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'''Dinosaurs''' (Greek: δεινός, deinos + σαῦρος, sauros) are an extinct superorder of the class Reptilia, and known from recovered remains and tracks found in sedimentary rock worldwide.   

'''Dinosaurs''' (Greek: δεινός, deinos + σαῦρος, sauros) are an extinct superorder of the class Reptilia, known from remains and tracks found in sedimentary rock worldwide.   

==Description==

==Description==

Dinosaurs were immensely varied, and included both herbivores and carnivores.  Although many have been found in the fossil record, paleontologists expect that they have barely scratched the surface of the vast superorder that the dinosaurs encompassed.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060905-dinosaurs_2.html Vast Majority of Dinosaurs Still to Be Found, Scientists Say], ''National Geographic''</ref>

Dinosaurs were immensely varied, and included both herbivores and carnivores.  Although paleontologists have found many in the fossil record, they expect they have barely scratched the surface of the vast superorder the dinosaurs encompassed.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060905-dinosaurs_2.html Vast Majority of Dinosaurs Still to Be Found, Scientists Say], ''National Geographic''</ref>

The superorder Dinosauria has been divided into two main orders, the division based exclusively on the structure of the pelvic bones.

The superorder Dinosauria has been divided into two main orders, based exclusively on pelvic bone structure.

===Order ''[[Saurischia]]''===

===Order ''[[Saurischia]]''===

Saurischian dinosaurs are characterized by "lizard hips", i.e. the pubic bone of the pelvis juts forward towards the rib cage.  Herbivorous species were almost all quadrupedal.  They carried peg-like teeth which cut, rather than chewed, plant material, with the actual grinding of this food aided by gastroliths.  Carnivorous species were exclusively bipedal.  

Saurischian dinosaurs are characterized by "lizard hips", i.e., the pubic bone of the pelvis juts forward towards the rib cage.  Herbivorous species were almost all quadrupedal.  They carried peg-like teeth that cut, rather than chewed, plant material, with gastroliths aiding the actual grinding of this food.  Carnivorous species were exclusively bipedal.  

*Infraorder Sauropoda

*Infraorder Sauropoda

::Species of this infraorder are characterized by long necks and tails, barrel-shaped bodies, and column-like legs.  In three families (notably Diplodocidae, Brachiosauridae, and Titanosauroidea) several species were determined to be of extreme size, estimated in excess of 125 feet in length and 100 tons, making them the largest animals to have walked the earth.

::Species of this infraorder are characterized by long necks and tails, barrel-shaped bodies, and column-like legs.  In three families (notably Diplodocidae, Brachiosauridae, and Titanosauroidea) several species were determined to be of extreme size, estimated in excess of 125 feet in length and 100 tons, making them the largest animals to have walked the earth.

*Infraorder Theropoda

*Infraorder Theropoda

::Exclusively bipedal; forearms meant for grasping or holding.  Fossil evidence for several species indicate pack hunting.  

::Exclusively bipedal; forearms meant for grasping or holding.  Fossil evidence for several species indicates pack hunting.  

:::''[[Coelophysis]]''  

:::''[[Coelophysis]]''  

:::''[[Ornithomimus]]''  

:::''[[Ornithomimus]]''  

===Order ''[[Ornithischia]]''===

===Order ''[[Ornithischia]]''===

Ornithischian dinosaurs are characterized by "bird hips", i.e. the pubic bone of the pelvis juts towards the rear of the animal.  All species were herbivorous; most were quadrupedal.  Front teeth were lacking, while a predentary bone was present in the front of the lower jaw.  Several species (mainly within ''Ceratopsia'') had a distinctive parrot-like beak.

Ornithischian dinosaurs are characterized by "bird hips", i.e., the pubic bone of the pelvis juts towards the rear of the animal.  All species were herbivorous; most were quadrupedal.  They lacked front teeth, but had a predentary bone at the front of the lower jaw.  Several species (mainly within ''Ceratopsia'') had a distinctive parrot-like beak.

*Infraorder Ceratopsia

*Infraorder Ceratopsia

::Species of this infraorder carried one or more horns on their heads, as well as a shield-like frill to protect the neck.

::Species of this infraorder carried one or more horns on their heads, as well as a shield-like frill to protect the neck.

:::''[[Styracosaurus]]''  

:::''[[Styracosaurus]]''  

*Infraorder Stegosauria

*Infraorder Stegosauria

::Large dinosaurs with a row of bony plates on top of their backs, and several spikes used as a defensive weapon at the end of their tails.

::Large dinosaurs with a row of bony plates on top of their backs and several spikes called thagomizers, used as a defensive weapon, at the end of their tails.

:::''[[Stegosaurus]]''

:::''[[Stegosaurus]]''

:::''[[Huayangosaurus]]''

:::''[[Huayangosaurus]]''

:::''[[Edmontonia]]''  

:::''[[Edmontonia]]''  

*Infraorder Ornithopoda

*Infraorder Ornithopoda

::Large, herd-dwelling dinosaurs that could run bipedaly.  Several species had a "boss" of bone on their heads (Pachycephalosaurs) which may have been used for head-butting similar to bighorn sheep; others a crest of bone (hadrosaurs) which may have been sound resonators.  

::Large, herd-dwelling dinosaurs that could run bipedally.  Several species had a bony "boss" on their heads (Pachycephalosaurs) that may have been used for head-butting, similar to bighorn sheep; others had a bony crest (hadrosaurs) that may have been a sound resonator.  

:::''[[Camptosaurus]]''  

:::''[[Camptosaurus]]''  

:::''[[Iguanodon]]''

:::''[[Iguanodon]]''

==History==

==History==

The first published description of a dinosaur occurred years before the word was created.  In his ''Natural History of Oxford-shire'' Robert Plot, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford in 1676, described the lower end of a petrified femur which was too large to be from any known animal in Europe;<ref>http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/23488#/summary</ref> the femur itself was lost, but the description as well as an accompanying engraving would lead others to determine later that it belonged to the theropod ''Megalosaurus''.  In 1824, the British scientist William Buckland published a paper titled ''"Notice on the Megalosaurus or great Fossil Lizard of Stonesfield"'', the first scientifically-described dinosaur; a second dinosaur (''Iguanodon'') would be similarly-described the following year by Gideon Mantell, with a third dinosaur (''Hylaeosaurus'') discovered in Brighton in 1832.

The first published description of a dinosaur occurred years before the word was created.  In his ''Natural History of Oxford-shire'' Robert Plot, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford in 1676, described the lower end of a petrified femur which was too large to be from any known animal in Europe;<ref>http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/23488#/summary</ref> the femur itself was lost, but the description as well as an accompanying engraving would lead others to determine later that it belonged to the theropod ''Megalosaurus''.  In 1824, the British scientist William Buckland published a paper titled ''"Notice on the Megalosaurus or great Fossil Lizard of Stonesfield"'', the first scientifically described dinosaur; a second dinosaur (''Iguanodon'') would be similarly described the following year by Gideon Mantell, with a third dinosaur (''Hylaeosaurus'') discovered in Brighton in 1832.

Despite having reptilian characteristics, the size and structure of the remains justified the creation of a new biological category, and in 1842 Richard Owen coined the name "dinosaur" from two Greek words meaning "terrible lizard".<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=dy5LAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA60&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>  The three dinosaurs were reconstructed and displayed at the Crystal Palace in London as part of the Exhibition of 1851. In 1878, several dozen ''Iguanodon'' fossils were discovered in the course of mining operations at a coal mine in Bernissart, Belgium. This find suggested that dinosaurs could travel in herds.

Despite its reptilian characteristics, the size and structure of the remains justified creating a new biological category, and in 1842 Richard Owen coined the name "dinosaur" from two Greek words meaning "terrible lizard".<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=dy5LAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA60&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>  The three dinosaurs were reconstructed and displayed at the Crystal Palace in London as part of the Exhibition of 1851. In 1878, several dozen ''Iguanodon'' fossils were discovered in the course of mining operations at a coal mine in Bernissart, Belgium. This find suggested that dinosaurs could travel in herds.

===U.S. finds===

===U.S. finds===

In July, 1806 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark unsuccessfully tried to retrieve ''"...the rib of a fish which was Semented within the face of the rock"'' at the Hell Creek formation, in what is now Yellowstone County, Montana; the ribs were later determined to have come from a terrestrial dinosaur.<ref>http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/read/?_xmlsrc=1806-07-25&_xslsrc=LCstyles.xsl</ref>

In July, 1806 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark unsuccessfully tried to retrieve ''"...the rib of a fish which was Semented within the face of the rock"'' at the Hell Creek formation, in what is now Yellowstone County, Montana; the ribs were later determined to have come from a terrestrial dinosaur.<ref>http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/read/?_xmlsrc=1806-07-25&_xslsrc=LCstyles.xsl</ref>

In 1858, ''Hadrosaurus'', the so-called "duck-billed dinosaur", was found in a mineral pit in New Jersey. It was put on display at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences in 1868. In 1869, Edward Drinker Cope (1847-1897) had reconstructed a ''[[plesiosaur]]''. Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899) was able to establish that Cope had put the skull on the wrong end of the skeleton, humiliating Cope, and beginning a long and bitter rivalry derisively-called the "Bone War". While previous skeletons had been discovered by accident, Cope and Marsh went on expeditions to arid parts of the American West.  The two found numerous fossils in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico as they competed to find and name as many species as they could. Their museums worked out the techniques for mounting and displaying them. The feud between Cope and Marsh reached a climax in 1890 when letters containing bitter recriminations were published in ''The New York Herald''. Congress responded by dismissing Marsh and revoking funds for his entire department.

In 1858, ''Hadrosaurus'', the so-called "duck-billed dinosaur", was found in a mineral pit in New Jersey. It was put on display at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences in 1868. In 1869, Edward Drinker Cope (1847-1897) had reconstructed a ''[[plesiosaur]]''. Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899) established that Cope had attached the skull to the wrong end of the skeleton, humiliating Cope and beginning a long, bitter rivalry derisively called the "Bone War". While previous skeletons had been discovered by accident, Cope and Marsh went on expeditions to arid parts of the American West.  The two men found numerous fossils in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico as they competed to find and name as many species as they could. Their museums worked out the techniques for mounting and displaying them. The feud between Cope and Marsh climaxed in 1890, when letters containing bitter recriminations were published in ''The New York Herald''. Congress responded by dismissing Marsh and revoking funds for his entire department.

In 1877, Marsh began digging at Como Bluff, Wyoming. This site proved to be the greatest of all paleontological finds. Many Late Jurassic dinosaurs, including ''Stegosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' (later renamed ''Apatosaurus'') were discovered here. J.B. Hatcher collected dozens of Late Cretaceous horned dinosaurs at Lance Creek in northeastern Wyoming in 1889–1894, including ''Triceratops.''

In 1877, Marsh began digging at Como Bluff, Wyoming. This site proved to be the greatest of all paleontological finds. Many Late Jurassic dinosaurs, including ''Stegosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' (later renamed ''Apatosaurus'' until 2015), were discovered here. J.B. Hatcher collected dozens of Late Cretaceous horned dinosaurs at Lance Creek in northeastern Wyoming in 1889–1894, including ''Triceratops.''

In 1905, [[Henry Fairfield Osborn]] applied the name ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', meaning "“king of the tyrant lizards" to a fossil recently discovered at Hell Creek. This fearsome predator, perhaps 21 feet tall, would capture public imagination. In 1909–1923, 350 tons of dinosaur bones were removed from what is now Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado under the direction of paleontologist Earl Douglass of the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 1905, [[Henry Fairfield Osborn]] applied the name ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', meaning "king of the tyrant lizards," to a fossil recently discovered at Hell Creek. This fearsome predator, perhaps 21 feet tall, would capture public imagination. In 1909–1923, 350 tons of dinosaur bones were removed from what is now Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado under the direction of paleontologist Earl Douglass of the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

   

   

===History of dinosaurs===

===History of dinosaurs===

[[Archaeological]], [[fossil]], and documentary evidence supports the [[faith and science|logical]] conclusion that dinosaurs co-existed with mankind until at least relatively recent times.

[[Archaeological]], [[fossil]], and documentary evidence supports the [[faith and science|logical]] conclusion that dinosaurs co-existed with mankind until at least relatively recent times.

Because the term only came into use in the 19th century, the [[Bible]] does not use the word "dinosaur."  However, there are numerous references throughout the biblical account. For example, the [[behemoth]] in [[Job]]  and the [[leviathan]] in [[Isaiah]] are clearly references to dinosaurs,<ref>Allan K. Steel, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1799 Could Behemoth have been a dinosaur?], ''Journal of Creation'' vol. 15 No. 2 p. 42.</ref><ref>[http://www.answersincreation.org/job4041a.htm], ''Answers in Creation''</ref> although others have claimed that Behemoth and Leviathan are references to a hippopotamus or elephant and a crocodile respectively.  However, the Biblical descriptions do not fit those creatures, note that hippopotamuses and elephants do not have a "tail like a cedar". Furthermore, even if the terms did refer to other animals, this does not necessarily invalidate the existence of dinosaurs. The Creation account was not intended as a comprehensive list of all animals God created - it does not for instance state explicitly that He created the [[ferret]]. However, Genesis does state that God created all animals, which would include any not mentioned by name.

Because the term only came into use in the 19th century, the [[Bible]] does not use the word "dinosaur."  However, the biblical account contains numerous references. For example, the [[behemoth]] in [[Job]]  and the [[leviathan]] in [[Isaiah]] are clearly references to dinosaurs,<ref>Allan K. Steel, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1799 Could Behemoth have been a dinosaur?], ''Journal of Creation'' vol. 15 No. 2 p. 42.</ref><ref>[http://www.answersincreation.org/job4041a.htm], ''Answers in Creation''</ref> although others have claimed that Behemoth and Leviathan refer to a hippopotamus or elephant and a crocodile, respectively.  However, the Biblical descriptions do not fit those creatures; hippopotamuses and elephants do not have a "tail like a cedar." Furthermore, even if the terms referred to other animals, that does not necessarily invalidate the existence of dinosaurs. The Creation account was not intended as a comprehensive list of all animals God created - it does not, for instance, state explicitly that He created the [[ferret]]. However, Genesis states that God created all animals, including those not mentioned by name.

==== Extinction ====

==== Extinction ====

Creation science rejects the great impact theory, and find a number of faults in that theory.<ref>Jonathan Sarfati, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/2426 Did a meteor wipe out the dinosaurs?].</ref> Despite these critiques, the great impact theory is widely considered by the scientific community to be fact. However, those scientists cannot prove the great impact theory definitively.

Creation science rejects the great impact theory, and find a number of faults in that theory.<ref>Jonathan Sarfati, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/2426 Did a meteor wipe out the dinosaurs?].</ref> Despite these critiques, the scientific community widely considers the great impact theory to be fact. However, those scientists cannot definitively prove the great impact theory.

Creation scientists point out that evolutionists are frequently coming out with  new theories to explain the supposed extinction of the dinosaurs, and that those theories are laden with false assumptions.<ref>Michael Matthews, [http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2002/1115dinosaur.asp Dinosaur demise theory, version #451], ''Answers in Genesis''</ref>

Creation scientists point out that evolutionists frequently propose new theories to explain the supposed extinction of the dinosaurs, and that those theories rest on false assumptions.<ref>Michael Matthews, [http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2002/1115dinosaur.asp Dinosaur demise theory, version #451], ''Answers in Genesis''</ref>

====Dinosaur-like creatures in history and modern sightings====

====Dinosaur-like creatures in history and modern sightings====

[[Category:Dinosaurs]]

[[Category:Dinosaurs]]