Megan Stine - What Was the Age of the Dinosaurs?

Iguanodon

Neither Mantell nor Buckland understood that they had stumbled onto a completely unknown group of animals. The word dinosaur hadnt been invented yetand wouldnt be for another twenty years. But thats what Megalosaurus and Iguanodon were. In the early nineteenth century, no one yet realized that in prehistoric times, gigantic animals had roamed the earth. But soon, more fossils were found, and slowly scientists began to put together the pieces of a long-lost worldthe Age of the Dinosaurs.

How Fossils Form

When a plant or animal dies in a watery environment, it quickly becomes buried in mud and silt. Soon the soft tissue rots away, leaving just the hard bones or shells behind. Over time these are covered by more layers of earth, which harden into rock and encase the remainsthe fossil.

Scientists who study fossils are called paleontologists (PAY-lee-on-TAH-lo-jists). (The name comes from the word paleo , which means ancient or from earths long-ago past.)

Two hundred thirty million years ago, the Age of the Dinosaurs began. The first baby dinosaurs poked their heads out of their eggshells and looked around for something to eat.

The earth was a very different place then. North America didnt exist. Neither did Africa or Europe. All seven continents we know today were clumped together into one huge landmass that we call Pangaea (pan-JEE-uh).

Pangaea was surrounded on all sides by water. The center of the huge continent was a hot desert, where not much could survive. A giant ocean covered the rest of the earth. Near the coastlines, the ocean cooled the air. Cool air and water made it possible for fabulous life-forms to develop. Ferns grew along the coast. Moss covered the rocks. There were forests of pine trees and palm trees. Spiders and beetles crawled about.

Pangaea

The ocean was full of life. There were huge swimming reptilesanimals like lizards and turtles, only bigger. Some, called ichthyosaurs (ICK-thee-oh-sores), looked much more like dolphins or fish. They were predators that hunted fish. Others, called plesiosaurs (PLEE-see-oh-sores), were more like gigantic shell-less turtles with incredibly long necks. They may have eaten baby ichthyosaurs for lunch.

Ichthyosaurs

Plesiosaur