110 Million-year-old Dinosaur Mummy Weighing 3000lbs Found In Canada With Its Skin and Gut Contents Intact

6Tyrannosaurus Rex

Probably the most famous dinosaur of all time, thanks to the 1994 movie Jurassic Park, the Tyrannosaurus Rex or T-Rex was present in the Cretaceous period some 85-65 million years ago. It lived near rivers and open forests or in coastal forested swamps. It stands at no.3 in the list of biggest carnivores with Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus beating it.

Its jaw muscles were powerful with 9 inches long replaceable teeth and walked on two powerful legs. Its body was solidly built but had hollow bones. Tyrannosaurus rex was up to 40 feet (12.4 m) long, about 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6 m) tall.

Image Source: dailystar.co.uk

7Brontosaurus or Apatosaurus

If you remember, Brontosaurus or Apatosaurus is the dinosaur seen eating from the tree in the Jurassic Park movie, when Hammond takes Dr. Grant on a tour of the park. It was one of the largest land animals to ever roam the Earth.

This enormous plant-eater measured about 70-90 feet (21-27 m) long and about 15 feet (4.6 m) tall. It even had a 15m long tail and had footprints a yard wide. Their favorite foods were soft-leaved plants like horsetails, club mosses, and ferns. It is also speculated that the lifespan of these Brontosaurs was over 100 years.

Image Source: www.prehistoric-wildlife.com

8Argentinosaurus

Named so because its fossils were found in Argentina in 1987, Argentinosaurus is the largest and biggest land animal ever to walk the Earth. It took the crown of the largest dinosaur from Brontosaurus. It is estimated that the biggest ever specimen could have been over 100 ft long and weighed over 100 tonnes.

It is classified as a titanosaur and had the fastest speed of 5 mph. It lived 50 million years after the likes of Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Diplodocus.

Image Source: www.thoughtco.com

9How did the dinosaurs go extinct?

There are two main theories put forth by the scientist for the reason why dinosaurs went extinct. One is the Chicxulub Crater event and another is the Deccan Traps of India.

The asteroid impact theory suggests that at the end of the Cretaceous period, a bolide impact happened some 66 million years ago. A bolide 5 to 15 kilometers (3.1 to 9.3 mile) hit the Yucatan Peninsula creating the 110-mile wide Chicxulub Crater and triggering the mass extinction. It caused a massive drop in Earth’s temperature or an intense heat wave. Either way, the dinosaurs couldn’t handle either for a prolonged period and died.

Another argument is the Deccan Traps flood basalts caused the gradual extinction, which started around 68 million years ago. The Deccan Traps in India released an air of dust and sulfuric aerosols, which in turn blocked the sunlight and thereby photosynthesis in plants reduced. It also released volcanic gases, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

Image Source: nationalgeographic.com

10Revival of interest in dinosaurs

John Ostrom's discovery of Deinonychus a warm-blooded predator regenerated interest in dinosaurs in the 1970s, as it debunked the theory of dinosaurs being cold-blooded and sluggish. Paleontology became a famous and global science.

Many major new dinosaurs were found in India, South America, Madagascar, Antarctica, and China. Fossils of feathered dinosaurs in China established a link between dinosaurs and evolution of modern day birds.

Image Source: flixster.com