How Big Were the Dinosaurs?
Teacher Guide Grade 2 Activity
Story Summary  
How Big Were the Dinosaurs?
by Bernard Most

Dinosaurs were the largest animals to ever walk on land. Because dinosaurs are extinct, it is impossible to see them today. Instead, we must use fossil remains and footprints to learn about dinosaurs. Dinosaurs came in many shapes and sizes. To help you understand just how big some dinosaurs were, this book compares their sizes with things you see every day.

Dinosaurs had different kinds of teeth. Tyrannosaurus rex had big pointed teeth. Unlike the plant-eater Triceratops, who had flat teeth, Tyrannosaurus rex ate meat.

Some dinosaurs, like Shantungosaurus, had mouths shaped like a duck's bill. Can you guess why it was called a duck-billed dinosaur? Another big dinosaur called Stegosaurus also had an unusual body part. It had a row of plates running down its back. dinosaur besides building

In the book, many dinosaurs are compared to the sizes and shapes of things we know. We learn that some dinosaurs such as Supersaurus and Diplodocus were very large. They were almost as large as buildings! The dinosaur called Brachiosaurus was so big that even three elephants would not equal its size.

Some dinosaurs such as Mamenchisaurus had special shapes. Mamenchisaurus had the tallest neck of any animal. Allosaurus had huge hinged jaws to eat chunks of meat. Ankylosaurus was covered in armor all over, and Parasaurolophus had a big hollow tube on top of its head.

Dinosaurs' bodies were suited to where they lived, how they moved, and what they ate. Try the How Big Were the Dinosaurs? Activity to find out more about other kinds of dinosaurs and what they looked like.

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