Meet 10 dinosaurs, then put them in your room
Ten real dinosaurs from our picture book Dinosaurs Are Back. Each one has a fun fact, a short video, a riddle and a few big questions answered. Three of them stand in your room in 3D. It's written for ages 6 to 10, and grown-ups are welcome too.
Oh, by the way, I'm Spike, the famous Triceratops with three horns and even bigger dreams.
I once went on the biggest adventure of my life, and I met ten dinosaurs on the way. Some were super friendly, and a few... let's just say they needed a little convincing. Here they all are. Tap one to hear its best fact. Three of them will even step right into your room. Just don't let the T. rex near the fridge.
In the order Spike meets them
1In 3DTyrannosaurus rexSay it: tie-RAN-oh-SORE-us rex · “tyrant lizard king”Tyrannosaurus rex was so big and strong, it could eat up to 230 kilograms (507 pounds) of meat and bones in one bite!T. rex facts →
2SpinosaurusSay it: SPINE-oh-SORE-us · “spine lizard”Spinosaurus was even bigger than Tyrannosaurus rex!Spinosaurus facts →
3StegosaurusSay it: STEG-oh-SORE-us · “roof lizard”Stegosaurus was a big, spiky dinosaur with a tiny head, like a walnut.Stegosaurus facts →
4TriceratopsSay it: try-SERR-a-tops · “three-horned face”Triceratops had a nose horn so sharp, it could probably cut through wood, and a head the size of a small car!Triceratops facts →
5VelociraptorSay it: vel-OSS-ee-rap-tor · “quick plunderer”Velociraptors were small, like a big turkey, but very fast!Velociraptor facts →
6BrachiosaurusSay it: BRAK-ee-oh-SORE-us · “arm lizard”Even though Brachiosaurus had only 50 teeth or less, it could eat 100 to 400 kilograms (220 to 881 pounds) of plants every day!Brachiosaurus facts →
7DilophosaurusSay it: die-LOAF-oh-SORE-us · “two-crested lizard”Dilophosaurus was a fearsome predator, but it wasn't as small or as dangerous as you might think!Dilophosaurus facts →
8In 3DApatosaurusSay it: ah-PAT-oh-SORE-us · “deceptive lizard”Apatosaurus was a giant dinosaur that could grow up to 23 meters (75 feet) long!Apatosaurus facts →
9In 3DCarnotaurusSay it: kar-noh-TORE-us · “meat-eating bull”Carnotaurus was a fast, meat-eating dinosaur with remarkably short arms.Carnotaurus facts →
10AnkylosaurusSay it: an-KYE-low-SORE-us · “fused lizard”Imagine a dinosaur as armored as a knight and as powerful as a tank: that was Ankylosaurus!Ankylosaurus facts →Psst! It's me, Spike.
Three more dinosaurs are hiding in the book, and only readers can find them.
Can you guess who they are? You'll need the book to find out.
Say it right
“Saurus means lizard. Tops means face. So my name means three-horned face. I think it suits me.”
Spike
| Dinosaur | Say it | The name means |
|---|---|---|
| Tyrannosaurus rex | tie-RAN-oh-SORE-us rex | tyrant lizard king |
| Spinosaurus | SPINE-oh-SORE-us | spine lizard |
| Stegosaurus | STEG-oh-SORE-us | roof lizard |
| Triceratops | try-SERR-a-tops | three-horned face |
| Velociraptor | vel-OSS-ee-rap-tor | quick plunderer |
| Brachiosaurus | BRAK-ee-oh-SORE-us | arm lizard |
| Dilophosaurus | die-LOAF-oh-SORE-us | two-crested lizard |
| Apatosaurus | ah-PAT-oh-SORE-us | deceptive lizard |
| Carnotaurus | kar-noh-TORE-us | meat-eating bull |
| Ankylosaurus | an-KYE-low-SORE-us | fused lizard |
Nose to tail
Three of Spike's friends were longer than a T. rex: Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus and Spinosaurus. And a Velociraptor? About the size of a big turkey.
Lengths from Katia's facts in the book (Apatosaurus, Spinosaurus, Ankylosaurus) and from the Natural History Museum, London (the rest). The biggest dinosaurs ever found were longer still.
A very long time ago
Millions of years ago, from left to right. The accent dot at the end is you.
Late Jurassic
152 to 145 million years ago
Late Cretaceous
99 to 66 million years ago
“Here's a fact that blew my horns off: more time passed between Stegosaurus and T. rex than between T. rex and you!”
Spike (at least 77 million years against 66 million, by the Natural History Museum's dates)
Triceratops “lived at the same time as its biggest enemy, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex.”
Katia, on the last page of Dinosaurs Are Back
Meat-eaters
Spinosaurus mostly ate fish.
Plant-eaters
Brachiosaurus ate up to 400 kilograms of plants a day.
No app needed
You may remember Google's 3D dinosaurs from 2020. Good news: on a phone or tablet, searching for a dinosaur's name still shows a “View in 3D” button for eight of these ten. Two of them, Apatosaurus and Carnotaurus, aren't there at all. Ours are! Open the Apatosaurus, Carnotaurus or T. rex page, tap “See it in your room”, and the dinosaur stands on your floor. No app, no account, nothing to install.
And the other seven? They're waiting inside Dinosaurs Are Back. Every one of them climbs off its page when you scan it with a phone or tablet.
Something not working? Devices that work, and quick fixes.
Riddles
Read one aloud and let your child guess. Each riddle has two clues before the answer, and one of these two isn't a dinosaur at all.
Riddle · who am I?
My head is tiny, like a walnut, it's true,but don't be fooled, I know what to do!
Big plates on my back and spikes on my tail.I swing it at danger, and I never fail!
Stegosaurus!
The clue explained: The tail spikes even have a nickname: the thagomizer. (Smithsonian Magazine)
Riddle · who am I?
My wings were wider than a car, tip to tip.I scooped up fish, but my beak had no teeth to grip!
Everyone calls me a dinosaur. Oh my!I'm a flying reptile, the king of the sky!
Pteranodon!
The clue explained: Surprise: Pteranodon was not a dinosaur. It was a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived at the same time. Its name means "wing without tooth". (Field Museum)
Every dinosaur page has its own riddle, at the bottom. Want more? All the dinosaur riddles, and 63 animal riddles from the farm to the ocean.
The book · ages 6 to 10
Spike's whole adventure, and three secret dinosaurs only readers can find, is in the book.
Questions
