Meet Some Deadly Dinos!
Join us as we get up-close with some prehistoric beasts!
Ready for a roar-some prehistoric adventure? Then join NG Kids as we meet seven of our favourite dinosaurs!
Name: Tyrannosaurus rex
Lived: 65 million years ago
Size: Up to 12m long
Discovered: USA and Canada
Say it: Tye-ran-oh-sore-us rex
The most famous dino of them all, the T-rex was armed with jaws which remain the most powerful weapon nature has ever created. Its thick, sharp teeth could rip almost 100kg of flesh off its victims in a single bone-crunching chomp!
It was also one of the smartest of the meat-eating dinosaurs with a brain twice as big as those of other giant carnivores. More than 20 almost-complete skeletons have been found, and the most perfect, nicknamed Sue, was unearthed in South Dakota, USA, 20 years ago. Experts together spent more than 25,000 hours restoring Sue’s bones for exhibition. Awesome!
Name: Velociraptor
Lived: 80 million years ago
Size: Up to 2m long
Discovered: Mongolia
Say it: Veh-loss-ih-rap-tore
In 1924, the first velociraptor remains were discovered in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert by the American Roy Chapman Andrews – the man believed to be the inspiration for the Indiana Jones character!
Although small, velociraptors were quite clever and could move very fast (the name means ‘speed thief’), using their long tails for balance as they ran after their tasty prey. These carnivorous creatures hunted in packs, and probably ate mostly small lizards and mammals. They may have even eaten other velociraptors’ babies. Yikes!
Name: Dracorex
Lived: 70-65 million years ago
Size: Up to 3m long
Discovered: South Dakota, USA
Say it: Dray-co-rex
With its long, thick skull, crowned with bony spikes and horns, this plant-eater has caused debate among experts. Some think the fossils found are from a previously unknown animal. Others believe that it died young, and that if it had lived longer, its sharp horns would have grown into deer-like antlers until it became a stygimoloch, an already-known dinosaur. It’s full name is actually dracorex hogwartsia, so it’s the only dino to be named after Harry Potter’s school!
Name: Argentinosaurus
Lived: 1,000 million years ago
Size: Up to 42m long
Discovered: Argentina
Say it: Ahr-gen-teen-oh-sore-us
Some dinosaurs were taller. Some were just as long. But overall, the argentinosaurus was the biggest, and by far the heaviest, weighing up to 100 tonnes – that’s as much as 20 elephants! Still, it didn’t look so big in the “monkey puzzle” forests where it lived – these giant trees can grow to 25m tall! But even the planet’s most colossal creature wasn’t safe from predators. Although being 10 times lighter, mapusauruses, the largest known meat-eating dinosaurs, would hunt argentinosaurus in packs!
Name: Nothronychus
Lived: 92 million years ago
Size: Up to 6m long
Discovered: New Mexico, USA
Say it: Noth-throw-nye-cuss
Discovered just 10 years ago, the nothronychus’ distinctive features show scientists that it is related to the therizinosaurus, which lived far, far away in what is now Central Asia! With bird-like hips, a big “pot belly” and four, forward-turning toes on each foot, it walked – slowly! – on its hind legs, leaving its huge but nimble clawed arms free to tear down branches and plants to eat. It seems this creature has a lot to teach us. Before it was found, experts believed that the area where it lived had been under the sea!
Name: Pentaceratops
Lived: 75 million years ago
Size: Up to 8m long
Discovered: New Mexico, USA
Say it: Pen-ta-ser-ah-tops
This hefty, horned herbivore still holds the record for the largest skull of any land animal ever! Measuring 3m long, its spectacular skull featured five horns, as well as a huge “frill” at the back of its head which may have evolved to protect its neck. Experts believe that the horns were too thin to be much use for fighting off big predators and that perhaps they were more for showing off! Pentaceratops also had a parrot-like beak for chomping through tough plants. Who’s a pretty boy, then?
Name: Gastonia
Lived: 125 million years ago
Size: Up to 5m long
Discovered: Utah, USA
Say it: Gas-tone-ee-ah
When it comes to being well-defended, this mighty plant-eater is pretty hard to beat. Weighing in at about a tonne – as heavy as a large car – its body was covered in tough bony plates. Huge spikes up to 30cm long grew from the gastonia’s shoulders, back and along its sides, while thick layers of bone protected its brain and a smooth plate across its hips guarded its spine. On its powerful tail, double rows of jagged barbs lined each side so the animal could lash out at attackers. Nasty!
For more dino-mite adventures, check out the National Geographic Kids Dinopedia book, available at Waterstone’s and other good book retailers now.
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COMMENTS
MIne Favourite dinois Allosaurus!
MY FAvourite Dinosaur is Allosaurus!
wow wow wow wow
Love space and dinosaurs
wow that
wwwwoooowwww
WOW. My fave was the Dracorex Hogwartsia for 2 reasons its named after harry potter and is later evolved into the Stygimolch
It was so so cool. I am going to be a paleontologist.
hi
cool
cool
Soo cool and usefull
dinosaurs rule.
I love dinosaurs
Thanks!For teaching me everything thats amazing!!!
that was roarsome
that is amazing I love dinosaurs I'm learning about them I even have toys of them roarsome
wow
YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU GUYS (national geographic people) REALLY DESERVE SOMETHING AWESOME AND GOOD... I WOULD GIVE YOU A... UH-DINOSAUR FOSSIL! EACH PERSON WOULD GET ONE! THERE FAVORITE DINO.. GOOD LUCK!!!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU! WHEN I GROW UP, IM GONNA BE A PALEONTOLOGIST!RAWRRRRRRR!!!!
Woah, I never knew that a normal tricerotops would be so deadly! Thank you for helping me learn more!
Wow it was amazing and being a potterhead (harry potter fan) I think it is super cool that someone named a dino after it in honour of the series.
BaD
I love Dinosaurs and ny favorite Dinosaur is Transaurus rex
verrynice
Wicked sick - Id so feed my two deaf cats to the Noth-throw-nye-cuss!
Lol Lol man Lol
This is kinda ok Im not sure if I like it
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The basest book in the world
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I want a T-rex what do yall want ?
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yeh
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Cool! My favourite dinosaur was the Dracorex
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awsome!!!!!
those were some deadly dinos
I love turtles their so cute
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lol I really liked reading this even though I didnt really focus xD
I heart dinos thank you for sharing some valid info thx again
awsome
epic
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C001
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I never knew what a gastonia was
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STUPID
dinos are roar_some
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sweet
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LOL
Why is there no branchasouras and a dipodulcus
thank for telling me more about dinosaurs and that you helped me with saying a few other dinosaurs names
I never new so much about dinosaurs!
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epic
i like all the dinosaurs
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they are cool
AWESOME SO AWESOME!
Grate
I like Tarbasaurus,Mapasaurus and gallimimus ;there my fav dinos
cool dinos,cool facts.i never knew a velosiraptor lived 80,000,000 years ago .
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I am doing a project about dinosaurs in school I enjoyed looking at this website thank you!
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I LOVE DINOSAURS THEY ARE SO COOL
I think it was really interesting and I liked it very much and I hope I get to read more about dinosaurs
Cool dinos!
It was full of informative and amazing facts.
I love dinos
COOL FACTFILE!
Cool
what about other dinosaurs like preditor x, megalodon, sarchasuchus, spinosaurous, carchadontasaur, mapasaurous, allosaurous, kimarusaurous!
Your dinersosie are so cool.
Super cool! I like the t-Rex!
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My fave is the one at the front! There fearsome!!!!!! i love em !!!!! :D
wow love it.im a girl dont exepeted that .
T-Rex is my most favourite
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THAT WAS AWSOME NOW I HAVE LEARNT LOTS OF DINASUAR NAMES
BEST OF THE BEST
I <3 the photos!!!
good
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i like the pictures of the dinosaurs
Scary
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love it toataly awsome
Am I the only 1 who thinks that thinks that nothronychus looks exact like archaeopteryx ? Those animals ere like half birds half reptilies :-) first birds
Awesome facts.
NG rocks!
Dinos are AWESOME! My faves definitely the T-Rex.
wow
Gastonia looks really deadly even if its only a herbivore
this is a interesting site and i love dinosaurs
My favorite dinosaur out of these seven is the Nothronychus.
awsome
I think I mite know a bit more about the T -rex
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I like dinosaurs i like most the vilociraptor
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Deadly I say!
brillint
Great!
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I,m new to NGkids
Gemma morrey
i like dinosaurs i like all dinosaurs but i like trex too much
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whoa cool I need this for research but I cant look away
I love dracorex
THE T-Rex is away some .
Awesome!
I like it so much
I like Gastonia and t-rex
In the picture of the Nothronychus, is the one flying an archeaopteryx?
I love dinos
I love t-rexs
I like T-rex the best
my favourite is t-rex
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CUSTOMIZE YOUR AVATAR