Advertisement.

EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.

ad
(Already a member? Click here.)


Zoom Dinosaurs
DINOSAUR QUESTIONS
Current Questions Top 16 Questions Old Questions Ask A Question
For Site Supporters Only
By Date By Type of Dinosaur General Dino. Qns. Qns. About Other Animals Geological Era Qns.

Frequently Asked Dinosaur Questions


Question #10: What does dinosaur mean and how are dinosaurs named?

Answer: Sir Richard Owen coined the word dinosaur, meaning "fearfully great lizard," in 1842. In Greek, deinos means "fearfully great" and sauros means "lizard."

Naming Dinosaurs: Newly discovered dinosaurs are named by the discoverer or by the paleontologist who determines that it represents a new genus (or species). There are many different ways to choose a dinosaur name. Sometimes the dinosaur is given a name that describes something unusual about it's body, head, or feet. Some are named after the location where they are found, their behavior, size, or in honor of a person. The name has to be approved by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

For a page of many Greek, Latin, and other roots used in dinosaur names, click here.

Some Dinosaurs Named for Unusual Head Features
Dinosaur Head Feature
Brachyceratops Short-horned faced
Corythosaurus Helmet lizard
Dilophosaurus Two-ridged lizard
Homalocephale Level (flat) head
Microceratops Small-horned faced
Ornatotholus Ornate dome
Pachyrhinosaurus Thick-nosed Lizard
Pentaceratops Five-horned head
Saurolophus Crested lizard
Triceratops Three-horned head

Some Dinosaurs Named for Unusual Body Features
Dinosaur Feature
Baryonyx Heavy claw
Brachiosaurus Arm Lizard (because its arms are longer than its legs)
Ceratosaurus Horned Lizard
Dacentrus Sharp-point tail
Deinocheirus Terrible hand
Elaphrosaurus Lightweight lizard
Panoplosaurus Fully-armed lizard
Spinosaurus Spiny lizard
Centrosaurus, Kentrosaurus, and Styracosaurus Spiked Lizard
Barosaurus, Epachthosaurus, and Lurdusaurus Heavy Lizard

Some Dinosaurs Named for Their Teeth
Dinosaur Feature
Astrodon Star tooth
Deinodon Terrible tooth
Heterodontosaurus Different-tooth lizard
Hypsilophodon High-ridged tooth
Iguanodon Iguana tooth
Microdontosaurus Tiny-tooth lizard
Troödon Wounding tooth

Some Dinosaurs Named for Their Feet
Dinosaur Feature
Brachypodosaurus Short-footed lizard
Deinonychus Terrible claw
Saltopus Leaping foot
Velocipes Swift foot

Some Dinosaurs Named in Honor of a Person

Dinosaur Paleontologist it was named after
Chassternbergia Charles Sternberg
Drinker Edward Drinker Cope
Lambeosaurus Lawrence Lambe
Marshosaurus and Othnielia Othniel C. Marsh

Some Dinosaurs Named After a Place
Dinosaur Place it was named for
Albertosaurus Alberta, Canada
Andesaurus The Andes mountains, South America
Coloradisaurus Colorado Formation in Argentina
Denversaurus Denver, Colorado, USA
Edmontosaurus and Edmontonia Edmonton Formation in Alberta, Canada
Indosaurus and Indosuchus India
Lesothosaurus Lesotho, South Africa
Utahraptor Utah, USA
Shunosaurus and Szechuanosaurus Szechuan, China

Some Dinosaurs Named for Their Guessed Behavior
Dinosaur Behavior it was named for
Maiasaura Good mother lizard
Oviraptor Egg thief (even though it wasn't)
Velociraptor Speedy robber

My favorite dinosaur name is Irritator, which was given its name because of annoyance! The people who found the fossil added plaster to it in order to make it look it more impressive. This nonsense didn't fool the paleontologists, but irritated them, hence the name.

Another wonderful dinosaur name is the Australian Kakuru which means "rainbow serpent " It was given this name because it is known from a single tibia (leg bone) that turned into an opal (a beautiful, colorful semi-precious stone) during the fossilization process. This tibia must be a beautiful sight!


Top Sixteen Dinosaur Questions





Enchanted Learning®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

Overview of Site
What's New
Enchanted Learning Home
Monthly Activity Calendar
Books to Print
Site Index

K-3
Crafts
K-3 Themes
Little Explorers
Picture dictionary
PreK/K Activities
Rebus Rhymes
Stories
Writing
Cloze Activities
Essay Topics
Newspaper
Writing Activities
Parts of Speech

Fiction
The Test of Time

Biology
Animal Printouts
Biology Label Printouts
Biomes
Birds
Butterflies
Dinosaurs
Food Chain
Human Anatomy
Mammals
Plants
Rainforests
Sharks
Whales
Physical Sciences: K-12
Astronomy
The Earth
Geology
Hurricanes
Landforms
Oceans
Tsunami
Volcano
Languages
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese (Romaji)
Portuguese
Spanish
Swedish
Geography/History
Explorers
Flags
Geography
Inventors
US History

Other Topics
Art and Artists
Calendars
College Finder
Crafts
Graphic Organizers
Label Me! Printouts
Math
Music
Word Wheels

Click to read our Privacy Policy

E-mail


Enchanted Learning Search

Search the Enchanted Learning website for:



Advertisement.

Advertisement.



Copyright ©1997-2018 EnchantedLearning.com ------ How to cite a web page