Dinosaurs - which are the "important" ones?

[MrsFogi]

Dd is fascinated by dinosaurs so I need to get myself clued up fast - which are the "major" ones I need to recognise (I'm going to print off photos/pictures from the internet)? Also, if anyone has found a website with good or simple pictures of dinosaurs please do let me have the link.

Well DD (4) loves T-Rex, triceratops, pterodactyl, and her all time favourite is stegosaurus.

not sure of any sites, sorry

T Rex - big bugger with little front legs and nasty teeth. Carnivore.
Stegosaurus - veggy with diamons spines along his back and tail
Triceratops - three horns and a sort of shield things around his head. veggy
Paracephelasaurus - veggy with a forward curving horn thing on head.
Pterodactyl - flying dino
Velociraptor - fast moving little hunter with three claws on its feet. Hunt in packs

Try the BBC site. 'Walking with Dinosaurs' was brilliant and I think if you search for that you will get loads of stuff.

dh very sniffily informs you "ALL of them!" (he is 43 going on 6...)

add ankylosaurus to OrmIrian's list

Oh yes forgot that one. IIRC he has lots of boney plates all over him and big bony lump on the end of his tail.

Natural History Museum

Click on the dinosaurs button - its fab, ds loves the dino directory and the 3d dinos
Not forgotting the "Which dino are you?" quiz

Diplodocus - huge long veggie
Brachiosaurus - ditto
Pleisiosaurus - like Nessie
Iguanodon - veggie with pointy thumbs

Argentinasaurus- bigest dinosaur to have walked the earth. Also herbivore.

Giganotasaurus- apparently much more vicous than T-rex.

Quetzalcoatlus- biggest pterosaur. Not actually a dinosaur though.

Plesiosaurs. Giant sea creatures. Lypleurodon the biggest....I think.

Nigel Marven does a fantastic couple of programmes in the Walking with Dinosaurs series. Both ds's watch them over and over. They are so well done you actually feel like he is there with the dinosaurs.

its also a good idea to look at the time line of the dino's. Jurassic Park confused the hell out of DS1.

Once DS comes home from school, I'll check with him. He's been obsessed since he was about 3. He sometimes walks round the house like a tyranosaurus.

Or the real versions of what's on Harry And His Bucket Full Of Dinosaurs.

Utaraptor.

Just because I like the name and ELC do a particularly mean looking one.

I learnt by turning DS's dinosaurs upside down and reading the names imprinted on the plastic(blush)

Ah yes norks! That is always handy. But we found that so many of them were called 'Made in China' . DS#2 used to lear them as 'Pterodactyl Made in China', 'Ankylosaurus Made in China'. Used to amuse us for hours. Bad parents!Tsk!

Thank you all - you are clearly experts! I am working on it - a bit worried that my pronunciation will let me down though.

According to DD1, the 'Maiasaurus' is v. important. A nice herbivore, so potentially not very interesting to small children

DD1's name is Maia!!

Also, Stegosaurus is a big favourite for having a brain the size of a walnut or something.

there's something interesting and relevant about the Maiasaurus' nest, if only I could remember what it was! [misshardbroom says, not entirely helpfully]

she needs dinosaur top trumps

Yes, Walking with Dinosaurs is fab. My dd is 4 but watches that DVD with a concentration usually reserved for Lazytown She loved the Natural History Museum when we went last year. If you're looking for a great gift, this book is amazing. We got it for a fiver fromthe Oxfam bookshop and she takes it to bed with her every single night.

well ds1's favourite is apatosaurus (used to be known as brontasaurus)