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Dinosaurs

A clutch of sauropod eggs at the geothermal nesting site in Argentina. Eggs are outlined by black dashes.

Some Dinosaurs Used Natural Heat for Their Nests

The sauropod site may have resembled Yellowstone National Park, with geysers, hot springs and mud pots

One of the sad dinosaurs at Stewart's Petrified Wood near Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.

What Are the Worst Roadside Dinosaurs?

The concrete and plastic dinosaurs beside America’s highways are often sad, malformed creatures. What do you think is the best of the worst?

Ceratosaurus nasicornis at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

The Largest Ceratosaurus

How many species of this rare, ornamented genus were there?

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Inside Dr. Who’s Dinosaur Invasion

Dr. Who sported some of the worst dinosaurs on television. This video explains why

The hips of the ornithischian dinosaur Stegosaurus (left) and the saurischian dinosaur Allosaurus (right)

Dinosaur Division is All in the Hips

Thanks to one 1888 paper, paleontologists still divide dinosaurs between the bird-hips and lizard-hips

A specimen of the non-avian dinosaur Sinosauropteryx, showing the ruff of simple protofeathers along the back and tail.

Dinosaurs of a Feather

Some researchers insist that birds are not dinosaurs, but do they have any evidence?

Triceratops was one of the last dinosaurs. What would the descendents of this ceratopsid look like if they were alive today?

The Dinosaurs That Never Were

If the non-avian dinosaurs hadn’t died out 65 million years ago, what would they look like today?

Tyrannosaurus faces off against Triceratops at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Some early 20th century paleontologists thought the size and weapons of these creatures indicated that dinosaurs were degenerates due for extinction.

The Way of the Dinosaur

“Going the way of the dinosaur” is a popular phrase, but one drawn from bizarre 20th century ideas that dinosaurs were due for an extinction

A Parasaurolophus at the Natural History Museum of Utah

Dinosaurian Snorkels, Air Tanks and Tubas

Parasaurolophus is one of the most perplexing dinosaurs - what did it use its huge crest for?

A Corythosaurus with skin impressions--similar to this one on display at the American Museum of Natural History--was lost when a German military vessel sank the SS Mount Temple on December 6, 1916.

Charles H. Sternberg’s Lost Dinosaurs

On December 6, 1916, a German military vessel sunk a highly-valued shipment of Canadian dinosaurs

Richard Milner's 'Charles R. Knight: The Artist Who Saw Through Time.'

Charles R. Knight’s Prehistoric Visions

Charles R. Knight, one of the greatest paleoartists ever, battled his boss, artistic society and his own eyesight to bring prehistoric creatures to life

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The Littlest Dinosaur Expert

This has to be the most adorable dinosaur correction I have ever seen

Theropod dinosaur tracks along Potash Road in Moab, Utah. Tracks like these have inspired myths about giant birds at locations all over the world.

China’s Dinosaur Folklore

Dinosaur tracks aren’t just scientific curiosities—they have also inspired many legends in China

The reconstructed skeleton of a Deinonychus, representing the modern image of dinosaurs, in front of Rudolph Zallinger's 'Age of Reptiles' mural in Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History.

Creating the Age of Reptiles

Why is an image of the Garden of Eden considered art, while an exquisitely detailed depiction of Jurassic life is derided as juvenile junk?

Matthew Carrano, a paleontologist with the National Museum of Natural History, recommends Dinosaur State Park in Connecticut for those evotourists interested in dinosaurs.

A Smithsonian Paleontologist Suggests His Evotourism Sites

For even more ideas on where to take an evolution vacation, we turned to one of our own dinosaur experts

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The Greatest Dinosaur Hits of 2011

This was a big year for dinosaur discoveries and debates. Here are a few highlights

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How to Turn a Dinosaur Into a Bird

Two classic bits of animation beautifully visualized the evolution of birds from dinosaurs

An articulated Iguanodon hand on display at London’s Natural History Museum

A Mysterious Thumb

What did Iguanodon use its big thumb spikes for—stabbing attackers, breaking into seeds, or possibly stripping foliage from branches?

When it came time to pick a 2011 Christmas tree ornament, the choice was clear - I needed a dinosaur.

Deck the Halls With Dinosaurs

Given their probable diet of conifers, I’m surprised there aren’t even more holiday sauropods in the Christmas tree mix

An early 19th century representation of Megalosaurus at the Crystal Palace gardens. Thomas Henry Huxley's work gave dinosaurs a much more bird-like look.

Huxley’s Apocryphal Dinosaur Dinner

Fossil lore says 19th century naturalist T.H. Huxley realized that birds were dinosaurs when he carved into a Christmas turkey, but what really happened?

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