By Minal Shahid What is a Dinosaur DINOSAURS

By Minal Shahid

What is a Dinosaur - DINOSAURS LIVED ON EARTH FOR 230 MILLION YEARS AND THEY BECAME EXTINCT 65. 5 MILLION YEARS AGO FROM DATE. - THE WORD “DINOSAUR” MEANS “TERRIBLE LIZARD". - THERE WERE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF DINOSAURS, SOME BIG SOME SMALL, SOME TALL SOME SHORT, SOME FED ONLY ON VEGETATION, SOME WERE CARNIVORES WHEREAS SOME ATE BOTH VEGETATION AND MEATS.

- The Diplodocus dinosaur was known to be the world’s longest dinosaur. - The Diplodocus was a “lizard- hipped” dinosaur. It was a sauropod, a group which were especially abundant in the Late Jurassic period.

Appearance � � � The Diplodocus was the longest of the land dinosaurs but not the heaviest. Much of its length was taken up with its strong whip-like tail. It has a small head similar to that of a horse, with nostrils placed high just below the eyes. It has a long whiplash tail around 29 metres long. It weighs around 10 -20 tons and has a height of 16 feet. The diplodocus is known for its very long neck which can reach up to 16 -20 feet long. Its long neck helps it reach high into tree branches.

Diplodocuses have a fat, chubby body and short stubby legs. � These dinosaurs range in colours depending on their diet, health and habitat. Their skin colour is usually a greyish green sometimes leaning over to a tint of blue. � The Diplodocus has a short row of spines that run along its spine �

Diet � The dinosaur is a herbivore which means that it only eats vegetation (plants & leaves). � When the diplodocus eats it does not chew its food, but swallows it whole. � The diplodocus also swallowed small stones called gastroliths, which were held in its stomach and served the same purpose as the gizzard of a bird. These gastroliths helped Diplodocus to digest tough plant material. Gastroliths

Habitat Diplodocus are from the Sauropods group. Sauropods are terrestrial animals and are usually found living near ferns, trees and bushes so they can easily access food. � They can also be found in areas where there is a water source near by such as a pond or lake. � The Diplodocus was found in the areas now known as Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming which are all located in the U. S. A �

Interesting Facts It was the longest dinosaur ever � It was named in 1878 � It lived for 155 - 145 million years � It has been determined that Diplodocus could not hold their necks over about 17 feet off the ground. � The name diplodocus means “doublebeamed” � The Diplodocus died because of old age, diseases or from natural causes, they rarely died from predators �

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