Record-Breaking Dinosaur Facts II

Dinosaurs weren’t known for being the brainiest of creatures during ancient times. However, there is one species that could claim the title for having the smallest brain. In this article, you will continue to learn more about the highs and lows of dinosaurs, including the dinosaur who had the longest horns.

Dinosaur with the Smallest Brain

Known as the ‘plated lizard’, the Stegosaurus is recognized as the dinosaur with the smallest brain. This particular dino called the region of what is now known as the states of Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado his home. He lived about 150 million years ago. The brain of the Stegosaurus only weighed about 2.5 ounces and was the size of a walnut despite having a body that measured up to 30 feet in length.

Dinosaur with the Longest Horns

Coming in handy in courting rituals and defense, horns on an animal are an important part of the body. There were many different dinosaur species that had horns as part of their makeup. It was the Triceratops that lived in the North America millions of years ago that had the longest horns out of any other dino species. The horns were positioned right above the eyes and each one measured up to 39 inches long. It is thought that the horns were used during courtship jousting battles.

Longest Dinosaur Name

The longest generic name for a dinosaur is the Micropachycephalosaurus, which translates into “small thick-headed lizard.” The name has nine syllables and 23 letters. A group of Chinese paleontologists had the honors of giving the dinosaur its name in 1978. For such a long name, the dinosaur itself was rather small , measuring only 6 to 12 inches long. It had a thick skull and ate plants 83 to 73 million years ago in ancient China during the Cretaceous Period.

Largest Monosaur

A monosaur was a prehistoric sea lizard that has ties to the monitor lizards of today. The largest specimen known to date is called the Hainosaurus, which could have a total length of up to 49 feet and 2 ½ inches.

Largest Sinosauropteryx Fossil

The Sinosauropteryx is one of the first dinosaurs found that indicated that some dinos had feathers. A complete skeleton of one was found and measured at 12 feet and 5 inches in length. It is now housed at the Shandong Tianyu Natural History Museum in Shandong province, China.   

Other Interesting Dino Era Facts

The longest dinosaur (called the Amphicoelias) is thought to have measured around 197 feet long.

180 million years ago, Archosaurs, such as crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs, were dominant on the land. In the waters, marine reptiles flourished.

160 million years ago, global warming takes its toll on the earth. During this time, the climates become more humid and jungles are abundant. The terrain is decorated with large trees (called conifers) and cycads.

During the Jurassic Period (which was 155 million years ago), the Allosaurus was one of the largest land predators to roam the earth.