Were huge plant eaters ever attacked?
The sheer size of many of these gentle giants must have put off many predators. Some like Apatosaurus had long claws to defend themselves in case they were attacked. They would rear up on their back legs and slash out at their enemies.
Amazing!
Plant eaters like Heterodontosaurus had fangs which they may have used to bite attackers. It was a small but strong dinosaur, well able to defend itself against meat eaters.
Is it true?
Scientists can tell how quickly dinosaurs could travel.
YES. By looking at their skeletons and measuring the distance between fossilised footprints, scientists can measure how quickly or slowly a dinosaur moved.
What had spikes at the end of its tail?
The enemies of Stegosaurus would have had to watch out for the bony spikes in its tail. Many plant-eating dinosaurs developed spikes, horns or claws to protect themselves from attack.
What could run away from attackers?
Some small plant eaters relied on running away to defend themselves. They would have had good hearing and sharp eyesight. Dryosaurus could run at about 40 kph.
Could dinosaurs make noises?
Dinosaurs had voice boxes, which means they could make noises. Parasaurolophus had a long, hollow bone on top of its head. Perhaps it forced air through the bone to make a deep, hooting sound.
Amazing!
A dinosaur has gone into space! In January 1998, a fossil Coelophysis skull travelled on board the space shuttle Endeavour. The 220-million-year-old fossil flew four million miles around the Earth.
