Dinosaurs A to Z

Welcome to the Age of Dinosaurs

Long, long ago — millions of years before any people lived — giant reptiles called dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Some were taller than a house. Some were smaller than a chicken. Some ate plants, and some ate other animals.

How do we know about them? From fossils — the bones and footprints that turned to stone and were buried for millions of years. Scientists called palaeontologists dig them up and study them.

Let's meet one amazing dinosaur for every letter of the alphabet!

A is for Allosaurus

Allosaurus was a big meat-eater that walked on two strong back legs. It had sharp teeth and clawed hands for catching prey. Its name means "different lizard."

B is for Brachiosaurus

Brachiosaurus was a gentle giant. It had a very long neck to reach leaves high in the trees, like a giraffe today. It ate only plants.

C is for Compsognathus

Compsognathus was one of the smallest dinosaurs — about the size of a turkey. It was quick and light and chased small lizards and insects.

D is for Diplodocus

Diplodocus was one of the longest dinosaurs ever, with a long neck and an even longer whip-like tail. It ate plants and walked on four legs.

E is for Edmontosaurus

Edmontosaurus was a duck-billed dinosaur. Its wide, flat mouth helped it munch tough plants. It lived in big herds for safety.

F is for Fukuiraptor

Fukuiraptor was a meat-eating dinosaur found in Japan. It had sharp claws on its hands that it used to grab its food.

G is for Gallimimus

Gallimimus looked a bit like a giant ostrich. It had long legs and could run very fast to escape from danger.

H is for Hadrosaurus

Hadrosaurus was another duck-billed plant-eater. It could walk on two legs or four, and it had hundreds of teeth for grinding leaves.

I is for Iguanodon

Iguanodon had a special spiky thumb that it may have used to defend itself. It was one of the first dinosaurs ever discovered by scientists.

J is for Jingshanosaurus

Jingshanosaurus was a long-necked plant-eater from China. It walked on four legs and lived very early in the age of dinosaurs.

K is for Kentrosaurus

Kentrosaurus had sharp spikes along its back and tail to protect it from hungry hunters. It ate low-growing plants.

L is for Lambeosaurus

Lambeosaurus had a fancy crest on top of its head, shaped a bit like a hatchet. It may have used the crest to make loud calls.

M is for Microraptor

Microraptor was a tiny dinosaur with feathers on all four limbs. Many scientists think it could glide between trees!

N is for Nodosaurus

Nodosaurus was covered in bony armour like a living tank. The hard plates on its back kept it safe from meat-eaters.

O is for Ornithomimus

Ornithomimus means "bird mimic." It had a beak, long legs and no teeth, and it could run very fast across the open land.

P is for Parasaurolophus

Parasaurolophus had a long, hollow tube on its head. Air passing through it may have made a sound like a trumpet to call other dinosaurs.

Q is for Quetzalcoatlus

Quetzalcoatlus was not a dinosaur but a flying reptile that lived at the same time. With huge wings, it was one of the largest flying animals ever.

R is for Rugops

Rugops was a meat-eater that lived in Africa. Scientists think it may have been a scavenger, eating animals that were already dead.

S is for Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus had big bony plates along its back and sharp spikes on its tail. It was a plant-eater with a brain about the size of a walnut!

T is for Triceratops

Triceratops had three horns on its face and a large bony frill around its neck. This plant-eater used its horns to defend itself.

U is for Utahraptor

Utahraptor was a fierce hunter with a large curved claw on each foot. It was bigger than the famous Velociraptor.

V is for Velociraptor

Velociraptor was a small, clever, fast meat-eater covered in feathers. It hunted using its speed and its sharp, sickle-shaped claws.

W is for Wuerhosaurus

Wuerhosaurus was a plant-eater related to Stegosaurus, with bony plates on its back. It lived in what is now China.

X is for Xenoceratops

Xenoceratops had horns and a frill like Triceratops. Its name means "alien horned face" because it looked so unusual.

Y is for Yangchuanosaurus

Yangchuanosaurus was a large meat-eater from China with a big head and strong jaws full of sharp teeth.

Z is for Zuniceratops

Zuniceratops was a horned plant-eater and one of the earliest of its kind. It was smaller than Triceratops but had similar brow horns.

What We Learned

From A to Z, dinosaurs came in every shape and size. Some hunted with claws and teeth, and many ate plants with flat, grinding mouths. We know all of this from the fossils they left behind.

Want more true stories about our world? Soar through the skies with A Short History of Flight, or explore the ocean in Explorers of the Deep Sea.