighed about 440 lbs (200 kg)
• a bit smaller than a modern-day
lion (Panthera leo), but much
heavier
• Had short legs and a short,
bobbed tail
• adapted for springing onto
prey, but not a very fast runner
• 12-inch-long (30 cm) skull
• Had 2 huge canine teeth
• Jaws that opened to an
angle of about 120°
• Teeth were serrated
• 7 inches (18 cm) long
• Last Ice Age, Pleistocene
Epoch (early part of
Quaternary Period)
• Habitat: grasslands, shrubby areas, and
pine forests that supported the
plant-eating animals that saber-tooth
cats ate
• Ate mastodons, horses and bison
67. Smilodon (2)
pronounced: smy-lo-don
• Fossils
Thousands of Smilodon fossils have been found in late Pleistocene tar pits and
rocks from North America (S. californicus, which is the California State Fossil, and
S. fatalis have been found in California) and South America (S. neogaeus has been
found in Argentina).
• Classification
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Carnivora (cats, dogs, bears, seals, weasels, etc.)
Family Felidae (cats)
Subfamily Machairodontinae (saber-toothed cats)
Genus: Smilodon
Smilodon was named by Plieninger in 1846.
• Meaning
Smilodon means ‘knife tooth’
*Smilodon and the other saber-toothed tigers are not closely related to modern-day
tigers.
68. Eusmilus (1)
pronounced: yoo-smy-lus
• Eusmilus was a saber-toothed cat that lived during the late
Eocene (about 40 million years ago) in Eurasia, and spread
eastward over the Bering land bridge to North America by
the Oligocene Epoch. Fossils have been found in France and
the USA (in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming).
• This predator had long, saber-like upper canine teeth, but
only 26 teeth in its mouth (most carnivores have about 44
teeth). Its huge jaws could open about 90 degrees, allowing
it to stab its victims with its incisors. Eusmilus was about 8
feet (2.5 m) long; it had a long, low body and a long tail.
• Classification: Superfamily Feloidea (cats, mongooses),
Family Felidae, Subfamily Machairodontinae, Genus
Eusmilus, species cerebralis, etc.
70. Machairodus (1)
pronounced: maa-kai-rod-us
• Machairodus was a common saber-toothed cat that
lived from about 15 million years ago until about 2
million years ago.
• Species of this scimitar cat have been found in Africa,
Europe, Asia, and North America.
• This lion-sized meat-eating mammal had slender limbs
and a short tail; the upper jaw canine teeth were large.
• Machairodus was named by Kaup in 1833.
• Classification: Family Felidae, Subfamily
Machairodontinae, Genus Machairodus, many species.
72. Hoplophoneus
pronounced: hop-lo-fon-ee-us
• Hoplophoneus was a relatively small saber-toothed cat (about 1 1/2
to 2 times the size of a housecat) that lived during the Oligocene
Period (from about 40 million to 20 million years ago).
• Fossils have been found in Wyoming, USA.
• This cat's skull was 6 inches (15 cm) long.
• This predator had long, saber-like upper canine teeth that fit into a
socket in its lower jaw.
• Hoplophoneus was plantigrade (flat-footed, unlike modern-day cats,
which are digitigrade).
• Its large jaws could open about 90 degrees, allowing it to stab its
victims with its incisors.
• Classification: Superfamily Feloidea (cats, mongooses), Family
Felidae, Subfamily Machairodontinae, Genus Hoplophoneus
74. Number of Species found in Britain
(United Kingdom)
• So far, 108 species have been discovered in
Britain. Britain was an important area during
much of the Mesozoic Era acting as a “land
bridge” between North America and Eurasia.
It became a hotspot for dinosaur evolution and
migration.
• British dinosaurs include Megalosaurus,
Iguanodon, Neovenator, Eotyrannus and
Cetiosaurus.
75. How do we know so much about
them, eh?
Fossils! Lots and lots of fossils!
76. Archaeologists found dinosaur claws. They were very sharp, so
they were used to kill prey. They were the claws of a meat-eating
dinosaur(s).
78. Smallest/Biggest Dinosaur Egg
• SMALLEST
• Only 3cm long
• Species Unknown
• BIGGEST
• As big as a football
• Species Unknown
• Bigger than biggest ostrich
egg
79. • Dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago.
• We do not know why.
Some think because of…
• Climate Change
• Meteorite Shower
• Sea Level Change
What do you think?
80. Extinction of Dinosaurs
• Dinosaurs completely died out 65 million
years ago.
• Dinosaurs survived for more than 165 million
years before the Earth was hit by a massive
meteorite originally believed to have caused
their extinction, according to new research.
81. It is universally believed by most people that dinosaurs died out 65 mya when
a big asteroid or meteorite hit the Earth. Ten years later, scientists found the
65 million year old, 180km wide, Chicxulub crater on the Yucatan Peninsula
in Mexico, which finally provided the smoking gun that could explain the
apparent chaos at the end of the Mesozoic era. A crater that wide suggests that
an asteroid or comet approximately 10km wide hit the Earth.