The greatest, most diverse and successful class of land vertibrates ever, believed to have originated sometime in the Triassic about 240 million years ago, and disappearing around 65 million years ago. Gods among animals, and awesome testaments to the power of creation (or evolution, if your must insist that these words be mutually exclusive) they were physiologically superior to mammals and gave rise to birds.
Often our society shows a disinterest with the phenomena of the dinosauria, approaching paleontology with a "they're dead, who cares" attitude. They are also ridiculed for having "died out" when they in fact persisted a period of something like 160 million years--more than 40 times longer than the time elapsed since the earliest human anscestors appeared. Even the word "dinosaur" has a deprecative connotation, implying something that is outdated or obsolete.
Stop for a moment to consider that these animals did, in fact exist, and are not the chimeras of children. This writer would maintain, however, that anyone holding the view that an interest in dinosaurs is nerdy and childish deserves to have his or head bitten off by a Charcharodontosaurus.
Often our society shows a disinterest with the phenomena of the dinosauria, approaching paleontology with a "they're dead, who cares" attitude. They are also ridiculed for having "died out" when they in fact persisted a period of something like 160 million years--more than 40 times longer than the time elapsed since the earliest human anscestors appeared. Even the word "dinosaur" has a deprecative connotation, implying something that is outdated or obsolete.
Stop for a moment to consider that these animals did, in fact exist, and are not the chimeras of children. This writer would maintain, however, that anyone holding the view that an interest in dinosaurs is nerdy and childish deserves to have his or head bitten off by a Charcharodontosaurus.
Lots of kids my age got hooked on dinosaurs for a while--it was a childhood disease, like mumps or chicken pox, and if left alone, most kids recovered and then had a lifetime immunity to dinosaurmania. But I was that rare exception, a terminal, chronic case.-- Robert T. Bakker, "The Dinosaur Heresies"
by Killing Kittens May 18, 2004
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1.) The term means "terrible lizard", derived from Greek words. Extremely successful creatures who are believed to have died out 65 million years ago and lived/ruled during the Mesozoic era. Some (meaning the theropods) are also believed to be the ancestors of modern-day birds due to feather imprints around fossils and other similarities, with the closest links being the dromaeosaurs (raptors); however, none seem to have been able to actually fly.
There were a number of different groups, but they are generally classified by whether they were herbivorous or carnivorous, which is also also by the structure of their hip bones (bird- or lizard-hipped). Some, if not all, might have even been warm-blooded. They were also the descendants of reptiles, not the other way around. And contrary to popular belief, most were not ridiculously huge. Most were were about the size of a large car or smaller.
Although it seems like we've dug up every dinosaur that ever lived in the world, in truth it is only a small percentage, so we'll never actually really know that much about them. Oh, and don't forget that thanks to World War II, the first fossils of Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus were destroyed.
2.) Something old or outdated; obsolete. May also pertain to the description of an older person.
There were a number of different groups, but they are generally classified by whether they were herbivorous or carnivorous, which is also also by the structure of their hip bones (bird- or lizard-hipped). Some, if not all, might have even been warm-blooded. They were also the descendants of reptiles, not the other way around. And contrary to popular belief, most were not ridiculously huge. Most were were about the size of a large car or smaller.
Although it seems like we've dug up every dinosaur that ever lived in the world, in truth it is only a small percentage, so we'll never actually really know that much about them. Oh, and don't forget that thanks to World War II, the first fossils of Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus were destroyed.
2.) Something old or outdated; obsolete. May also pertain to the description of an older person.
When the fossils of a dinosaur called Megalosaurus were found in 1677, people thought it was a dragon.
by Copycat26 August 16, 2011
Get the Dinosaur mug.Really big bloody reptile thing that used to live a long long time ago and they ate eachother and said "rawr!". Sometimes there were boring dinosaurs that were small and/or ate plants because they sucked. However some of them could fly and stuff, which was awesome. They also said "rawr".
by Mr Fantastic June 12, 2005
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D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R a dinosaur
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An O-L-D M-A-N you're just an old man
Hittin' on me, what?
You need a cat scan
D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R a dinosaur
An O-L-D M-A-N you're just an old man
Hittin' on me, what?
You need a cat scan
by KissNTell January 15, 2010
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