World of Dinosaurs

World of Dinosaurs

This is an online textbook initiated by K. Ritterbush at the University of Utah.

Here we explore dinosaurs, paleontology, and Earth environments through time in plain language with minimal new vocabulary. Keep it short and sweet.

Topics

• Absolute Dating
• Adaptation and Exaptation
• Basal vs Derived
• Biomechanics
• Chewing Dinosaurs and their Relatives
• Clades of Interest
• Cladograms
• Depositional Environments
• Dinosaur Clades of Interest
• Dinosaurs Through Time
• Earth's Structure
• Feedback Loops
• Horns vs Antlers
• How Scientists Study the Earth
• Long-necked Dinosaurs and their Relatives
• Meat-eating Dinosaurs and their Relatives
• Mineralogy
• Observations & Interpretations
• Relative Dating
• Rocks
• Taxonomy
• What makes a Bird a Dinosaur

Dinosaurs and Other Animals To Know

We chose a specific list of animals for focus in this book. Find the list here, or jump directly to their page from the links below.

• Akainacephalus
• Allosaurus fragilis
• Archaeopteryx
• Barosaurus
• Brachiosaurus
• Camarasaurus
• Coelophysis
• Confuciusornis
• Crocodylus
• Dimetrodon
• Diplodicus
• Eoraptor
• Fruitadens
• Hagryphus (Oviraptor)
• Iguanadon
• Magpie
• Nothrychus (Therizinosaur, aka "slicing lizard")
• Parasaurolophus
• Plateosaurus
• Pteranodon
• Psittacosaurus (aka "parrot lizard")
• Scutelosaurus
• Spinosaurus
• Stegosaurus
• Tyrannosaurus rex
• Utahraptor