p

s
t
Contents
Its your turn to be a paleontologist! 4
What were dinosaurs? 6
What are fossils? 8
What do paleontologists do? 10
Rebuilding skeletons 12
The Triassic Period 14
The Jurassic Period 16
The Cretaceous Period 18
Field Guide 20
Ankylosaurus magniventris 22
Parasaurolophus walkeri 24
Triceratops horridus 26
Tyrannosaurus rex 28
Beipiaosaurus inexpectus 30
Allosaurus fragilis 32
Anchiornis huxleyi 34
Stegosaurus stenops 36
Fruitadens haagarorum 38
Giraffatitan brancai 40
Plateosaurus engelhardti 42
Pisanosaurus mertii 44
Dinosaur digs 46
Constructing your model dinosaurs 48
Dig site 1: Cretaceous 51
Dig site 2: Jurassic 61
Dig site 3: Triassic 71
Answers 75
Glossary 79
Acknowledgments and photo credits 80
Jurassic
Period
Cretaceous
Period
Triassic
Period
United States edition published in 2014 by
Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information
that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations
in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwithout written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All
recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing.
The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.
Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized
editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
ISBN: 9781612125206
Copyright 2014 Ivy Press Ltd
This book was conceived, designed & produced by
Ivy Press
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Peter Bridgewater
COMMISSIONING EDITOR Georgia Amson-Bradshaw
MANAGING EDITOR Hazel Songhurst
PROJECT EDITOR Judith Chamberlain-Webber
ART DIRECTOR Kim Hankinson
DESIGNER Joanna Clinch
ILLUSTRATORS Vladimir Nikolov and Charlie Simpson
PAPER ENGINEER Charlie Simpson
Font credit WC Rhesus
Printed in China
Color origination by Ivy Press Reprographics
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p
s
t
Contents
Its your turn to be a paleontologist! 4
What were dinosaurs? 6
What are fossils? 8
What do paleontologists do? 10
Rebuilding skeletons 12
The Triassic Period 14
The Jurassic Period 16
The Cretaceous Period 18
Field Guide 20
Ankylosaurus magniventris 22
Parasaurolophus walkeri 24
Triceratops horridus 26
Tyrannosaurus rex 28
Beipiaosaurus inexpectus 30
Allosaurus fragilis 32
Anchiornis huxleyi 34
Stegosaurus stenops 36
Fruitadens haagarorum 38
Giraffatitan brancai 40
Plateosaurus engelhardti 42
Pisanosaurus mertii 44
Dinosaur digs 46
Constructing your model dinosaurs 48
Dig site 1: Cretaceous 51
Dig site 2: Jurassic 61
Dig site 3: Triassic 71
Answers 75
Glossary 79
Acknowledgments and photo credits 80
Jurassic
Period
Cretaceous
Period
Triassic
Period
United States edition published in 2014 by
Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information
that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations
in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwithout written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All
recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing.
The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.
Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized
editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
ISBN: 9781612125206
Copyright 2014 Ivy Press Ltd
This book was conceived, designed & produced by
Ivy Press
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Peter Bridgewater
COMMISSIONING EDITOR Georgia Amson-Bradshaw
MANAGING EDITOR Hazel Songhurst
PROJECT EDITOR Judith Chamberlain-Webber
ART DIRECTOR Kim Hankinson
DESIGNER Joanna Clinch
ILLUSTRATORS Vladimir Nikolov and Charlie Simpson
PAPER ENGINEER Charlie Simpson
Font credit WC Rhesus
Printed in China
Color origination by Ivy Press Reprographics
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p
s
t
Contents
Its your turn to be a paleontologist! 4
What were dinosaurs? 6
What are fossils? 8
What do paleontologists do? 10
Rebuilding skeletons 12
The Triassic Period 14
The Jurassic Period 16
The Cretaceous Period 18
Field Guide 20
Ankylosaurus magniventris 22
Parasaurolophus walkeri 24
Triceratops horridus 26
Tyrannosaurus rex 28
Beipiaosaurus inexpectus 30
Allosaurus fragilis 32
Anchiornis huxleyi 34
Stegosaurus stenops 36
Fruitadens haagarorum 38
Giraffatitan brancai 40
Plateosaurus engelhardti 42
Pisanosaurus mertii 44
Dinosaur digs 46
Constructing your model dinosaurs 48
Dig site 1: Cretaceous 51
Dig site 2: Jurassic 61
Dig site 3: Triassic 71
Answers 75
Glossary 79
Acknowledgments and photo credits 80
Jurassic
Period
Cretaceous
Period
Triassic
Period
United States edition published in 2014 by
Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information
that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations
in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwithout written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All
recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing.
The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.
Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized
editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
ISBN: 9781612125206
Copyright 2014 Ivy Press Ltd
This book was conceived, designed & produced by
Ivy Press
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Peter Bridgewater
COMMISSIONING EDITOR Georgia Amson-Bradshaw
MANAGING EDITOR Hazel Songhurst
PROJECT EDITOR Judith Chamberlain-Webber
ART DIRECTOR Kim Hankinson
DESIGNER Joanna Clinch
ILLUSTRATORS Vladimir Nikolov and Charlie Simpson
PAPER ENGINEER Charlie Simpson
Font credit WC Rhesus
Printed in China
Color origination by Ivy Press Reprographics
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p
s
t
Contents
Its your turn to be a paleontologist! 4
What were dinosaurs? 6
What are fossils? 8
What do paleontologists do? 10
Rebuilding skeletons 12
The Triassic Period 14
The Jurassic Period 16
The Cretaceous Period 18
Field Guide 20
Ankylosaurus magniventris 22
Parasaurolophus walkeri 24
Triceratops horridus 26
Tyrannosaurus rex 28
Beipiaosaurus inexpectus 30
Allosaurus fragilis 32
Anchiornis huxleyi 34
Stegosaurus stenops 36
Fruitadens haagarorum 38
Giraffatitan brancai 40
Plateosaurus engelhardti 42
Pisanosaurus mertii 44
Dinosaur digs 46
Constructing your model dinosaurs 48
Dig site 1: Cretaceous 51
Dig site 2: Jurassic 61
Dig site 3: Triassic 71
Answers 75
Glossary 79
Acknowledgments and photo credits 80
Jurassic
Period
Cretaceous
Period
Triassic
Period
United States edition published in 2014 by
Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information
that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations
in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwithout written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All
recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing.
The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.
Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized
editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
ISBN: 9781612125206
Copyright 2014 Ivy Press Ltd
This book was conceived, designed & produced by
Ivy Press
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Peter Bridgewater
COMMISSIONING EDITOR Georgia Amson-Bradshaw
MANAGING EDITOR Hazel Songhurst
PROJECT EDITOR Judith Chamberlain-Webber
ART DIRECTOR Kim Hankinson
DESIGNER Joanna Clinch
ILLUSTRATORS Vladimir Nikolov and Charlie Simpson
PAPER ENGINEER Charlie Simpson
Font credit WC Rhesus
Printed in China
Color origination by Ivy Press Reprographics
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This is a sampling of pages from
Excavate Dinosaurs!
2014 by Ivy Press Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced without written permission from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may
quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations
in a review with appropriate credits; nor may
any part of this book be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval.
M
C
S
15 14
The Triassic (from about 252 to 201 million years ago) was the first period
of the Mesozoic Era. During this time, life on Earth was recovering from the
largest mass extinction ever at the end of the Permian Period (see page 6).
THE FIRST DINOSAURS
There were three major dinosaur groupssauropodomorphs, theropods and
ornithischiansall of which first emerged in the Triassic Period. These
dinosaurs triumphed over other animals to become the dominant life form on
land during the late Triassic and early Jurassic periods.
LIFE IN THE SEA
Meanwhile, in the seas, prehistoric marine reptiles began
to evolve, including unusual groups such as nothosaurs,
plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and thalattosaurs.
Early amphibians
Turtles
Therapsids
(our mammal-like ancestors)
Archosaurs
(pterosaurs; crocodiles;
dinosaurs; and their
descendants, birds)
The extinction is thought to have been partly
caused by the formation of the supercontinent
Pangaea. All the existing continents crashed
together to create one giant landmass.
NEW SPECIES
The huge amount of volcanic activity at the end of the Permian Period made
life impossible for all but the toughest animals. It took some time after
this extinction for life to recover, and this period saw the rise of many
new animal groups, including:
THE TRIASSIC PERIOD
Thallasiodracon,
a plesiosaur
This crash would have caused volcanic activity
and disturbed many global systems,
such as sea level and climate.
Cymbospondylus, a type
of ichthyosaur
PANGAEA
Theropods, like this
Herrerasaurus, were meat-
eaters and walked on their
back legs.
Ornithischians,
such as Pisanosaurus,
had beaks and
ate plants.
Sauropods, like
Plateosaurus, had long
necks and tails, and
small heads.
p
s
t
p
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t
LIMBS
Short legs of equal length
held the armored body close
to the ground.
23 22
F
I
E
L
D

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D
E
:

A
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y
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m
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i
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C
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Ankylosaurus was a living, breathing tank with bony armor
covering most of its body. Of all the ankylosaurs, Ankylosaurus
was the biggest, at approximately the same height as a human
adult. It lived alongside mega-predators like Tyrannosaurus rex.
Unlike its hadrosaurian (duck-billed) and ceratopsian (beaked)
cousins, Ankylosaurus did not have teeth for grinding foodit
had leaf-shaped teeth for cropping plants.
ANKYLOSAURUS
MAGNIVENTRIS
Meaning of name: Fused
lizard for its body
armor (named in 1908)
Group: Ankylosauridae
(Ornithischia)
Period: Late Cretaceous
Length: Up to 33ft (10m)
Location: North America
Fossils: Several
incomplete specimens
Diet: Plants
TAIL
The end of the
tail was enormously
overgrown, forming
a huge club.
Ankylosaurus would
have used this lethal
weapon to lash out
at predators.
BODY
The back was covered
in plates of bony armor
beneath the skin, which
was covered in bony knobs.
HEAD
The skull was
completely fused
into a solid, triangle-
shaped, helmet-
like structure for
protection.
p
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t
p
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t
41 40
F
I
E
L
D

G
U
I
D
E
:

G
i
r
a
f
f
a
t
i
t
a
n

b
r
a
n
c
a
i

-

J
u
r
a
s
s
i
c

p
e
r
i
o
d
TEETH
Its chisel-like teeth plucked
large amounts of vegetation from
plants, for processing in its
enormous stomach.
LIMBS
Huge Giraffatitan would
usually have needed to
stand on all four sturdy
limbs. It may have been able
to rear up on its hind limbs to
reach higher vegetation,
or in defense.
NECK
Giraffatitan had a much
longer neck than Plateosaurus
(see page 42), giving it a wider
reach when grazing.
Meaning of name: Giant
giraffe (named in 1914)
Group: Sauropodomorpha
(Saurischia)
Period: Late Jurassic
Length: Up to 75 ft (23m)
Location: Tanzania
Fossils: Several partial
skeletons and skulls
Diet: Plants
GIRAFFATITAN
BRANCAI
BITESIZE FACT
Many sauropods ate
stones to help them
grind up the tough plant
food in their stomachs.
These stones, called
gastroliths, are often
found with dinosaur
skeletons.
Sauropod dinosaurs were the largest animals to have walked
the Earth and Giraffatitan was among the biggest. It had an
enormous neck, which it held near-vertically, and its huge body
was supported by four strong limbs. Two nostrils on top of
its head near the tip of the snout meant that Giraffatitan,
like Parasaurolophus, was originally thought to be amphibious.
Current research, though, shows that water pressure would have
crushed it, and it spent almost all of its time on land.
BODY
The enormous body was
encased in long, sturdy ribs
and positioned at an angle
due to its longer forelimbs.
DINOSAUR
DIGS
Bones belonging to the 12 dinosaurs in the Field Guide
have been uncovered at three different dig sites but
they are all mixed up! Your job is to figure out how to
reconstruct each dinosaurs skeleton.
The dig sites are from three different time
periodsthe Cretaceous, the Jurassic and the
Triassic. Use the descriptions in the Field Guide
section to help you identify which bones belong
to which dinosaur.
Before you begin, look at the next two pages
for information on constructing your
pop-out models.
49 48
MODEL DINOSAURS
CONSTRUCTING YOUR
To build your models, you need to determine which bones belong to which
dinosaur. Its a good idea to pop out the named model stands first
and then, as you collect a set of bones, match them with their stand.
Do one era at a time so you dont get confused!
Pop out the stands and fold back
the ap at the dotted line.
Pop out the bodies. Look out for
things such as bony plates, a long, thick
tail or a slim, bird-shaped skeleton.
Identify the heads. Look
for features like horns, a
bony crest or unusual teeth.
Look for arms that are the
same size. Check for matching
claws and the correct number
of toes.
Identify legs that are the
same size. Check to be sure that
the length, thickness and the
feet all match.
Some models have a separate hip-bone piece.
Identify them from the clues on the page.
Some models have a separate
shoulder-bone piece. Identify them
from the clues on the page.
There are clues to help you
identify the small neck and
tail bones.
The pieces fit together with slotsslide the slots together gently.
Attach the heads and tails first. Join the smallest bone on the neck
piece to the head, and the biggest to the body.
Attach the hip bones and shoulder bones (if needed) and then the limbs.
Place the dinosaur in the stand where marked on the body or tail (one is
on the head!) and you have your very own model dinosaur!
If you are unsure or get
confused, go to the Answers
section on pages 7578 to see if
you are on the right track.
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
7
6
7
8
1
Identify the pieces
Putting it all together
59 58
D
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Parasaurolophus
N
e
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iz
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in
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e
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T
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oesnt need
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67 66
D
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Strong should
ers for a

w
id
e-legged
d
inosa
ur.
Stegosa
urus
Extra neck piece for
a super-long neck!
T
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is

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.
Add to a tail to make it into a weapon.