Dinosaur Timeline - When did dinosaurs live?

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Dinosaur Timeline for Kids: When did the dinosaurs live?

What is the dinosaur timeline? When exactly did the dinosaurs live? When was the age of the dinosaurs? When did dinosaurs become extinct? What are the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous time periods? Read on to find out all this and more about the Dinosaur Timeline.

When trying to answer my son's questions about dinosaurs I realized I was rather lacking in my knowledge of the dinosaur timeline. So I decided to put that right. I've put together a page that aims to teach the basics of dinosaur history in a way that you'll remember. This could be the basis of a dinosaur lesson plan or just for fun.

New! Dinosaur Days Educational Resource Review

There's a Dinosaur Timeline Quiz at the end, so pay attention!

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Page Updated 9 Sept 2011

Dinosaur Timeline

Triassic, Jurassic, Creataceous

dinosaur timeline

Here's a visual representation of the dinosaur timeline. It's done in horizontal layers because the time periods correspond to geological layers.

Click to download a printable pdf version of this dinosaur timeline with dinosaur names included

Poll: Dinosaurs and Flowering Plants

Did you know?

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What is a dinosaur?

DinosaursDinosaurs Poster
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Dinosaurs didn't just appear, they evolved from reptiles. Therefore before we look at the dinosaur timeline we need to understand what a dinosaur is.

We all recognize a dinosaur when we see one. Or do we? What is it that makes a dinosaur a dinosaur?

Dinosaurs are reptiles with a set of features that distinguish them from other reptiles. The most commonly cited distinguishing feature is that dinosaurs legs go straight down underneath them, like the legs of mammals and unlike the legs of other reptiles which splay out to the side.

As we will see, there are lots of animals that are generally referred to as dinosaurs which technically weren't dinosaurs.

When did dinosaurs first appear?

Dinosaurs first appeared around 230 million years ago during the Triassic period.

To put this in context, the earth is calculated to be around 4.5 billion years old (that's American billions, i.e. 4.5 thousand million years old).

The first simple cells appeared 3.8 billion years ago and life gradually evolved from that point.

Fish appeared around 500 million years ago.
Reptiles appeared around 300 million years ago.
Dinosaurs appeared around 230 million years ago.
Mammals appeared around 200 million years ago.
Birds appeared around 150 million years ago.

(See a full timeline of evolution at Wikipedia.)

My First Dinosaur Board Book (My 1st Board Books)

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My First Dinosaur book (get it?).

When did dinosaurs go extinct?

Dinosaurs died out around 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period. Dinosaurs roamed the earth for over 160 million years.

Humans have only looked like they do today for 200,000 years. We have a way to go to catch the dinosaurs.

But it wasn't the same species of dinosaurs throughout their 160 million year reign. Dinosaurs evolved and not all species of dinosaur existed at the same time.

What Happened to the Dinosaurs? (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)

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Mesozoic Era: Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous

Three ages of dinosaurs

The Mesozoic Era is know as the age of the dinosaurs as it includes the three time periods in which dinosaurs lived. The three ages of the dinosaurs were Triassic (when they first appeared), Jurassic (as in Jurassic Park), and Cretaceous (at the end of which they were made extinct).

To remember of the order of the ages of the dinosaurs we've come up with this mnemonic:

Terrible Jurassic Creatures.

Dinosaur Timeline for Kids

This Dinosaur Timeline resource for kids is worth a look. It has nicely animated dinosaurs and shows the time range when each dinosaur lived. Lots of dinosaur facts too.

And we like this:

The Magic School Bus: Back in Time with the Dinosaurs

Amazon Price: $14.66 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Lots of dinosaur activities including making a dinosaur timeline.

Giant Evolution Timeline: Poster

Giant Evolution Timeline: Poster

Amazon Price: $23.00 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Brilliant. This is 12 feet long! Evolution timeline including dinosaurs and more.

Permian

Dimetrodon

Permian Pre-Dinosaurs

What are we doing in the Permian era? I thought you said dinosaurs appeared in the Triassic.

Yes, dinosaurs appeared in the Triassic. Permian is the era before Triassic and Dimetrodon lived in Permian period.

Dimetrodon is NOT a dinosaur. Dimetrodon lived in the Permian era before the dinosaurs. Interestingly, Dimetrodon was more closely related to mammals than to lizards. We have a couple of Dimetrodons in our dinosaur box. Now we know.

Carnegie Collection: Dimetrodon

Amazon Price: $4.03 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Dinosaur Timeline Games

Dinosaur Timeline Online Activities for Kids

Games that help kids learn the dinosaur time periods.
Dinosaur Times Game
Drag dinosaurs onto the correct time period.
Dinosaur Train - All Aboard
For preschool children. Help the passengers on the Dinosaur Train as is passes through the Triassic, Jurassic and Triassic stations.

Triassic

245 million years ago to 208 million years ago

Triassic Dinosaurs

245-208 million years ago

The first dinosaurs appeared around 230 million years ago. The climate was hot and dry. It was even warm at the north and south poles.

Eoraptor was one of the very first dinosaurs. No, I hadn't heard of him either. Eoraptor was a carnivore of about 1m in length. Eoraptor was discovered in 1991.

Professor Barrister's Dinosaur Mysteries #3: The Case of the Enormous Eoraptor
Professor Barrister's Dinosaur Mysteries #3: The Case of the Enormous Eoraptor
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Coelophysis appeared later in the Triassic period. Coelophysis was also a carnivore, but was bigger than Eoraptor at around 3m in length.

The first herbivores also appeared in the late Triassic. Plateosaurus was big, up to 10m long.

Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Life in the Triassic (Life of the Past)

Amazon Price: $31.96 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Coelophysis

Triassic Dinosaur

"Why were hundreds of Coelophysis fossils found together at a site in New Mexico? Did Coelophysis live in a herd? Was there more than one kind of Coelophysis? And why did Coelophysis die out? Explore the many mysteries that still surround this early dinosaur, hundreds of millions of years after it disappeared." - from Amazon.com product review.

Coelophysis (Exploring Dinosaurs)

Amazon Price: $20.99 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

Walking With Dinosaurs: The Age of the Dinosaur Dawns

Triassic Dinosaurs

Triassic dinosaurs are not well-known in popular culture. But they do feature in some recent dinosaur documentaries including the BBC's acclaimed Walking with Dinosaurs.

In The Age of the Dinosaur Dawns we meet Coelophysis and Plateosaurus. Well worth watching.
Walking With Dinosaurs: The Age of the Dinosaur Dawns
by BBCWorldwide | video info

416 ratings | 926,409 views
curated content from YouTube

Walking with Dinosaurs DVD

BBC

Walking with Dinosaurs

Amazon Price: $13.35 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

We have watched the Walking with Dinosaurs DVD many times in our house. Fabulous stuff. Packed full on dinosaur facts and beautiful scenery. Highly recommended.

Dinosaur Safari (Late Triassic): Riojasaurus

Let's take a look at one of the dinosaurs from the Triassic period: Riojasaurus. Riojasaurus was a herbivore and it's remains were found in Argentina.

The video below is from the Dinosaur Safari game. A PC game from a few years ago where you can travel back in time and take pictures of dinosaurs from all the dinosaur time periods. It's a little dated, but you can often pick up a used copy very cheaply.

Dinosaur Safari
Dinosaur Safari
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Jurassic

208 million years ago to 145 million years ago

Jurassic Dinosaurs

During the Jurassic time period some well-known dinosaurs start to appear. The climate was still warm and it was humid enabling jungles to expand. The herbivores has plenty of vegetation to eat and got bigger. The carnivores also had plenty to eat (the bigger herbivores!) and grew. Throughout the Jurassic era, dinosaurs got bigger and new species evolved.

Large herbivores like Brachiosaurus roamed the land and pterosaurs soared above.

Jurassic Park Adventure Pack (Jurassic Park / The Lost World: Jurassic Park / Jurassic Park III)

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Jurassic Park may not have been 100% scientifically accurate, but it certainly increased interest in dinosaurs.

SUPERSAURUS - the jurassic period

Let's meet a dinosaur from the Jurassic Period: Supersaurus.

This video is from the dinosaur timeline teaching resource Dinosaur Days (See: Dinosaur Days: Jurassic) which was designed to appeal to girls as well as boys. Some material is available to preview free of charge and for a small fee you can get full access to the educational material.
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Dilophosaurus

Jurassic Dinosaurs

Wild Safari Dino: Dilophosaurus

Amazon Price: $4.83 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

Brachiosaurus

Jurassic Dinosaurs

My son has this Brachiosaurus, it's lovely quality. My favorite of all his dinosaur figures.

Schleich Brachiosaurus

Amazon Price: $4.09 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Stegosaurus

Jurassic Dinosaurs

Papo Stegosaurus

Amazon Price: $11.84 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Rhamphorhynchus

Jurassic Creatures

Safari: Rhamphorhynchus

Amazon Price: $4.83 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Cretaceous

145 million years ago to 65 million years ago

Cretaceous Dinosaurs

During the Cretaceous time period, the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex appears. As do two other modern favorites: Triceratops and Parasaurolophus. Well Parasaurolophus is a big favorite in our house anyway.

The Creataceous era had lots of volcanic activity. Flowering plants appeared and spread. Hadrosaurs like Parasaurolophus fed on flowering plants. Plentiful food supplies and the temperate climate meant that dinosaurs kept getting bigger. There were some really big carnivores like T-Rex and Spinosaurus during the Cretaceous period. And even bigger herbivores like the long-necked Sauropod Argentinosaurus.

The dinosaurs were doing very well at the end of the Cretaceous period, and then they became extinct. Most scientists think this was due to a massive meteorite hitting the earth and causing a devastating cloud of debris which stopped plants growing. The dinosaurs had a good run, but the Cretaceous was their final era.

Cretaceous Dawn

Amazon Price: $7.25 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

A time-travel novel set in the Cretaceous time period and full of facts and adventure.

MAIASAUR - the cretaceous period

Let's meet one of the dinosaurs from the Creataceous period: Maisaura.

(From Dinosaur Days: Cretaceous.)
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Tyrannosaurus Rex - T-Rex

Cretaceous Dinosaurs

Tyrannosaurus

Amazon Price: $18.97 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Parasaurolophus

Cretaceous Dinosaurs

Carnegie Collection- Parasaurolophus

Amazon Price: $22.00 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Triceratops

Cretaceous Dinosaurs

Schleich Triceratops 16452

Amazon Price: $2.92 (as of 05/30/2012)Buy Now

Poll: Favorite Dinosaur Time Period

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Dinosaur Days Resource

Online or CD-ROM

Dinosaur DaysWe recently bought Dinosaur Days - it's available online and on CD-Rom. I got it for my nearly five year old son to use on his netbook. It has been a great success! He loves to watch the videos and listen to all the facts about dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Days is organized into the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous time periods and features dinosaurs from each time period as well as general videos on dinosaurs. There are also games to play and worksheets to complete. Some of the more advanced activities require reading so I can see this will last my boys for a while.

Well worth the very low purchase price for the beta of Dinosaur Days.

Dinosaur Timeline Summer Outdoor Activity

This is a fun dinosaur timeline activity to do outdoors in the summer. You'll need some chalk and a large stretch of driveway or sidewalk that you can draw on.

Mark out a timeline with thick vertical lines at the boundaries of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous time periods at the ratios shown in the dinosaur timeline diagram. You can either do this roughly by eye or you can get a big measuring tape and mark it accurately.

Write the names of the time periods onto the timeline in one color. And write the names of dinosaurs that lived in the time period in the correct place. Or if you're artistic you can draw the dinosaurs.

You can also add on when humans appeared and how long we have been around.

Working in physical space like this is a brilliant way to develop an understanding of the time periods involved. And it's lots of fun! Everyone in the neighborhood will wonder what you are up to!

You'll need:

Crayola 52 Ct Chalk Carton

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Keson MC18M50 50 Feet Closed Metal Housing Fiberglass Measuring Tape in Feet, Inches and Metric

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Triceratops or Torosaurus?

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Dinosaur Timeline Printables and Worksheets

Mesozoic Activities

Mesozoic Timeline
A printable timeline showing the three dinosaur time periods with dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures to color in.

Animal Time Line
A geological timeline, including the age of the dinosaurs, with activities and a quiz.

Printable Mesozoic Era Wordsearch
From Fossil Facts and Finds.

Printable Mesozoic Era Crossword
From Fossil Facts and Finds.

Earth Science Lesson Plans
Includes activities for the Mesozoic (Triassic, Jurassic and Creataceous) time period including a geological clock.

Evolution of Dinosaurs Timeline

How did dinosaur species evolve?

Evolution of Dinosaurs TimelineDinosaurs didn't all live at the same time. Dinosaur species evolved and died out over millions of years. Click to see a large version of this Evolution of Dinosaurs diagram.

This is a great resource for seeing when the different dinosaur families evolved and how they are related.

Image Credit: Zureks Wikipedia CC

Dinosaur Timeline | Sticker books | Murals | etc

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Dinosaur Timeline - Torquay Dinosaur World Museum

We took this photo of a brilliant Dinosaur Timeline at Torquay's Dinosaur World Museum 

Dinosaur Timeline Video

This video explains the three dinosaur time periods and covers the dinosaurs that lived in each era. Toy dinosaurs are used as props!
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Dinosaur Timeline Quiz

Online and Printable Versions

Would you like a printable version of this quiz and the answers?
Dinosaur Trivia Quiz Printable
Dinosaur Trivia Quiz Answers Printable

Were you paying attention?

Try another dinosaur quiz?

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National Geographic Kids Ultimate Dinopedia: The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever

Do you need to improve your dinosaur knowledge. This great reference includes the most up to date dinosaur facts. The Kids Ultimate Dinopedia is written by Don Lessem a former animal behaviorist who has authored lots of kids books on dinosaurs.

National Geographic Kids Ultimate Dinopedia: The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever

Amazon Price: $15.30 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Packed with dinosaur facts and up to date.

Dinosaur Timeline and Creationism

There seem to be some people who teach children that the earth is only a few thousand years old and that dinosaurs were killed in the flood. Pseudo-scientific reasoning is used to explain how the flood caused fossils.

This is simply not true. Christian pseudo-scientists decide on the outcome they want (dinosaurs and people and all other creatures lived at the same time just after a god created them) and then they reason backwards making up things that sound plausible if you're not a scientific thinker.

This article does a great job of debunking creationist myths about the dinosaur timeline: Christian Answers: Fossils and The Flood. (There is some strong language in the article. Understandably.)

A great activity for older kids is to present the pseudo-scientific explanation of the flood to them and see if they can find the problems with it.

So how do we know all this stuff about dinosaurs?

Ah, that would be paleontology - the study of preshistoric creatures:
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Dinosaur Discovery Timeline

Dinosaur History

So we've looked at the timeline of when dinosaurs lived. But what about when dinosaurs were discovered?

Dinosaur bones had probably been discovered many times through prehistory and history, but it was the community of scientists and naturalists in 19th century (1800s) England who began the serious study and classification of dinosaurs.

Richard Owen was one of the leading experts and in 1842 he coined the term Dinosauria to name these creatures.

Stone Girl Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning
Stone Girl Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning
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Mary Anning was a key figure in the collecting and cataloguing of dinosaur fossils and other prehistoric specimens. It was very usual for a female to be taken seriously, but Anning was so knowledgeable that she couldn't be ignored.


The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins: An Illuminating History of Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, Artist and Lecturer
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins: An Illuminating History of Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, Artist and Lecturer
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We have this book and it's absolutely gorgeous. It has illustrations by Brian Selznick and tells the story of the first dinosaur park. The Crystal Palace dinosaurs were put on display in London in 1854. This book explains how Mr Waterhouse Hawkins used his knowledge of the natural world and artistic skills to recreate dinosaurs for the first time. We're lucky enough to have visited the Crystal Palace dinosaurs. Yes, they're still there today.

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Newsflash: Dinosaur origins pushed further back in time - Prorotodactylus

According to new research, dinosaur-like creatures existed earlier than previously though - around 9 million years before. That's very early in the Triassic period. This newly discovered oldest dinosaur ancestor has been named Prorotodactylus as was about the size of a domestic cat.

Dinosaur origins pushed further back in time
Dinosaur footprints found in 250 million year old rock.

Who's talking about the dinosaur timeline?

May 29, 2012 @ 9:01 amTHEPOET'S LIBRARY: The Princeton Field Guide to... from dinosaur timeline paleontology - Google Blog Search
"The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs" is a must-have for anyone who loves dinosaurs, from the amateur enthusiast to the professional paleontologist. ... More than 130 color life studies,...
Feb 5, 2012 @ 7:57 amHistory Of Paleontology, including: Timeline Of Paleontology... from dinosaur timeline paleontology - Google Blog Search
History Of Paleontology, including: Timeline Of Paleontology, Saurian Expedition Of 1905, Bone Wars, Kirkdale Cave, Dinosaur Renaissance, History Of ... Determination In Dinosaurs, Duria Antiquior ...

Dinosaur Timeline Contents

Did you miss anything?

  1. Dinosaur Timeline
  2. Poll: Dinosaurs and Flowering Plants
  3. What is a dinosaur?
  4. When did dinosaurs first appear?
  5. When did dinosaurs go extinct?
  6. Dinosaur Timeline Activity for Kids K-4
  7. Mesozoic Era: Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous
  8. Dinosaur Timeline for Kids
  9. Giant Evolution Timeline: Poster
  10. Permian
  11. Dimetrodon
  12. Dinosaur Timeline Games
  13. Triassic
  14. Triassic Dinosaurs
  15. Coelophysis
  16. Walking With Dinosaurs: The Age of the Dinosaur Dawns
  17. Walking with Dinosaurs DVD
  18. Dinosaur Safari (Late Triassic): Riojasaurus
  19. Jurassic
  20. Jurassic Dinosaurs
  21. SUPERSAURUS - the jurassic period
  22. Dilophosaurus
  23. Brachiosaurus
  24. Stegosaurus
  25. Rhamphorhynchus
  26. Cretaceous
  27. Cretaceous Dinosaurs
  28. MAIASAUR - the cretaceous period
  29. Tyrannosaurus Rex - T-Rex
  30. Parasaurolophus
  31. Triceratops
  32. Poll: Favorite Dinosaur Time Period
  33. Free Dinosaur Timeline Game
  34. Dinosaur Days Resource
  35. Dinosaur Timeline Summer Outdoor Activity
  36. You might also enjoy
  37. Dinosaur Timeline Printables and Worksheets
  38. Evolution of Dinosaurs Timeline
  39. Dinosaur Timeline | Sticker books | Murals | etc
  40. We took this photo of a brilliant Dinosaur Timeline at Torquay's Dinosaur World Museum
  41. Dinosaur Timeline Video
  42. Dinosaur Timeline Quiz
  43. Try another dinosaur quiz?
  44. National Geographic Kids Ultimate Dinopedia: The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever
  45. Dinosaur Timeline and Creationism
  46. So how do we know all this stuff about dinosaurs?
  47. Dinosaur Discovery Timeline
  48. Comments
  49. Where next?
  50. Dinosaur Timeline News
  51. Newsflash: Dinosaur origins pushed further back in time - Prorotodactylus
  52. Who's talking about the dinosaur timeline?
  53. Dinosaur Facts for Kids
  54. Thanks for Visiting

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Dinosaur Timeline

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DinosaurEgg

DinosaurEgg is Mom to two boys who love dinosaurs and created a Dinosaur Timeline to answer their questions.
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Giant Evolution Timeline: Book & Play Mat 

Giant Evolution Timeline: Book & Play Mat

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"Colorfully illustrated oversize play mat tells the story of 600 million years of evolution in kid-friendly words and pictures." - from Amazon product description.

National Geographic Dinosaurs [Hardcover] 

National Geographic Dinosaurs

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