Dinosaur Detectives

Dinosaur Detectives

Dinosaurs were animals that lived millions of years ago. Then they became extinct. This means thay don't exist anymore. To find out about dinosaurs, we need to become dinosaur detectives. We need to find fossils. A fossil is a part or a print of a plant or animal that lived a long time ago.

Some fossils show that dinosaurs had ways to stay safe. They had to protect themselves from other dinosaurs, or maybe other kinds of animals. We can look at fossils to see how each kind of dinosaur might have protected itself from an enemy.

The stegosaurus had a row of bones running down its back. It also had sharp spikes on its long tail. It protected itself by swinging its tail back and forth. It may also have used the bone plates on its back to stay safe.

The apatosaurus was very big. We think it was so big that it needed to spend most of its time eating! Its size might have been enough to keep it safe. But the apatosaurus also might have used its tail to help fight off its enemies.

The triceratops had many ways to protect itself. It was a very big dinosaur. It probably lived and traveled in a herd. It might have been easier to stay safe in this group. The triceratops had three large horns. It had bones on its neck and shoulders. These things protected the triceratops.