The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book

279 Pages·2010·12.3 MB·English

by  Thomas Svarney

HandyDino15:HandyDinosaurCov 9/12/09 7:43 AM Page 1
Barnes-
Big Creatures … Svarney
Svarney
Huge Questions … TTHHEE
Fun Facts …
T
The mighty dinosaurs were the dominant life form on Earth
H HHAANNDDYY
for millions of years ... but catastrophe awaited. In what
PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION…
amounts to a geological blink of an eye, the dinosaurs disap- E
“This book…has a wealth of
peared. The Handy Dinosaur Answer Booktakes you deep
information about dinosaurs.” H
into the world of dinosaurs—a great ride through what is
—National Science Teachers A
currently known (and being debated) about these creatures
Association
N
and their surroundings. It covers the latest, greatest findings,
along with the accompanying shifts in dinosaur theory. “Ideal for readers of all ages and D
DDIINNOOSSAAUURR
Because of recent discoveries, there are some great debates examining scientific history and Y
going on right now: Are birds really the descendants of wonders with a set of commonly
dinosaurs? Were dinosaurs really warm-blooded? What really asked facts and figures.” D
caused their extinction? —Midwest Book Review I
N
From the earth’s beginnings through the Triassic, Jurassic, and
O
Cretaceous periods and to today’s latest scientific theories
Did dinosaurs get blown away
S
and discovery-laden sites, The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book
by hurricanes? A AANNSSWWEERR
reveals what scientists have been able to piece together
U
about the life and death of the “terrible lizards.” Unearth
Did some dinosaurs have
answers to over 600 commonly asked (and just plain inter- R
self-sharpening teeth?
esting) dinosaur questions such as …
A
Which dinosaur had the
N
longest neck of any animal
S
known? BBOOOOKK
W
S E C O N D
Did dinosaurs travel in herds?
E
E DITION
R
Which dinosaurs are thought

to have evolved into birds? B
O Your Smart Reference®
O
Science / Dinosaurs / Animals
$21.95 U.S. $24.95 Canadian
K
www.visibleink.com
Patricia Barnes-Svarney
ISBN 978-1-57859-218-0
90000 and Thomas E. Svarney
9 781578 592180
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page i
About the Authors
Thomas Eugene Svarney and Patricia Barnes-
Svarney have backgrounds in the physical sci-
ences. Svarney is currently a nonfiction writer
and researcher; Barnes-Svarney is a nonfiction
and science fiction/mystery writer. Research for
their books has led them to all corners of the
world—from Meteor Crater, Arizona, and
dinosaur digs in Colorado to naturalists studies
in Europe, and even weather research at the
South Pole.
Barnes-Svarney has written several books,
including the award-winning bestseller, New
York Public Library Science Desk Reference,
and Book-of-the-Month pick Asteroid: Earth Destroyer or New Frontier? She has
more than 350 article credits in such magazines as Popular Science, Air & Space,
and Weatherwise. Together, Svarney and Barnes-Svarney have co-authored many
adult science books, including four for Visible Ink’s “Handy Answer Book” series
(Dinosaurs, Oceans, Geology, and Math), as well as A Paranoid’s Ultimate Survival
Guideand Skies of Fury: Weather Weirdness around the World.
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page ii
Also from Visible Ink Press
The Handy Anatomy Answer Book The Handy Ocean Answer Book
by James Bobick and Naomi Balaban by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E
Svarney
ISBN: 978-1-57859-190-9
ISBN: 978-1-57859-063-6
The Handy Answer Book for Kids
(and Parents) The Handy Philosophy Answer Book
2nd edition by Naomi Zack
by Gina Misiroglu ISBN: 978-1-57859-226-5
ISBN: 978-1-57859-219-7
The Handy Physics Answer Book
The Handy Astronomy Answer Book by P. Erik Gundersen
by Charles Liu ISBN: 978-1-57859-058-2
ISBN: 978-1-57859-193-0
The Handy Politics Answer Book
The Handy Biology Answer Book by Gina Misiroglu
by James Bobick, Naomi Balaban, ISBN: 978-1-57859-139-8
Sandra Bobick, and Laurel Roberts
The Handy Religion Answer Book
ISBN: 978-1-57859-150-3
by John Renard
The Handy Geography Answer Book
ISBN: 978-1-57859-125-1
2nd edition
The Handy Science Answer Book™
by Paul A. Tucci and Matthew T.
Rosenberg Centennial Edition
ISBN: 978-1-57859-215-9 by The Science and Technology Depart-
ment Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
The Handy Geology Answer Book
ISBN: 978-1-57859-140-4
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and
Thomas E Svarney The Handy Sports Answer Book
ISBN: 978-1-57859-156-5 by Kevin Hillstrom, Laurie Hillstrom,
and Roger Matuz
The Handy History Answer Book
ISBN: 978-1-57859-075-9
2nd edition
The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book
by Rebecca Nelson Ferguson
by David L Hudson, Jr.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-170-1
ISBN: 978-1-57859-196-1
The Handy Math Answer Book
The Handy Weather Answer Book
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and
Thomas E Svarney by Kevin Hile
ISBN: 978-1-57859-171-8 ISBN: 978-1-57859-221-0
Visit us at www.visibleink.com
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page iii
THE
HANDY
DINOSAUR
ANSWER
BOOK
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page vi
THE Copyright © 2010 by Visible Ink Press®
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as
well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable
HANDY
laws.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing
DINOSAUR from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in con-
nection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or web site.
All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.
ANSWER
Visible Ink Press®
43311 Joy Rd., #414
Canton, MI 48187-2075
BOOK
Visible Ink Press is a registered trademark of Visible Ink Press LLC.
Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when pur-
chased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, spe-
cial imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more
information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible Ink Press, www.visibleink.com,
or 734-667-3211.
Managing Editor: Kevin S. Hile
Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski
Typesetting: Marco Di Vita
Proofreader: Sharon R. Malinowski
ISBN 978-1-57859-218-0
Front cover images: iStock. Back cover images: Big Stock Photo.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barnes-Svarney, Patricia L.
The handy dinosaur answer book / Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svar-
ney. — 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-57859-218-0
1. Dinosaurs—Miscellanea. I. Svarney, Thomas E. II. Title.
QE861.4.S83 2010
567.9—dc22
2009032573
Printed in the Thailand
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page vii
Contents
INTRODUCTION ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi
FORMING FOSSILS … 1 Dinosaurs … General Cretaceous
Dinosaur Facts … Other Life in
In the Beginning … Beginnings of Life …
the Cretaceous
Geologic Time … Time Periods … First
Fossils … Dinosaur Fossils
DINOSAURS INSIDE
EVOLUTION OF THE
AND OUT … 109
DINOSAURS … 25
Growing Bones … Abnormal Dinosaur
Dinosaur Ancestors … Dinosaurs First
Bones … Dinosaur Skin … Teeth and Claws
Appear
… Dinosaur Metabolism … Dinosaur Size
TRIASSIC PERIOD … 39
Continents during the Triassic Period …
DINOSAUR
Triassic Dinosaurs … Other Life during
BEHAVIOR … 137
the Triassic
Eating Habits … Dinosaurs in Motion …
Dinosaur Babies … Mature Dinosaurs …
JURASSIC PERIOD … 57
Dinosaur Quirks
Important Jurassic Dinosaurs … Saurischian
Dinosaurs … Ornithischian Dinosaurs …
General Jurassic Dinosaur Facts … Other
THE END
Life in the Jurassic
OF DINOSAURS … 165
The Cretaceous Extinction … Theories
CRETACEOUS PERIOD … 85
about Dinosaur Extinction … The
Important Cretaceous Dinosaurs … Impact Theory … Other Extinction
Saurischian Dinosaurs … Ornithischian Theories vii
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page viii
DINOSAUR INTERNATIONAL
CONNECTIONS … 183 DINOSAUR
DISCOVERIES … 221
Aftermath of Extinction … From Dinosaurs
to Birds … Dinosaurs All around Us … The Early Dinosaur History outside the United
Search for the Missing Link States … Dinosaur Discoveries … Famous
Paleontologists outside North America
DINOSAUR
DISCOVERIES IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT
NORTH AMERICA … 205 DINOSAURS … 241
Early Dinosaur History in the United States How to Find Dinosaur Bones … Digging Up
… Recent Discoveries in the United States Fossils … Putting Dinosaurs Together …
… Famous Paleontologists from North Learning Paleontology … Resources …
America Dinosaur Web Sites
INDEX 263
viii
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page ix
Introduction
T
en years is a long time in science; there are so many discoveries and new technolo-
gies that change and add to the overall scientific field. It’s no different in paleontol-
ogy—especially in the study of dinosaurs.
So now, for you, the dinosaur enthusiast, we present the new, colorful, and very
updated second edition of The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book. One of the best parts
of revising and updating a book is going through all the feedback we’ve heard/read
over the years. And there’s no doubt about it: this book seems to be a favorite of
dinosaur lovers from 6 to 96!
One of the reasons for this fascination with the great creatures has not changed
in 10 years: How in the world did something as big as a house—and sometimes
ferocious—roam Earth so many millions of years ago? Admittedly, the land has
changed over the past 65 million years since the dinosaurs died out, but just to
think that an Allosaurus or Gigantosaurus may have once stomped in your own
backyard never fails to send chills up our collective human spines.
There are other reasons for dinosaur enthusiasm, especially with so many glob-
al discoveries made in the past decade: the discovery of fossilized dinosaur organs;
whole or parts of dinosaur eggs and nests; imprints of dinosaur blood vessels; feath-
er imprints galore; attempts to extract DNA from dinosaur remains; and large
caches of fossils in rock formations previously thought to be devoid of dinosaur
bones. There are also more and more large-boned dinosaur fossils that pop up every
year, keeping alive the “size competition” between the big carnivores like the Tyran-
nosaurus rex and sauropods like the Brachiosaurus. How could anyone who’s a
dinosaur enthusiast not be excited about such amazing discoveries?
This newly revised The Handy Dinosaur Answer Bookanswers over 600 of your
questions about these extinct creatures, such as: From what animals did the
dinosaurs evolve? Who found the first dinosaur remains? What other plants and ani-
mals lived during the time of the dinosaurs? What dinosaur remains show a heart?
What are the largest—and smallest—dinosaur fossils known at this time? How did
scientists extract DNA from a Tyrannosaurus rexbone? Are birds really dinosaurs?
Did the first dinosaurs have feathers? Why are Argentina and China important to
recent dinosaur studies? And the question and answer list goes on and on. ix
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page x
This book attempts to answer these questions and more, taking you through
the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods of geologic time when the dinosaurs
roamed the earth. It tells you where scientists stand in terms of dinosaur discover-
ies, the newer species of dinosaurs, new possible reasons for the extinction of the
animals, and especially why, as more dinosaur fossils are uncovered, the ideas about
the evolution of dinosaurs will continue to change.
We invite you to enjoy reading about the most amazing creatures that ever
walked, ran, hopped, loped, and stomped on the Earth. As the saying goes:
“Dinosaurs Once Ruled!” If the current fascination with dinosaurs is any indication,
they still do.
—Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
x
handy dinosaur 2 FM 9/15/09 6:08 PM Page xi
Acknowledgments
T
his book would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the peo-
ple at Visible Ink Press. Our thanks especially go to our editor, Kevin Hile, for his
wonderful editing and insightful questions, and for making this dinosaur book so
user-friendly! We also want to thank our agent, Agnes Birnbaum for all her help,
patience, and friendship over the years.
—Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
xi