Are such terrible dinosaurs, how are they described? The word "dinosaur" means a "terrible lizard". However, many of these animals were not like lizards, and they were not at all like terrible. In the article we will talk about who dinosaurs such, in which era they lived, how many years they wandered on earth and what the life expectancy of these lizards was.

Who are dinosaurs

Before touching the question of how many years ago, dinosaurs lived, clarify who these are at all. Dinosaurs are extinct ground vertebrates. At the moment, scientists have about 500 different kinds and more than 1,000 different types.

Why were these vertebrates called dinosaurs? It happened in 1842. The term introduced English biologist Richard Owen. This was done for the convenience of describing these species of extinct animals. The fact is that those found by archaeologists in different places The planets of the bone of large vertebrates were giant sizes. They hit scientists. It was obvious that the creatures that dwell many thousand years ago on the planet were not just large, but huge. From the ancient Greek "dinosaur" - "terrible, terrible."

Who was the first?

How many dinosaurs lived? We learn a little later. In the meantime, it is time to find out whose remains were discovered the very first. This is a stavoricosaur. Predator, with its sizes resembling a large dog. He weighed about 30 kg, this is with an increase of 80 cm. The only difference from the dog is that the stavoricosaver moved only on the hind legs.

The second place occupies the Gerrerazavr, or Herrerazavr. This is a two-legged "terrible lizard", which is larger than the Stavricosaver. He is a predator.

Habitat

How many dinosaurs lived and where? Their habitat was extensive - the whole planet. The remains of the lizards found both in South AmericaSo on the territory of modern Egypt.

Classification

These vertebrates are conventionally divided into two types:

1. Lizardoise.
2. Birdhettasis.

Why "conditionally" what they differ? The direction of bones. Lastered dinosaurs had lobo bonesahead. Poulthaasic differed bones aimed back initially.

When did dinosaurs live?

We almost approached the main issue of this article: how much dinosaur period was delayed? These animals were safely dwelling on the planet in the Mesoza, namely from the late Triassic period to the end of the chalk. It is about 225 million years ago 66 million years.

How many dinosaurs lived

Differences not only in species

All "terrible lizards" were absolutely different: predators and herbivores, small and large, two-legged and four-legged. The average life expectancy of dinosaurs of certain species will also be varied. Small representatives lived very little, 20-30 years. Large individuals lived 2-3 centuries. It is known that large reached puberty only by 40-50 years.

And how many years ago lived dinosaurs? They appeared about 225 million years ago.

Causes of extinction

Scientists still argue on this topic. It is very strange why such a number of rather large and well-adapted to the survival of the beings have died out. There are quite a few hypotheses about this, the most common are as follows:

1. Falling a giant meteorite on Earth.
2. Split continents.
3. Changing of the climate.
4. Extermination of predatory views first herbivores, and then - to themselves like.

How many dinosaurs lived? This we found out. Now let's run on some very interesting facts about "terrible lizards":

1. The largest of them was the seismicaurus. This giant was distinguished by a calm temper and the fact that she was fed vegetable food.
2. Titanozavr is the hardest of all of its "fellow". His weight, according to scientists, reached 80 tons.
3. In our world, the nearest relative of the vertebrates extinct many thousand years ago lives in a crocodile.
4. Comcognat is the smallest representative of dinosaurs. His weight was about 2.5 kg.
5. Tyrannosaurus - the most terrible predator from all dinosaurs, who once settled our planet.
6. Brachiosaurs are the longest representatives of all kinds of dinosaurs. The length of the Brachiosaurian body could well reach 50 meters.
7. Huge and terrible dinosaurs had a very small brain. The size of the brain of some individuals was no more than walnut.
8. The teeth of the Tyrannosaurus reached 30 cm.
9. Young tyrannosaurs were added daily by a few kilograms during growth.
10. The most protected Ankilosaurus. On the tail there was a bone bulb with sharp spikes. And on the body was armor from spikes.

Summarize

The article reviewed questions about who such dinosaurs, how many years ago they lived, in what period, what is the life expectancy of this or that representative of the family. Recall the main aspects.

Dinosaurs are vertebrates, extinct many years ago. Appeared on the planet about 225 million years ago. How many dinosaurs lived? On earth they lived about 160 million years. Life deadlines fell on the largest dinosaurs safely lived to the age of 200-300 years. As for small individuals, their century barely reached 30 years.

Conclusion

The life of dinosaurs is a mystery that scientists still try to open. Perhaps sometime they will be able to do it.

The word "dinosaur", which is translated as a "terrible lizard", appeared in 1842, when humanity only tried to figure out what kind of bones were found during excavations. It was then that the science of paleontology was originated. The history of dinosaurs has been repeatedly rewritten since then, and at the moment there are a lot of versions on their origin, becoming and extinct. Consider the most common and relatively official option.

Number of dinosaurs

Attempts to explain simple language The history of dinosaurs in a film or a cartoon was made repeatedly, but the events preceding them to appear on our planet, not yet covered by anywhere. As is known, the ancestors of these creatures are reptiles and birds. In particular, the crocodiles currently existing at the moment have the most similar with the ancient monsters of the traits. Approximately 300 million years ago, when the lizards in their usual form already existed, a serious climate change occurred. Rainforests They were largely destroyed, and the remnants of life juts in the remaining small enclaves. This gave the first impetus to a huge variety of species, since each population developed independently of each other and tried to adapt to the conditions in which it existed. And they were very different in different regions. So there were ancestors of dinosaurs, named by scientists of Arhozes.

First species

The history of dinosaurs, at least in the form in which the modern person represents them, began approximately 200-245 million years ago. There are practically no accurate data on the features and differences of these creatures with later samples, but something can be argued by something:

• They were two-legged (dinosaurs with four legs appeared a little later, although the return situation would look logical).
• The creatures were large enough, mostly their growth reached 2-4 meters.
• They were all cold-blooded. Because of this, the need for food, despite the impressive sizes, was not too big.
• On the initial stages The development, most likely, did not exist with the flying species of these lizards.

In general, humanity is extremely little know about this period. Most of Information is guesses and theories based on various finds and indirect data. So everything could be completely different.

Latest dinosaurs

The dimensions of the "terrible lizards" gradually increased, and so continued to approximately until the end of the Jurassic period (it was about 145 million years ago). In the middle of his cycle, the existence of dinosaurs reached huge sizes (up to 12 meters in height and 1 tons of pure weight). During the "reign" of these monsters, no other kind could even be concerned about the domination on the planet. Even later, in the chalk period (65 million years ago), the creatures began to fine. According to some reports, they appeared arrogant feathers, and even had warm-blooded species. Judging by the information available, the number of predators has significantly decreased, and, accordingly, the number of herbivores has increased. As a result, rare hunters became truly real "murder machines." They quickly moved, could cope with the majority of opponents, did not have a shortage of food and rightly considered the peak of evolution at that time.

Mass extinction

The situation with the disappearance of this type of living beings is well shown in the cartoon "The History of Dinosaurs". Of course, there is more information oriented on children, but actively active volcanoes, drought, lack of food and other similar problems could really cause full extinction of the prehistoric Lord of the planet. According to the official version, it all began with a huge meteorite that fell somewhere in the area of \u200b\u200bthe current Mexico. When hitting the atmosphere rose a large number of dust, sharply reduced the temperature on the surface (a similar situation is called "nuclear winter" and can become a reality if countries tried to solve their problems with nuclear weapons). Along the way, the blow to the ground activated the dormant volcanoes. As a result, the simultaneous impact of several factors immediately led to the fact that dinosaurs simply did not have time to adjust and for a short period were almost completely extinct. Most likely, there were separate individuals, but to survive in the new world, in which other dominant species appeared, they could not. Many believe that it is this story of dinosaurs - for children. Allegedly, in fact, everything was completely different. Unfortunately, later scientists disagree in their opinions, and to give a clear theory about how everything really happened, no one can yet.

A lot of intriguing and mysterious shown in documentary films "The history of dinosaurs" from popular science channels. True, it is not necessary to name them, because there are no documents, but it is reconstructed everything is very competent. Nevertheless, every year more and more discoveries are committed, radically changing the idea of \u200b\u200bdinosaurs as such. Let's see what interesting facts opens modern story dinosaurs.

• Despite the fact that, as it was believed, dinosaurs were almost a mistake of nature (too little brain, a lot of weight, a strictly limited diet and so on), they managed to dominate the planet for more than 130 million years. The story of a person as such, if you take more or less reasonable of our ancestors, at best there are 100 thousand years. So it's not a fact that in the distant future, some new species will not be considered a mistake of a modern person.
• Tiranosaurus, known for many films and literature as the most terrible and huge dinosaur, was actually that was not. There were even more creatures, though, unlike this predator, they were still not hunters.
• The history of dinosaurs still silences, why in general the tyrannosaur of his small handles. Judging by the structure of the skeleton, reach them somewhere he simply could not. An even greater mystery attaches the fact that the muscles have been very well developed.
• Stegosaurus plates were primarily used to protect against predators, but for heat removal. That is, they played the role of a natural radiator, in one case the cooling of a huge dinosaur, and in another helping him to more effectively accumulate heat, extremely important for any cold-blooded creature.

RESULTS

The history of dinosaurs gradually turns all the new data, some of which contradicts each other or does not fit into existing theories. For example, it is believed that dinosaurs and people could not exist in one period of history. Although there are very interesting findings-stones, on which ancient people have reliably depict the interaction of a person and a "terrible lizard". As it was in fact, no one can say anyone. We are not able to completely figure out even in our own history, what to say about what happened long before the appearance of a person as such.

How many mysteries are in charge of an ancient world history. Dinosaurs are one of them. They reign on Earth more than 160 million years, starting from a triad period (approximately 225 million years ago) and to the end of the Cretaceous (about 65 million years ago). Today, scientists can recreate the appearance of these animals, their lifestyle and habits, but there are still no answers to many questions. How did dinosaurs appear? Why did they disappear? Although these lizards disappeared from our planet almost 65 million years ago, the history of dinosaurs, their occurrence, life and sudden death is of undoubted interest for researchers. Let's consider the main stages of the development of reptiles.

origin of name

Dinosaurs are customary to refer to the only group of reptiles. This name refers only to those of them who lived in the Mesozoic Era. If we translate S. greek, The term "dinosaur" means "terrifying" or "terrible lizard". This name introduced the British researcher Richard Owen in 1842. So he suggested calling the first detected fossil remains of the ancient lizards to emphasize their unprecedented size and greatness.

The beginning of the dinosaur era

As you know, the entire history of the planet is traditionally divided into replacing each other era. The time in which dinosaurs lived is made to belong to the Mesozoic. In its turn, there are three periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Chalk. It began approximately 225 million years ago, and it ended about 70 million years ago. The history of dinosaurs begins during the first period - Triassic. However, they received the greatest spread in chalk.

Long before the emergence of dinosaurs on the planet lived reptiles. They looked like the usual modern man Lizards by the fact that their paws were on the sides of the body. But when global warming began (300 million years ago), an evolutionary explosion occurred among them. All reptile groups began to actively develop. So Arhozovar appeared - he was distinguished from his predecessors by the fact that his paws were already located under the corps. Presumably, it is to this chronological segment that the appearance of dinosaurs belongs.

Dinosaurs of a triad period

Already at the very beginning of the Triassic period there were many new types of lizards. It is believed that they have already moved on two legs, because their front paws were shorter and much less developed than the rear. This was different from their predecessors. The history of the emergence of dinosaurs says that one of the first species was a stavoricosaur. He lived about 230 million years ago, where Brazil is now located.

Other reptiles existed in the early evolutionary stages: Esavra, Qosenonts, Ornithozochids and others. Therefore, dinosaurs had to withstand a long rivalry before taking his niche and achieve a heyday. It is customary to believe that they have acquired a dominant position over all other inhabitants of the planet at the end of the triad period. It binds to the large-scale extinction of animals that inhabited the ground.

Dinosaurs of Jurassic period

To the beginning, they became the most frequent owners of the planet. They settled over the entire surface of the Earth: in the mountains and plains, swamps and lakes. The history of the dinosaurs of this period is marked by the emergence and distribution of new numerous species. Allozaurus, diplodok, stegosaurus can be brought as an example.

And these lizards most radically differed from each other. So, they could be completely different sized, to have a different lifestyle. Some of the dinosaurs were predators, others - completely harmless herbivores. Interestingly, it was on the Jurassic period that the flourishing of the winged lizards - Pterosavrov came. Majestic reptiles reign not only on land and in heaven, but also in the seabed.

Dinosaurs of chalk period

During the chalk period, the amount and variety of dinosaurs reached the maximum level. On the other hand, some scientists do not share the point of view of the sudden and significant increase in the number of reptiles. In their opinion, representatives of the Triassic and Jurassic period are significantly less studied than the inhabitants of the chalk.

At this time there were a lot of herbivore reptiles. This is due to the appearance on the planet of a large number of new plant species. However, predators were abuse. It is precisely to the chalk period that the emergence of such a well-known species as the Tirannosaurus is. By the way, he was, perhaps, one of the most famous dinosaurs. The most massive of all carnivore reptiles, he weighed to eight tons, and he could reach 12 meters. Also, a chalk period includes the emergence of such famous species as Iguanodon and Triceratops.

The mysterious death of dinosaurs

Dinosaurs disappeared approximately 65 million years ago. This event happened at the very end today there are many different theories about how and why it happened. At the same time, scientists and now cannot come to a common opinion.

In particular, the causes of their death, and whether it was slow or fast. It is known for certain that it has become one of the parts of the "great extinction" of that time. Then, not only dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the earth, but also other reptiles, as well as mollusks and some algae. According to one point of view, the "great extinction" was provoked

After that, the gigantic clouds of dust rose into the air, closing the sun for months, which was the cause of the death of the whole living. Some scientists adhere to the opinions that a star exploded near the Earth, with the result that the entire planet was covered with a deadly radiation for its inhabitants. Also a common point of view is that dinosaurs have died out as a result of cooling, which began at the end of the chalk period. Anyway, the reptile era ended. And how it happened, science has yet to find out.

History of learning dinosaurs

The history of dinosaurs began to interest people relatively recently. Their study began only at the beginning of the 19th century. This is largely due to the fact that people did not perceive the bones found in the ground as traces of dinosaurs. Interestingly, it was believed that these were the remains of the heroes of the Trojan War.

In the Middle Ages and until the 19th century - the gigids who died in 1824 they were first identified as the remains of giant lizards. In 1842, the British scientist Richard Owen, paying attention to the main distinguishing signs of these reptiles, brought them to a separate subverse and gave them the name "Dinosaurs". Since then, there has been a permanent accumulation of knowledge about them, new species have opened. The history of the life of dinosaurs acquired an increasing form. Now the study of these reptiles continues with even greater diligence. Modern researchers have almost a thousand species of dinosaurs.

Mass culture dinosaurs

World art presented to people a huge number of books and films dedicated to these lizards. For example, they appear in the work of Arthur Conan Doyle "The Lost World", which was subsequently repeatedly fused. Based on creativity, they removed the famous painting "Park of the Jurassic period". The history of dinosaurs for children is presented using numerous animated films and colorful illustrated books. Of these, the child can get acquainted with these amazing and majestic animals.

Despite the fact that so much time passed since the last dinosaurs were missing from the surface of the earth, the history of the origin of these majestic lizards, their life and the mystery of their disappearance and now worry the hearts and minds of people. However, most of their mysteries, most likely, will remain without answers.

The scientist has come to a consensus that living organisms appeared on our planet of 4.5 billion years ago. The first half a billion years of existence of the living potential of the Earth was very primitive - the simplest, primitive organisms, for which it was impossible to identify the animal or a plant was dominated in the world "broth".

But already 4, a billion years ago there was evolutionary progress, and the forms of life began to become more complicated and increased by numbers. And already to the Cambrian period, i.e. somewhere 550 million years ago, the world ocean has already inhabited worms, sponges, mollusks, different kinds Intestinal as representatives of fauna, and on the other hand, algae, representatives of the flora. In the scientist of the world this period is called "Cambrian Superlist". This evolutionary explosion gave a further powerful impetus to the development of species. First, a specific differentiation between the plant and animals of the world, secondly, the evolution was significantly accelerated, and in several million years in the ancient Ocean, the first vertebrates appeared, and behind them the most important living and now the creature is a cyzerfield.

It is the cilacher fish that is the transition chain between marine and land animals. She was found in the 19th century not far from Madagascar, where she lived peacefully and lives in local waters. Her skeletons were also previously, but a lively copy convincingly proved that the yield of animals from the sea to the land was another of the most important points in the history of evolution on Earth. Cystherahai fish tried to go to the land with his modified fins, but for a long time to be outside the water, she could not, but gradually everything changed, and for about 100 million years this transition was carried out.

Scientists believe that the first vertebrates of land animals appeared on the planet in the Devonian period, since they could be fed solely on land. They are also referred to as Stegotamefali or Pancirogol Amphibians.

The next milestone in the development of species is the coal period. At this time, the first reptiles appeared on Earth. Scientists called them quotosaurs. The quotosavra began to successfully multiply and destroy Steodacephalov. Need to say. That the quotosaurs were the progenitors of all kinds and subspecies of reptiles on our planet. But for some unknown science for reasons, by the middle of the Permian period there were no single quotosaurus on Earth. They died out, and in their place came more sophisticated view - Teraptsides. They are also called animal vertebrates.

Therapisides were divided into carnivorous and vegetative. They were megapopulation to an early triad period. But the Permian period and the "main" on Earth became arhozavra - the most ancient dinosaurs, they are also called textontics.

The development of reptiles on the planet went in an accelerated pace and very productively. Just mesozoic era I became a paradise for all their species. Mesoza includes sequential 3 periods.

triassic

jurassic period

cretaceous period

The longest duration was the Mesozoic period - it lasted about 70 million years. At these times, reptiles had no rivals, therefore, having such a paradise life without shocks and a huge amount of food, animals produced a large number of species. Some of them returned to sea depths And, by the way, very quickly adapted to life in water. Thus appeared Plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and other water dinosaurs. Evolution presented in the Mesozoic revolutionary species - flying lizards. They were called Pterosaurs.

Triassic period presented the so-called long-livers - land turtles And crocodiles, they already existed at the end of Triass and feel great and now. What fantastic adaptability must be posted to survive thousands of other species that could not withstand disasters and sharp climate change.

Dinosaurs also appeared on Earth along with turtles and crocodiles at the end of the triad period. The ancient lizards were Herrerazavr and Elaptor.

Mesoza in the temporary framework began 235 million years ago and continued somewhere 160 million.

Tecodonts are just those animals from which dinosaurs occurred. More precisely, they are also called ornithozhoes. These creatures were in short, slim and quickly ran. The ancient lizards were divided into two categories - lizard-duty and poultomy. The pelvis part of some was about such as modern reptiles, and the second category the pelvis was like pelvis. In addition, the birdhettasses possessed the auxiliary bone, which covered their jaws as beak in birds. There was another mixed dinosaur category. This is segnotosaurs. Their constitution has carried out signs of both the lizard and pylet groups of their fellow tribesmen. And some features of the structure of segnotosaurs were inherent only by their form. According to the found remains, Paleontologists concluded that jurassic period All the same alpha dinosaurs were lizardos. Initially, this species was carnivorous. They quickly moved on powerful hind limbs, and the victims grabbed the victim. But as a result of further evolution, there were vegetative conifers from them. The diet has changed radically, not to mention the number of vegetation consumed. The weight and dimensions of these creatures began to be simply excised. Such a huge weight was hard to hold, so they began to use all four limbs for movement. This type of scientists called the velverops or bumperoneal dinosaurs due to the characteristics of the structure of their limbs. This group is represented by 40 childbirth. Those dinosaurs, which continued to walk on 2 legs called the peopods or animal dinosaurs. Teropodies were predators and there were 150 genera.

Many believe that dinosaurs are big, ferocious and extinct reptiles. For the most part it is so, but there are a number of delusions. Dinosaurs existed in a variety of forms and sizes. These were the largest land animals of all times, but a large number of dinosaurs were less turkey.

The fossil remains demonstrate that some of the most developed dinosaurs had feathers or similar to the feathers of a bodily coating, but many of them did not fly and may not even plan. Archeopteryx for a long time considered the first bird (although now this status is dubious), - the most famous example. Feathers of this bird-like dinosaur turned out to be not so much adaptation for flights as they helped the animal to keep warm.

Many believe that extinct flying reptiles called Pterosaurus were dinosaurs. In fact, they were only their closest relatives. Pterosaurs had hollow bones, relative large brain and eyes, and, of course, the folds of the skin along the upper limbs fixed to the phalanges of the fingers. The family includes pterodactles, which were distinguished by a long bone process on the head and lack of teeth. Pterosaurs existed to a mass extinction of 65 million years ago, after which they were minted by the fate of Dodo birds, marine reptiles and other dinosaurs.

Difference in pelvic bones

For the first time, the remains of dinosaurs were discovered in the 19th century. In 1842, Paleontologist Richard Owen introduced this term, which is like from the Greek "Deinos" - "terrible" or "terrifyingly huge" and "sauros" - "Lizard" or "Reptile". Scientists classify dinosaurs in two groups - lizard and poultomy, based on the structure of the pelvic bones of animals.

Most of the well-known dinosaurs, including the tyrannosaurus-Rex, Denonya and Vocylastor, are included in the group of lizard dinosaurs. The bones of the pelvis of these animals are stretched forward, as in more primitive creatures. They often had a long neck, big and sharp teeth, a long second finger, and the first finger was directed perpendicular to the rest.

Boxes are divided into two subgroups - four-legged herbivores and two-legged predatory teropods (today's birds are actually teropod).

Teropodes moved on two legs and were predators. The "Teropod" means "beseral", and these were the most terrible and most expressive dinosaurs, such as allosavra and tyrannosaurs.

Scientists tried to figure out whether such major teropods as Gianoantosaur and Spinosaurs were active, or they simply overtake skeletons. The evidence indicates that these animals were unprincipled hunters: they could grab the prey, but they did not disperse and fallen animals. When the archaeologists have discovered bones with celebrations, they wondered whether they were the maintenance of cannibals. It turned out that animals could enjoy the fallen representatives of their own species, but they were actively at each other were not hunting.

Zauropodi were herbivores with a long neck and tail. They were among the biggest animals ever existed on our planet, but their brain was obviously very small. This family includes those fed by the leaves of slow giants like Apatosaur, Brachiosaur and the diplodok.

Birdhettasis

The meek meal of plants includes such animals as a horned triceratops, a spiked stegosaur and covered with ankilosaur shells.

A distinctive feature of these herbivores is the presence of beak. They were less than Zauropodov, led herd lifestyle and often became mining. large dinosaurs. What is interesting, the poultomist for their evolutionary history was changed at least three times a way of movement from two-legged on the four-legged.

Sea Reptiles

In the era of dinosaurs a lot occurred under the surface of the ocean. The seas have been aburred by such creatures like ichthyosaurs - predators resembling modern tunats and dolphins. This numerous subclass of marine reptiles is almost completely extinct at the end of the Jurassic period.