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Quiz about A person a place a characteristic
Quiz about A person a place a characteristic

A person, a place, a characteristic Quiz


When it comes to naming dinosaurs, they are usually named after one of three things: a person, a place or a bodily characteristic. Can you identify what these 15 dinosaurs were named after?

A multiple-choice quiz by ElusiveDream. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
ElusiveDream
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
369,487
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
11 / 15
Plays
299
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Question 1 of 15
1. "Hi, I'm Avaceratops. When palaeontologist Peter Dodson named me in 1986, from whom was my name derived?" Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. Muttaburrasaurus was named after a person.


Question 3 of 15
3. "Hi, I'm Albertosaurus. I'm a large predatory dinosaur, closely related to the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex. What was I named after?" Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. Which bodily characteristic was Triceratops named after? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. "Hi, I'm Iguanodon. I'm a large herbivorous dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of Europe and North America, about 110 million years ago. What am I named after?" Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. Lambeosaurus was named after a Canadian palaeontologist.


Question 7 of 15
7. On which part of the body is the characteristic for which Deinonychus was named? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Styracosaurus was named after a characteristic on which part of its body? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. "Hi, I'm Argentinosaurus. I'm one of the largest known land animals. Was I named after a place, a person or a bodily characteristic?" Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. "Hi, I'm Dilophosaurus. I was named after a bodily characteristic located on which part of my body?" Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. "Hi, I'm Othnielia. I was first discovered in 1877 but what was I named after?" Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. Utahraptor was named after the American state of Utah.


Question 13 of 15
13. Herrerasaurus was named after a place.


Question 14 of 15
14. Edmontosaurus was named after a city in which country? Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. "Hi, I'm Leaellynasaura. When I was first found in 1989, who did my discoverers name me after?" Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Sep 11 2024 : rahonavis: 15/15
Sep 11 2024 : bernie73: 7/15

Score Distribution

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "Hi, I'm Avaceratops. When palaeontologist Peter Dodson named me in 1986, from whom was my name derived?"

Answer: my discoverer's wife

Avaceratops means "Ava's Horned Face". It was first discovered by a fossil dealer, Eddie Cole, in Montana, USA, in 1981. When palaeontologist Peter Dodson formally described the new dinosaur, he named it after Mr Cole's wife, Ava.
2. Muttaburrasaurus was named after a person.

Answer: False

Muttaburrasaurus, meaning "Muttaburra Lizard" was actually named after the town of Muttaburra in Queensland, Australia, near where its fossils were first discovered.
3. "Hi, I'm Albertosaurus. I'm a large predatory dinosaur, closely related to the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex. What was I named after?"

Answer: a place

Albertosaurus means "Alberta Lizard". It was named after the Canadian province of Alberta where its fossils were first discovered in 1884. It lived 70 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period in what is now southern Canada and western North America.
4. Which bodily characteristic was Triceratops named after?

Answer: its horns

Triceratops means "Three Horned Face". It had a one-metre horn above each eye and a smaller one on its nose. It also had a large shield covering its neck but no armour on its back, tail or legs.
5. "Hi, I'm Iguanodon. I'm a large herbivorous dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of Europe and North America, about 110 million years ago. What am I named after?"

Answer: a bodily characteristic

In the early 1820s, a doctor, Gideon Mantell, was visiting a patient in Surrey, England, when he discovered a small collection of fossilised teeth. The teeth were similar in shape to those of an iguana, although much larger, so he named the new dinosaur Iguanodon, meaning "Iguana Tooth".
6. Lambeosaurus was named after a Canadian palaeontologist.

Answer: True

Lambeosaurus has a complicated history. It was first named Tracodon in 1902 before being re-named Stephanosaurus in 1914. Finally, in 1923, palaeontologist William Parks re-named it Lambeosaurus, meaning "Lambe's Lizard", in honour of Canadian palaeontologist, Lawrence Lambe.
7. On which part of the body is the characteristic for which Deinonychus was named?

Answer: feet

Deinonychus means "Terrible Claw" in honour of the six-inch curved claws on the second toe of each foot. Some scientists think these claws were used to disembowel prey while others believe they were simply used as grappling hooks.
8. Styracosaurus was named after a characteristic on which part of its body?

Answer: head

Styracosaurus means "Spiked Lizard". It belonged to a group of herbivorous dinosaurs called Ceratopsians. Around the edges of its neck shield are a set of six long spikes.
9. "Hi, I'm Argentinosaurus. I'm one of the largest known land animals. Was I named after a place, a person or a bodily characteristic?"

Answer: a place

In 1987 a rancher, Guillermo Heredia, discovered the remains of a massive sauropod in Argentina, South America. In 1993 the dinosaur was named Argentinosaurus in honour of the country in which it was found.
10. "Hi, I'm Dilophosaurus. I was named after a bodily characteristic located on which part of my body?"

Answer: head

On the top of its head, Dilophosaurus had a v-shaped crest made from two thin ridges of bone, hence the name "Two Ridged Lizard".
11. "Hi, I'm Othnielia. I was first discovered in 1877 but what was I named after?"

Answer: a person

Othnielia was named by Peter Galton in 1977, in honour of Othniel Charles Marsh, the American palaeontologist who found it.
12. Utahraptor was named after the American state of Utah.

Answer: True

Utahraptor means "Utah's Hunter". It was first discovered by Jim Jensen in 1975 near the town of Moab in east central Utah but didn't receive much publicity until the discovery of a second fossil in 1991.

It's interesting to note that, when this second fossil was found, the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park was being filmed and the raptors featured in it were roughly the same size.
13. Herrerasaurus was named after a place.

Answer: False

In 1959, a goat farmer, Victorino Herrera, discovered the fossilized remains of a small predatory dinosaur in northwest Argentina. In 1963, palaeontologist Osvaldo Reig named the new dinosaur Herrerasaurus, meaning "Herrera's Lizard", in honour of the man who discovered it.
14. Edmontosaurus was named after a city in which country?

Answer: Canada

First discovered in the 1980s, Edmontosaurus was named after the Canadian city of Edmonton.
15. "Hi, I'm Leaellynasaura. When I was first found in 1989, who did my discoverers name me after?"

Answer: their daughter

When Tom Rich and his wife, Patricia, discovered Leaellynasaura in 1989 they named it after their daughter, Leaellyn. They've also named a dinosaur after their son, Tim.
Source: Author ElusiveDream

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
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