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Resource Library | Video

Resource Library
Video

Dinosaurs 101

Dinosaurs 101

Scientists estimate over a thousand dinosaur species once roamed the Earth. Learn which ones were the largest and the smallest, what dinosaurs ate and how they behaved, as well as surprising facts about their extinction.

Grades

5 - 12+

Subjects

Anthropology, Archaeology, Geography, Social Studies

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  • Age of the Earth

    Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old, plus or minus about 50 million years. Scientists have scoured the Earth searching for the oldest rocks to radiometrically date. In northwestern Canada, they discovered rocks about 4.03 billion years old. Then, in Australia, they discovered minerals about 4.3 billion years old. Researchers know that rocks are continuously recycling, due to the rock cycle, so they continued to search for data elsewhere. Since it is thought the bodies in the solar system may have formed at similar times, scientists analyzed moon rocks collected during the moon landing and even meteorites that have crash-landed on Earth. Both of these materials dated to between 4.4 and 4.5 billion years. Learn more about the age of our planet with these resources.

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Related Resources
  • Age of the Earth

    Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old, plus or minus about 50 million years. Scientists have scoured the Earth searching for the oldest rocks to radiometrically date. In northwestern Canada, they discovered rocks about 4.03 billion years old. Then, in Australia, they discovered minerals about 4.3 billion years old. Researchers know that rocks are continuously recycling, due to the rock cycle, so they continued to search for data elsewhere. Since it is thought the bodies in the solar system may have formed at similar times, scientists analyzed moon rocks collected during the moon landing and even meteorites that have crash-landed on Earth. Both of these materials dated to between 4.4 and 4.5 billion years. Learn more about the age of our planet with these resources.

    View Collection
  • dinosaurs

    Dinosaurs gambol and charge through our imagination as scaly reptilian creatures with menacing teeth, claws, spikes, and hammering, bony bulbs. They roamed Earth roughly 175 million years ago, and most were wiped out by an extinction event roughly 65 million years ago. Thanks to ongoing scientific research, we continue to revise our theories about how dinosaurs evolved, what they ate, and how they moved through their environments. Read about the latest discovery in National Geographic’s Science article: Bizarre Spinosaurus Makes History as First Known Swimming Dinosaur.

    View Collection
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    Dinosaurs ruled the world for roughly 140 million years—until they suddenly disappeared. While decades of research point to an asteroid impact at Chicxulub crater as the end of the dinosaurs' reign 66 million years ago, scientists weren't always so sure what happened to these mesmerizing creatures. Theories varied wildly throughout the twentieth century as the field of paleontology grew, but it wasn't until the 1980s that one theory emerged as a major breakthrough in the extinction mystery. Today's scientists continue to piece together the puzzle with discoveries that give us a clearer picture of what happened to the dinosaurs.

    View Video
  • Beasts of a Feather

    Use this infographic to explore dinosaurs and the evolution of feathers and feather-like structures.

    View Infographic
  • TIL: Dinosaurs May Have Danced Like Birds

    Dinosaurs may have more in common with birds than we thought, including their dance moves! Join paleontologist and National Geographic Explorer Jack Horner as he reveals that some dinosaurs most likely had feathers like birds of today, and also shared dance moves like those typically seen in birds-of-paradise in order to attract a mate.

    View Video

National Geographic Headquarters
1145 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036

ABOUT
  • National Geographic Society
  • National Geographic Partners
  • News and Impact
  • Contact
EXPLORE
  • Our Explorers
  • Our Projects
  • Resources for Educators
  • Museum and Events
  • Technology and Innovation
JOIN US
  • Ways to Give
  • Apply for a Grant
  • Careers
Donate Get Updates
Connect
Connect

National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. © 1996 - 2021 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.
Privacy Notice |  Sustainability Policy |  Terms of Service |  Code of Ethics

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