Imprints of the Past

The Dinosaur's Reign

Dinosaurs were the first large land vertebrates to walk on their toes with their feet directly underneath their bodies. They had hinged ankle joints, a buttressing shelf above their hip sockets, and an enlarged ridge along their thigh bones strengthening their legs. These characteristics allowed dinosaurs to travel long distances. Their mobility was probably one of the keys to their biological success. Dinosaurs were the largest land animals that ever lived. From about 225 million to 65 million years ago, they were one of the planet's most numerous and varied land vertebrates. Few other groups of higher animals have matched the dinosaurs' longevity.

Skull of a duck-billed dinosaur

Diplodocus Longus

Archaeopteryx Lithographica

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