We have all seen what magnificent, beautiful, and intelligent living creatures dinosaurs were. We are not sure how they were featured, but we have a good idea from excavation sites and fossils. Dinosaurs have impacted our culture more than you would think.
The term "Dinosaur" was devised by Sir Richard Owen. It means a ‘terrible lizard’.They were a diverse group of reptiles that appeared in the Triassic period around 243 million years ago. They became the dominant terrestrial animals.
From fossils, we can identify whether the species was carnivore or herbivore by comparing them with the skeletons of present animal heads and teeth.
Evidence indicates that the dinosaurs laid eggs and built nests. Dinosaurs were bipedal (meaning they used only two legs while walking) as well as quadrupedal ( these species use four legs to balance their posture), some were able to shift between both positions. They were both warm and cold-blooded, very similar to modern-day animals. It is believed that crocodiles, dinosaurs, and birds all had similar ancestors.
Dinosaurs represented a stage between reptiles and birds. They shifted from being lizard-like to being bird-like. Their tails were dragged by the dinosaur itself, but through generations, it moved above the ground to balance the body when the dinosaur was active.
Some think volcanic activities were the reason for the extinction of dinosaurs, others think meteors had caused their extinction. But scientists have proved that asteroids were the cause. In 1953, in a publication, geologists Allan O. Kelly and Frank Dachille, while analyzing global geological evidence, proposed that more than one asteroid impact resulted in firestorms, global floods, and the angular shift in the axis of the Earth.
Although we have gathered plenty of information about these Triassic creatures, research continues on their origin and and their cause of extinction remains a topic of debate for geologists and scientists worldwide."
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