Dinosaurs ()
Archaeopteryx
The first dinosaur feather ever found was from an archaeopteryx in Solnhofen, Germany. The archaeopteryx was a flying dinosaur about the size of a raven. It probably ate bugs, seeds and fruit. When it lived, during the late Jurassic, the land was at the edge of a prehistoric sea.
See it for yourself: The Museum Solnhofen has tons of fossils from the local limestone and a special Archaeopteryx room.
Find your own: In the Altmühltal Nature Park, Germany there are quarries that allow you to dig and find your own small fossils to keep.
archaeopteryx ()
Plesiosaur
A plesiosaur is a long-necked marine reptile. That means it lived in the sea. These huge creatures swam by flapping their big fins. They also ate fish with their sharp teeth. In Charmouth, England, a dog named Raffle found one the best plesiosaur fossils in the world during a walk on the beach.
See it for yourself: Head to the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre in southern England to see the preserved plesiosaur Raffle the dog discovered.
Find your own: You can explore the beaches around Charmouth for your own fossil collection. A plesiosaur is pretty rare, but lots of kids can find their own fossil shellfish called an ammonite.
plesiosaur ()
Iguanodon
The plant-eating iguanodon walked on two or four legs. It also had a cool thumb spike on its front hands. It was probably for defense. The very first dinosaur footprints ever found were from iguanodons in Enciso, Spain. A fossil footprint is called an “ichnite.” The muddy swampland the iguanodons lived in preserved the ichnites for us to see.
See it for yourself: The Enciso Paleontological Center in Spain has a museum showing how paleontologists can tell which dinosaurs made the footprints.
Find your own: Near Enciso, up the Valdecevillo Valley, you can hike along a trail to see the footprints of iguanodon and lots of other dinosaurs.
iguanodon ()
Brachiosaurus
The brachiosaurus was one of the world’s biggest plant-eating dinosaurs. They had long tails, long necks and walked on four huge legs. Their long necks helped them reach the tasty tops of ginko trees. There fossils are found in North America and Tanzania.
See it for yourself: At the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Germany you can see the world’s largest mounted fossil of a brachiosaurus. It was found in Tanzania over 100 years ago and has recently been named a new species called a Giraffatitan.
Find your own: If you want to see just how big this dino was, visit the Google Arts and Culture website. Then, search for “Giraffatitan” to see a VR recreation of the one at the Berlin museum.
Brachiosaurus ()
Spinosaurus
The Spinosaurus was the biggest meat-eating dinosaur in Europe. It lived by the water and probably fished for food. The sail on its back may have been for staying cool or for swimming. Maybe the sail was just for showing off.
See it for yourself: Last year the biggest Spinosaurus fossil was found on the Isle of Wight in England. There, you can visit the Dinosaur Isle Museum.
Find your own: You can take the Red Funnel Ferry to the Isle of Wight. Go search one of the five known fossil locations. Hint: The ferry has a guide to fossil hunting.
Spinosaurus ()
