In our world, dinosaurs predominated for a very long time. They had a lifespan of about 165 million years, so they had plenty of time to fill numerous evolutionary gaps! In this article, we take a look at different kinds of dinosaurs with pictures. I hope you find this intriguing.
Several estimates indicate that over 300 genuine genera and about 700 valid species of ancient non-avian dinosaurs have been found and identified.
These figures do not, however, accurately represent the diversity of ancient dinosaurs because the fossil record is incomplete in the sense that other types of dinosaurs that undoubtedly existed have not yet been identified through fossilization.
The fact that rocks from various geologic time periods are less prevalent on Earth’s surface is one reason why the fossil record is incomplete.
For instance, because Late Cretaceous outcrops are more abundant and geographically dispersed than Middle Jurassic outcrops, a much greater variety of Late Cretaceous dinosaur species are known than Middle Jurassic dinosaurs.
How Do Dinosaurs Live?
Dinosaurs are extinct reptiles that have existed on Earth for approximately 245 million years. Due to their shared progenitor with dinosaurs other than birds, modern birds constitute one type of dinosaur.
The now-extinct non-avian dinosaurs (all dinosaurs save birds) varied widely in size and shape. Some of them were over 120 feet long and as heavy as 80 tons. Some weighed as little as 8 pounds and were as small as chickens. Dinosaurs that weren’t birds all lived on land.
They did not exclusively live in water, however, some may have gone into the swamps and lakes in search of food. On two legs, meat eaters hunted either by themselves or in packs. With two or four legs, plant-eaters browsed on vegetation.
The opening in the hip socket that allowed dinosaurs to walk erect is what sets them apart from other reptiles. This distinguishing characteristic distinguished dinosaurs from pterosaurs, flying reptiles, and plesiosaurs, or ocean-dwelling reptiles.
The numbers don’t accurately represent the diversity of ancient dinosaurs, according to Mark Norell, Macaulay Curator and chair of the Division of Paleontology.
The dinosaurs in this collection have been classified according to the geologic era in which they lived.
Table of Contents
Different Kinds of Dinosaurs with Pictures
- Triassic (251–201 million years ago)
- Jurassic (201-145 million years ago)
- Cretaceous (145–66 million years ago)
1. Triassic (251–201 million years ago)
- Coleophysis bauri
Coleophysis bauri
Coelophysis was an 8 to 10-foot long, lightweight, and nimble dinosaur.
2. Jurassic (201-145 million years ago)
- Plateosaurus engelhardti
- Allosaurus fragilis
- Apatosaurus excelsus
- Barosaurus lentus
- Camarasaurus lentus
- Camptosaurus dispar
- Diplodocus longus
- Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis
- Ornitholestes hermanni
- Stegosaurus stenops
1. Plateosaurus engelhardti
Plateosaurus, with a body measuring around 25 feet long, was quite enormous for an early member of the dinosaurian family, even though it was not nearly as large as its leviathan later relatives, such as Apatosaurus and Barosaurus.
2. Allosaurus fragilis
One of the most fearsome carnivores of the Late Jurassic era was Allosaurus.
3. Apatosaurus excelsus
The same dinosaur that was formerly known by the much more appealing and suitable name Brontosaurus, which means “thunder lizard,” is now officially known by the scientific name Apatosaurus, which means “deceptive lizard.”
4. Barosaurus lentus
The plant-eating sauropod dinosaur species known as Barosuaurus had an exceptionally long neck and often stood on four strong, column-shaped legs.
5. Camarasaurus lentus
Although Camarasaurus was a long-necked, four-legged sauropod, it was much smaller than its relatives Apatosaurus, Barosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Diplodocus.
6. Camptosaurus dispar
A somewhat small and uncommon specimen of a North American dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous is Camptosaurus.
7. Diplodocus longus
Even though the snout is large and blunt, Diplodocus has a long, slender neck, a tail that resembles a whip, and a cranium that is nearly streamlined.
8. Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis
Mamenchisaurus is a huge sauropod dinosaur, growing to an adult length of 60 feet and a shoulder height of 11 feet.
9. Ornitholestes hermanni
Even though the Late Jurassic is best known for the dinosaur behemoths Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Allosaurus, lesser forms, like the tiny Ornitholestes, scuttled around on the ground.
10. Stegosaurus stenops
The Stegosaurus, long regarded as one of the oddest creatures ever, more than lives up to that label thanks to the stunning array of dense, bony plates and spikes arrayed along its backbone.
3. Cretaceous (145–66 million years ago)
- Albertosaurus libratus
- Anatotitan copei
- Ankylosaurus magniventris
- Argentinosaurus huinculensis
- Centrosaurus apterus
- Chasmosaurus kaiseni/belli
- Corythosaurus casuarius
- Deinonychus anthiroppus
- Edmontonia rugosidens
- Edmontosaurus annectens
- Hesperornis regalis
- Altispinous Hypacrosaurus
- Lambeosaurus lambei
- Microvenator celer
- Mononykus olecranus
- Oviraptor philoceratops
- Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis
- Prosaurolophus Maximus
- Psittacosaurus mongoliensis
- Saurolophus osborni
- Sauropelta edwardsi
- Saurornithoides mongoliensis
- Struthiomimus altus
- Styracosaurus albertensis
- Tenontosaurus tilletti
1. Albertosaurus libratus
Albertosaurus is a near relative of Tyrannosaurus and is a strong and terrifying carnivore in its own right.
2. Anatotitan copei
Anatotitan was a medium-sized hadrosaur, or duckbilled dinosaur, despite appearing to be quite large to humans, as seen by the twin mounts at the Museum.
3. Ankylosaurus magniventris
Ankylosaurus was one of the armored reptile tanks of the Cretaceous, resembling somewhat mammalian armadillos and their ancestors, the glyptodonts.
4. Argentinosaurus huinculensis
The largest animal to ever walk on Earth was unquestionably this enormous, four-legged sauropod dinosaur.
5. Centrosaurus apterus
Centrosaurus, a member of the centrosaurines, a major group of horned dinosaurs, was smaller than its more well-known cousin Triceratops, a member of the chasmosaurines, the second main group of horned dinosaurs, with a body length of about 20 feet.
6. Chasmosaurus kaiseni/belli
Chasmosaurus, the smallest of the highly developed horned dinosaurs known as chasmosaurines, was just 17 feet long as an adult.
7. Corythosaurus casuarius
Corythosaurus, a colorful member of the hadrosaur family of duck-billed dinosaurs that typically walked and sprinted on its two hind legs, has a skeleton that is around 25 feet long.
8. Deinonychus anthiroppus
Around 7 feet long and part of the theropod dinosaur species known as maniraptors—which means “hand-robber”—Deinonychus was a little but ferociously hungry meat eater.
9. Edmontonia rugosidens
Edmontonia, an ankylosaur that resembled a tank, was a highly spiky, strongly armored herbivore whose body armor was likely its primary defense against predators.
10. Edmontosaurus annectens
Even while the 30-foot-long Edmontosaurus’s head is not as ornately crested as some of its evolutionary relatives, such as Corythosaurus, it nevertheless has the duck-shaped beak and intricate tooth arrangement shared by all hadrosaurs, sometimes known as duckbills.
11. Hesperornis regalis
Hesperornis was between 4 and 5 feet tall, making it relatively enormous compared to most current birds, yet the early fossil hunters and paleontologists who encountered its skeleton did not notice it for its size.
12. Altispinous Hypacrosaurus
Hypacrosaurus, like other duckbills (more properly known as hadrosaurs), reached a length of about 30 feet and often traveled on all four limbs, despite the fact that its back limbs were much longer and more developed than its front ones.
13. Lambeosaurus lambei
Lambeosaurus, a strange, double-pronged crest adorning its skull, is a member of the family of duck-billed dinosaurs or hadrosaurs known as lambeosaurines.
14. Microvenator celer
This little dinosaur would have only been approximately 4 feet long, according to the skeleton.
15. Mononykus olecranus
Mononykus was a really peculiar creature. Its proportionally long, slender hind legs propelled its very slim, streamlined body, which was only about the size of a turkey.
16. Oviraptor philoceratops
Oviraptor, while being small (5–6 feet long), is one of the strangest dinosaurs ever found, and as such, has long puzzled and fascinated paleontologists.
17. Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis
Pachycephalosaurus is one of the most unique dinosaurs. Its name, which roughly translates to “thick-headed lizard,” is most known for the dome-shaped bony structure that sits atop its skull and is encircled by small bony knobs and bony horns on the snout.
18. Prosaurolophus Maximus
Prosaurolophus is a dinosaur with a duckbill, but it is not particularly noteworthy among the group’s frequently ornately crested members. Protoceratops andrewsi Protoceratops’ robust, pig-sized bones are topped by an elaborate cranium that is more extensively, if not yet fully, formed than that of Psittacosaurus, its more recent evolutionary cousin.
19. Psittacosaurus mongoliensis
The 3-foot-long Psittacosaurus is an early member of the ceratopsians, a group of horned dinosaurs.
20. Saurolophus osborni
Hadrosaurs, often known as duckbill dinosaurs, are the group of dinosaurs that Saurolophus belongs to.
21. Sauropelta edwardsi
The robust dinosaur resembled a tank. A primitive class of ankylosaurs known as nodosaurs includes Sauropelta.
22. Saurornithoides mongoliensis
Similar in size to Velociraptor and Oviraptor, Saurornithoides was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived in prehistoric Central Asia. It was a tiny, nimble, and relatively small dinosaur.
23. Struthiomimus altus
The name Struthiomimus translates “ostrich mimic” pretty accurately. This 15-foot-long dinosaur looks a lot like its living cousin, the ostrich, with its small skull resting atop a long S-shaped neck.
24. Styracosaurus albertensis
Stryracosaurus was an evolutionary close relative of the well-known horned dinosaur Triceratops. It had four powerful legs supporting a barrel-chested torso resembling that of a modern rhino.
25. Tenontosaurus tilletti
Tenontosaurus is a relatively near relative of the more well-known dinosaur called Iguanodon that originated in Europe.
Conclusion
Wow! They are a lot of dinosaurs and this unique species spread across three different periods.
As you may know, their unique set of animals is extinct. Some even believe they never existed but, all we can say is, let’s not bring extinction to the plant and animal species present because of our neglect for our environment.
I suggest it’s time we took giant steps towards tackling the challenges to achieving the sustainability of life on Earth.
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A passion-driven environmentalist by heart. Lead content writer at EnvironmentGo.
I strive to educate the public about the environment and its problems.
It has always been about nature, we ought to protect not destroy.