If Dinosaurs Could Talk, part two Quiz / Test | Sci / Tech

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "People once thought that I had five horns. Technically, I don't, I only have three. The extra horns are actually my pointed cheekbones. My skull measures almost ten feet long, with most of it being made up of my neck frill. I'm a low browser, feeding on bushes close to the ground. Who am I?"

Answer: Pentaceratops

All Ceratopsians have pointed cheekbones, but those of Pentaceratops are so prominent that early Palaeontologists mistook them for horns. So it was given the name "Five-Horned Face".

2. "In size and body shape, I resemble the largest modern bird, hence the name 'Ostrich Mimic'. On flat, open ground, my long legs can carry me at speeds of up to fifty miles an hour. Who am I?"

Answer: Struthiomimus

The first complete Ornithomimid to be discovered, Struthiomimus was named by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1917. Although classed as Theropods, Ornithomimids had no teeth and this has raised considerable debate about their feeding habits. The most widely-accepted view is that they fed on insects, lizards and small mammals.

3. "My name means 'Arm Lizard' because my front legs are longer than my back legs. I'm the tallest dinosaur known from a complete skeleton. My long neck allows me to reach high into the treetops, so I can access a food source that's out of reach for many other vegetarians. Who am I?"

Answer: Brachiosaurus

The first Brachiosaurus fossils were found in Colorado, USA, in 1903. Its nostrils are on top of its head, leading to the theory that this was so it could breathe under deep water. However, we now know that Brachiosaurus lived on land because the pressure of deep water would have prevented it from breathing.

4. "I've been known by many other names including Trachodon. I'm able to walk upright on my back legs as well as on all-fours. I have hundreds of small teeth for chewing tough plants. Who am I?"

Answer: Anatotitan

Anatotitan belonged to a group of very common Late Cretaceous dinosaurs called Hadrosaurs. Many of them had decorative hollow crests on their heads. While Anatotitan lacked a crest, it did have the Hadrosaurs' most common feature: a flat, broad snout, like the beak of a duck, hence the name 'Giant Duck'.

5. "My name means 'Frightful Lizard'. I'm a smaller relative of the more famous T-Rex, though I have longer arms and bigger teeth. I live alongside two other relatives, Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus. Who am I?"

Answer: Daspletosaurus

Daspletosaurus, Gorgosaurus and Albertosaurus lived in Canada and the USA during the late Cretaceous. It's likely that they were able to share the same area because the animals they preyed on and the ways in which they hunted were different.

6. "I'm a member of the Ankylosaur family. Like my relatives, I'm covered in bony armour and carry a heavy club on the end of my tail, which I use for defence. I'm large, around five metres long and weighing two tonnes. Who am I?"

Answer: Pinacosaurus

Discovered in Mongolia in the early 1920s, Pinacosaurus means 'Plank Lizard'. There are more than fifteen known species. It was a herbivore, feeding on low-growing vegetation.

7. "My name means 'Double Beam'. Most of my twenty-seven metre-long body is made up of my slender neck and my huge tapering tail, which I like to use as a whip for hitting predators that get too close. I'm both a low and high browser. Who am I?"

Answer: Diplodocus

First discovered in Colorado, USA, in 1877, Diplodocus gets its name from the double-beamed chevron bones located on the underside of the tail vertebrae. In fact, its tail alone measured an amazing fourteen metres, half of its total body length, and contained roughly eighty vertebrae.

8. "I was made famous by my appearance in the movie "Jurassic Park", though I was portrayed as having poison glands, an erectile neck-frill and being much smaller than what I really am. I'm one of the few known predatory dinosaurs to display a decorative crest on my head. Who am I?"

Answer: Dilophosaurus

Although "Jurassic Park" portrayed Dilophosaurus as being no taller than a wallaby, it was actually quite big, measuring around six metres long. Its name, meaning 'Two Ridged Lizard' comes from the pair of thin, semi-circular crests on its head. While the movie version had this feature, it was also shown as having a neck-frill and the ability to spit poison.

However, there's no fossil evidence to suggest the existence of poison glands or a neck-frill.

9. "I'm one of the best known Prosauropods. I have serrated, leaf-shaped teeth, perfect for shredding the tough leaves of tree ferns and conifers. I measure twenty-seven feet long and weigh between one and four tonnes. Who am I?"

Answer: Plateosaurus

First discovered in Germany in 1834, Plateosaurus was the fifth dinosaur to be named, though it took some time for it to be identified as a dinosaur. It was once suggested that, due to its serrated teeth, Plateosaurus may have been partially carnivorous. This now seems unlikely.

10. "I'm a small Stegosaur from the late Jurassic of Eastern Africa. My most distinguishing features are the narrow plates and spikes on my back. I also have a pair of spikes sticking out of my shoulders. Who am I?"

Answer: Kentrosaurus

Kentrosaurus was first discovered in Tanzania, Africa, in the early 1900s. Unlike those of its larger cousin, Stegosaurus, the plates and spikes on the back of Kentrosaurus were small and arranged in pairs.

11. "When I was first discovered in Argentina in 1980, palaeontologists were surprised by my most distinguishing feature. Unlike the majority of my Sauropod cousins, I have dermal armour. I lived towards the end of the Cretaceous. Who am I?"

Answer: Saltasaurus

By Sauropod standards, Saltasaurus was relatively small, measuring twelve metres long and weighing between eight and ten tonnes. Its armour consisted of both small and large interconnecting bony studs that formed a shield over the back.

12. "All dinosaurs are big, right? Wrong! I'm tiny, measuring only three feet long. I spend my days dining on tough vegetation....and keeping an eye out for anyone who might want to eat ME. Who am I?"

Answer: Heterodontosaurus

Heterodontosaurus means 'Different-Toothed Lizard' because it had three different kinds of teeth: small chopping teeth at the front of the mouth, fangs in the middle and closely-packed grinding teeth at the back.

13. "I was named for my teeth which are similar in appearance to those of a particular species of modern lizard. When my first skeletal reconstructions were done, many mistakes were made, the most famous being the fact that palaeontologists mistook my spiked thumb for being a nose horn. Who am I?"

Answer: Iguanodon

Iguanodon was named in 1825, sixteen years before the word 'dinosaur' was invented. It was discovered in southern England by Gideon and Mary Mantell, who noted that its teeth looked a lot like those of the modern Iguana, hence the name 'Iguana Tooth'. Among the fossils they found was a peculiar cone-shaped bone.

The skeleton was incomplete, so the cone-shaped bone was assumed to be a nose horn. It wasn't until more complete skeletons were found in the 1880s that the misplaced bone was finally put where it belonged.

14. "A small dinosaur, I'm thought of as being a transitional form between the Ornithopods and the Ceratopsians. When I was first discovered in the early 1920s, I was given the name 'Parrot Lizard' because I have a hard beak like that of a parrot. Who am I?"

Answer: Psittacosaurus

Psittacosaurus was discovered in Mongolia in 1923. There are ten known species In 2004, a fossil consisting of the remains of thirty-four Psittacosaurus hatchlings was found in China's Liaoning Province.

15. "A famous painter once depicted me as preying on the early bird, Archaeopteryx, but the problem with this depiction is that, although Archaeopteryx and I lived at the same time, we lived on opposite sides of the world. I'm known from only one skeleton that was discovered in Wyoming, USA, in 1900. Who am I?"

Answer: Ornitholestes

Ornitholestes means 'Bird Robber' and, while there's no evidence to suggest that it hunted birds, there's also no reason to think that it didn't. It's been suggested that this dinosaur's diet consisted mostly of lizards, frogs, small mammals and even hatchling Sauropods.

16. "Named in 1921, my most distinguishing feature is the sharp, pointed ridge of bone that projects from the top of my head. I'm a member of the Hadrosaur family, one of the most common groups of late Cretaceous dinosaurs. Who am I?"

Answer: Saurolophus

Saurolophus was a browser, feeding on vegetation such as conifers and cycads. Also, towards the end of the Cretaceous, flowering plants such as water lilies and magnolias were emerging, and these provided a new food source. To help grind up this vegetation, some Hadrosaurs had up to 2,000 teeth.

17. "I'm a small dinosaur, roughly two metres long. Though I'm classed as a Theropod, I have a beak like a parrot and only two teeth on the top of my mouth. I also have a crest on my head. Unfortunately, I was named for a crime I never committed. Who am I?"

Answer: Oviraptor

Found in Mongolia in the early 1920s, the first Oviraptor was discovered lying beside an egg-filled nest. Palaeontologists assumed the nest belonged to Protoceratops and that the Oviraptor had been in the process of stealing the eggs when it died. Then, in the 1990s, an identical nest was found....with an Oviraptor actually sitting on it! So it seems Oviraptor isn't really an egg thief after all.

18. "I'm one of the most well-known dinosaurs. Sometimes called 'The Lion of the Jurassic', I'm the largest predator of my day. I have enormous fifteen-centimetre-long claws on my hands and feet. Who am I?"

Answer: Allosaurus

Discovered in the 1870s, Allosaurus is now one of the best-known Theropods. In 1991, palaeontologists discovered the partial skeleton of "Big Al" in Wyoming, USA. Some bones show signs of infection, which is believed to have contributed to "Big Al's" death. Amazingly, at a length of nearly twelve metres, some palaeontologists believe "Big Al" was not fully-grown when it died.

19. "I'm an unusual Theropod, known only from a handful of bones discovered in Mongolia in 1979. My small pointed teeth have led some scientists to suggest that I'm a fish-eater, though I can't see why a fish-eater would need my horny beak. Who am I?"

Answer: Segnosaurus

Segnosaurus belonged to a relatively new group of dinosaurs called Therizinosaurs. The most distinguishing feature of this group is its long claws, some of which measured up to seventy centimetres. For a long time, palaeontologists have been debating what these dinosaurs ate, but it seems most likely that they used their massive claws for ripping branches down from trees.

20. "I'm a medium-sized Theropod from the late Jurassic of North America. I get my name from the large, stumpy horn on my nose. Unlike the majority of my relatives, I have four-fingered hands and narrow, bony bumps running down the middle of my back. Who am I?"

Answer: Ceratosaurus

Palaeontologists still aren't sure what Ceratosaurus used its horn for, but it's been suggested that the horn was a signalling device, allowing individuals to recognize each other.

Source: Author ElusiveDream

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

If Dinosaurs Could Talk, part two Quiz

Another batch of dinosaurs are here to tell you a bit about themselves. Can you identify them?

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