Science Lessons for Kids > Dinosaurs
15 Dinosaur Facts & Trivia Questions for Kids
DINOSAURS! They’re big! They’re extinct! And they chomp-chomp-chomp all the way to dino-town! (citation needed) Lots of kids love dinosaurs, and here at Tappity, we have all kinds of learning for every K-5 dino-head, including the question, “Could a T-Rex win a fight against a brontosaurus?”
Find out in our video or learn more about dinosaurs below.
So strap in, and let’s blast back to the Jurassic!
Amazing Dinosaur Facts for Kids
Don’t let your dino knowledge go extinct! Like the dinosaurs did! Because then it won’t exist anymore! Do you see what we’re saying?
Dinosaurs Are Related to Birds
The Archeopteryx was a mystery to paleontologists when it was first discovered - a bird with teeth? A raptor with wings? It turned out to be the fossil record link between dinosaurs and birds. That’s right, dinosaurs are related to birds! In fact, the chicken is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex!
The Dinosaurs Were Many Times Bigger Than All The Land Animals Today
Dinosaurs came to rule the Earth during the Jurassic Period, and it was during that time that some of them reached truly titanic sizes - way bigger than the biggest land animals today.
Paleontologists Are Like Dinosaur Detectives
A paleontologist is someone who studies fossils. They’re like time detectives, piecing together clues to figure out what life on Earth was like millions of years ago.
Enormous Dinosaurs Had Hollow Bones
Did you ever wonder how dinosaurs like the Brachiosaurus got to be so enormous? One secret to their size was the hollow bones of some dinosaurs. This allowed them to be weigh half as much as an elephant of the same size would.
Dinosaurs Weren’t Always Huge
The earliest dinosaur, the Nyasasaurus, evolved around 243 million years ago, was only about 3 feet tall - about the height of a dog. It would be tens to hundreds of millions of years before they became the giants we know and love. So maybe in 100 million years, your dog’s descendants will be the size of a T-rex!
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Dinosaur and Paleontology Trivia Questions
Test your dino knowledge!
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The largest dinosaur we’ve discovered so far is the Argentinosaurus, a long-necked dinosaur similar to a Brontosaurus. It was half as long as a football field, and weighed as much as 8 elephants put together!
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The smallest dinosaur scientists have discovered so far is the Oculudentavis naga. It was a big-eyed lizard about the size of a hummingbird!
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Scientists believe the Tyrannosaurus Rex lived around 28 years - just long enough to start re-thinking its career choices!
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Nope! It had a large bundle of nerves at the base of its spine, but so do most animals with backbones!
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Scientists don’t know for sure, but one theory is that it was to make them less likely to be bitten off by another T-Rex during a feeding frenzy on a fresh kill. Yikes! Talk about messy eaters!
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Most of the dinosaurs went extinct around 66 million years ago, and the leading scientific theory is that, yes, a giant asteroid impact caused their extinction. Based on geological evidence, scientists believe an asteroid half the length of Manhattan struck the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico with a force of 1 billion atomic bombs.
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Most likely! There’s strong evidence that T-Rexes, as well as other closely related dinosaurs, were feathered. Modern-day birds are actually descended from this group - in fact, the chicken is the closest modern relative of the T-Rex! Most other dinosaurs most likely did not have feathers.
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The T-Rex had the strongest bite of any known land animal that ever lived. It was strong enough that it could have crushed a car.
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The earliest dinosaurs came about in the Triassic Period, around 243 million years ago, and almost all of the dinosaurs went extinct around 66 million years ago - meaning dinosaurs walked the Earth for about 180 million years. To put that in perspective, our human ancestors only evolved around just 6 million years ago.
Kid-Friendly Ways to Learn More About Dinosaurs
Play Tappity’s Video Lessons About Dinosaurs and Paleontology
Want to know who would win in a fight between a T-Rex and a Brontosaurus? Ever wanted to build your OWN dinosaur? Sink your teeth into our library of interactive video lessons!
Join Live, Online Science Classes with Other Kids
Think you’ve got what it takes to be an archaeologist? Want to go back in time to when dinosaurs walked the Earth? Then sign up for one of our live online classes, and let one of our awesome hosts be your guide - with their expert guidance, you can make it to the Jurassic and back without being eaten (or your money back)!
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From Volcanoes to Velociraptors, we’ve got it all - right here at Tappity.
