Top 10 Most Fascinating Dinosaur Facts That Will Blow Your Mind Reading Comprehension Article 3

Apart from being one of the most recognizable prehistoric creatures, dinosaurs have also captivated the minds of millions of people all around the world. Even though they are known for being extinct for more than 65 million years, there are still many interesting and mind-blowing facts about dinosaurs that many people do not know. If you are one of those people who wonders what makes dinosaurs such an interesting zoology to learn about, check out these top 10 most fascinating dinosaur facts.

Dinosaurs Lay Eggs

This may come as a surprise, but dinosaurs actually laid eggs. It had been long thought that they reproduced by means of live birth, but recent discoveries have shown that they too had a version of the Mommy Dinosaur model. The fact that they could hatch living, breathing young, and then raise them to be fully grown and self-sufficient individuals was a huge evolutionary step forward. It is also interesting to note that the first fossils of nest-building dinosaurs were found in the 1950s, but the practice survived only in a few species until the end of the century.

Dinosaurs Could Fly

While most of the time the wings on dinosaurs were associated with flight, the fact that they could actually use them for flying is a little known fact. The feathers associated with these wings are indeed very interesting; they are made of keratin, a material also found in the claws and beaks of birds and mammals, and are lighter than air.

Dinosaurs Had Adaptable skeletons

While an artist’s conception of a dinosaur may help us imagine what the creature looked like, the reality is that the dinosaur species we know from fossils had various body shapes and sizes, with some being much larger than others. This diversity in size actually helped a number of the species survive until very late in the Cretaceous. The fact that they had adaptable skeletons was because their bones could grow over time to accommodate new growth like our own bones do.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Was The King Of All Dinosaurs

There are many species of dinosaurs, but Tyrannosaurus Rex is by far the most famous and recognizable. This is probably because it was the largest species of dinosaur known until the late Cretaceous, living around 66 million years ago. It had a very large skull with razor-sharp teeth for biting through its prey’s bones and an estimated body size of 30 feet long and 8 feet high.

The Current Landscape Is Barely A Shadow Of What Dinosaurs Saw

It is very interesting to think about the wide variety of landscapes that dinosaurs inhabited and how much the Earth has changed since then. The Earth is currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction event, which is caused by human activity. Although it is not certain when the Dinosaurs will be completely gone, it is estimated that there are only about 10 species that are under serious threat of extinction due to human actions.

Dinosaurs Had Very Short Life Spans

Most dinosaurs lived for a very short time, with the largest species living for approximately 30 years. The smaller species generally lived only a few years. The fact that they lived so briefly compared to other creatures makes the dinosaurs’ survival to see the development of birds all the more impressive.

Baby Dinosaurs Were Cute and Tiny

One of the most interesting facts about dinosaurs is that their young were just as cute and tiny as their parents were. The egg-laying species of dinosaurs such as the Prosauropods and Amorphodians were small enough to sit comfortably on the palm of your hand.

Did You Know That Dinosaurs Could Regenerate Body Parts?

You have probably heard this before, but did you know that dinosaurs could actually regrow body parts. This is true, as many species of dinosaurs such as the Hadrosaurs and Ceratopsians grew replacement teeth when needed.

T-Rex Was Not The Only Predator To Hunt Dinosaurs

While the Tyrannosaurus Rex was the most well-known and recognizable dinosaur, it was not the only predator to hunt and eat dinosaurs. Other well-known predators such as the Allosaurus, Carcharodontosauridae, and Dromaeosauridae also existed at the same time as T-Rex and shared the same ecosystem.

So What Ever Happened To All Those Extinct Dinosaurs?

The fossil record of dinosaurs is extensive, with over 10,000 different species and varieties having lived 65 million years ago. However, the extinction of dinosaurs is certainly a sad occurrence. It is likely that an asteroid or comet struck the Earth 65 million years ago and caused a mass die-off of species that were unable to evolve new, more resistant species quickly enough to outlive the catastrophe.

These are only 10 of the countless fascinating facts about dinosaurs. There are many more to discover! Get ready to be amazed by the history of these extinct creatures.

Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Did dinosaurs have live babies?
2. How old did the average dinosaur live?
3. What dinosaurs were good hunters?
4. How many dinosaur species do we know about?
5. Are any dinosaurs still living today?