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'''Dinosaurs''' are a group of reptiles that are now extinct. Their bones are found as fossils in sedimentary rock. Some were very large. Atheists claim that they lived from about 240 million ago until the end of the Cretaceous, about 65.5 million years ago. This was during the Mesozoic Era, or age of reptiles. The Bible reveals that God created land animals on the sixth day of Creation, which was about 6,000 years ago. [[Leviathan]] and [[Behemoth]], two creatures mentioned in the Old Testament, are sometimes identified as dinosaurs.<ref>Steel, Allan K., "[http://creation.com/could-behemoth-have-been-a-dinosaur Could Behemoth have been a dinosaur?]", </ref> The word is Greek for "terrible lizard."<ref>Grigg, Russell, [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/1956/ Dinosaurs and dragons: stamping on the legends], ''Creation'' 14(3):10–14, June 1992.</ref> During the Mesozoic, the Earth was quite different than it is today. There was a great deal of volcanic activity, and outgassing made the atmosphere thicker. The atmosphere contained high levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen, allowing for more abundant life.

'''Dinosaurs''' (Greek: δεινός, deinos + σαῦρος, sauros) are an extinct superorder of the class Reptilia, and known from recovered remains and tracks found in sedimentary rock worldwide.

 

Dinosaurs were immensely varied, and included both herbivores and carnivores. Although many have been found in the fossil record, paleontologists expect that they have barely scratched the surface of the vast superorder that the dinosaurs encompassed.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060905-dinosaurs_2.html Vast Majority of Dinosaurs Still to Be Found, Scientists Say], ''National Geographic''</ref>

 

The superorder Dinosauria has been divided into two main orders, the division based exclusively on the structure of the pelvic bones.

 

Saurischian dinosaurs are characterized by "lizard hips", i.e. the pubic bone of the pelvis juts forward towards the rib cage.  Herbivorous species were almost all quadrupedal.  They carried peg-like teeth which cut, rather than chewed, plant material, with the actual grinding of this food aided by gastroliths. Carnivorous species were exclusively bipedal.

::Species of this infraorder are characterized by long necks and tails, barrel-shaped bodies, and column-like legs.  In three families (notably Diplodocidae, Brachiosauridae, and Titanosauroidea) several species were determined to be of extreme size, estimated in excess of 125 feet in length and 100 tons, making them the largest animals to have walked the earth.

:::''[[Seismosaurus]]''

 

::Exclusively bipedal; forearms meant for grasping or holding.  Fossil evidence for several species indicate pack hunting.  

:::''[[Deinonychus]]''  

:::''[[Velociraptor]]''  

:::''[[Giganotosaurus]]''

 

Ornithischian dinosaurs are characterized by "bird hips", i.e. the pubic bone of the pelvis juts towards the rear of the animal.  All species were herbivorous; most were quadrupedal.  Front teeth were lacking, while a predentary bone was present in the front of the lower jaw.  Several species (mainly within ''Ceratopsia'') had a distinctive parrot-like beak.

::Species of this infraorder carried one or more horns on their heads, as well as a shield-like frill to protect the neck.

::Large dinosaurs with a row of bony plates on top of their backs, and several spikes used as a defensive weapon at the end of their tails.

::Heavily-armored dinosaurs, some with a row of spikes along each side, and possessing a bony tail club.

::Large, herd-dwelling dinosaurs that could run bipedaly.  Several species had a "boss" of bone on their heads (Pachycephalosaurs) which may have been used for head-butting similar to bighorn sheep; others a crest of bone (hadrosaurs) which may have been sound resonators.  

==History==

==History==

[[Image:Osborn.jpg‎‎|thumb|right|[[Henry Fairfield Osborn]] was president of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City from 1908 to 1935.]]

The first published description of a dinosaur occurred years before the word was created. In his ''Natural History of Oxford-shire'' Robert Plot, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford in 1676, described the lower end of a petrified femur which was too large to be from any known animal in Europe<ref>http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/23488#/summary</ref>; the femur itself was lost, but the description as well as an accompanying engraving would lead others to determine later that it belonged to the theropod ''Megalosaurus''. In 1824, the British scientist William Buckland published a paper titled ''"Notice on the Megalosaurus or great Fossil Lizard of Stonesfield"'', the first scientifically-described dinosaur; a second dinosaur (''Iguanodon'') would be similarly-described the following year by Gideon Mantell, with a third dinosaur (''Hylaeosaurus'') discovered in Brighton in 1832.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark found the skeleton of a "monsterously large fish" in what is now Gregory County, South Dakota in 1804.<ref>Hunter, Francis, [http://franceshunter.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/lewis-clark-and-the-monstrous-large-fish/ Lewis & Clark and the “Monstrous Large Fish”]", January 13, 2010.</ref> The backbone of this skeleton is over 45 feet long. It was later identified as that of the aquatic dinosaur ''plesiosaur''. Clark also collected bones at the [[Hell Creek Formation]] in Montana, which later gained renown as a paleontological site. In 1824, William Buckland published a paper on ''Megalosaurus'', the first scientifically described dinosaur. It is a large carnivorous reptile of the Middle Jurassic Period, and was found in southern England. The following year, Gideon Mantell described ''Iguanodon'', found in Tilgate Forest, Sussex. ''Hylaeosaurus'' was discovered in Brighton in 1832.

All three beasts had legs that stood under them like columns, as elephants do. In contrast, the legs of modern reptiles sprawl. Each had five vertebra to support the hipbone. (Modern lizards have only two.) These two characteristics justified the creation of a new biological category, and Richard Owen gave it the name "dinosaur" in 1842. The three dinosaurs were reconstructed and displayed at the Crystal Palace in London as part of the Exhibition of 1851. In 1878, several dozen ''Iguanodon'' fossils were discovered in the course of mining operations at a coal mine in Bernissart, Belgium. This find suggested that dinosaurs could travel in herds.

Despite having reptilian characteristics, the size and structure of the remains justified the creation of a new biological category, and in 1842 Richard Owen coined the name "dinosaur" from two Greek words meaning "terrible lizard"<ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=dy5LAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA60&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>. The three dinosaurs were reconstructed and displayed at the Crystal Palace in London as part of the Exhibition of 1851. In 1878, several dozen ''Iguanodon'' fossils were discovered in the course of mining operations at a coal mine in Bernissart, Belgium. This find suggested that dinosaurs could travel in herds.

===U.S. finds===

===U.S. finds===

In 1858, ''Hadrosaurus'', the so-called "duck-billed dinosaur", was found in a mineral pit in New Jersey. It was put on display at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences in 1868. In 1869, Edward Drinker Cope (1847-1897) reconstructed ''plesiosaur''. Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899) was able to establish that Cope had put the skull on the wrong end of the skeleton, humiliating Cope. A long and bitter rivalry that followed. While previous skeletons had been discovered by accident, Cope and Marsh went on expeditions to arid parts of the American West. The two found numerous fossils in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico as they competed to find and name as many species as they could. Their museums worked out the techniques for mounting and displaying them. The feud between Cope and Marsh reached a climax in 1890 when letters containing bitter recriminations were published in ''The New York Herald''. Congress responded by dismissing Marsh and revoking funds for his entire department.

 

In 1858, ''Hadrosaurus'', the so-called "duck-billed dinosaur", was found in a mineral pit in New Jersey. It was put on display at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences in 1868. In 1869, Edward Drinker Cope (1847-1897) had reconstructed a ''[[plesiosaur]]''. Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899) was able to establish that Cope had put the skull on the wrong end of the skeleton, humiliating Cope, and beginning a long and bitter rivalry derisively-called the "Bone War". While previous skeletons had been discovered by accident, Cope and Marsh went on expeditions to arid parts of the American West. The two found numerous fossils in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico as they competed to find and name as many species as they could. Their museums worked out the techniques for mounting and displaying them. The feud between Cope and Marsh reached a climax in 1890 when letters containing bitter recriminations were published in ''The New York Herald''. Congress responded by dismissing Marsh and revoking funds for his entire department.

In 1877, Marsh began digging at Como Bluff, Wyoming. This site proved to be the greatest of all paleontological finds. Many Late Jurassic dinosaurs, including ''Stegosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' (later renamed ''Apatosaurus'') were discovered here. J.B. Hatcher collected dozens of Late Cretaceous horned dinosaurs at Lance Creek in northeastern Wyoming in 1889–1894, including ''Triceratops.''

In 1877, Marsh began digging at Como Bluff, Wyoming. This site proved to be the greatest of all paleontological finds. Many Late Jurassic dinosaurs, including ''Stegosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' (later renamed ''Apatosaurus'') were discovered here. J.B. Hatcher collected dozens of Late Cretaceous horned dinosaurs at Lance Creek in northeastern Wyoming in 1889–1894, including ''Triceratops.''

In 1905, [[Henry Fairfield Osborn]] applied the name ''Tyrannosaurids rex'', meaning "“king of the tyrant lizards" to a fossil recently discovered at Hell Creek. This fearsome predator, perhaps 21 feet tall, would capture public imagination. In 1909–1923, 350 tons of dinosaur bones were removed from what is now Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado under the direction of paleontologist Earl Douglass of the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 1905, [[Henry Fairfield Osborn]] applied the name ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', meaning "“king of the tyrant lizards" to a fossil recently discovered at Hell Creek. This fearsome predator, perhaps 21 feet tall, would capture public imagination. In 1909–1923, 350 tons of dinosaur bones were removed from what is now Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado under the direction of paleontologist Earl Douglass of the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

   

   

===History of dinosaurs===

===History of dinosaurs===

[[Creation science]] asserts that the biblical account, that dinosaurs were created on day six of [[creation]]<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|1:25|ESV}}</ref> approximately 6,000 years ago, along with other land animals, and therefore co-existed with humans, thus [[Counterexamples to Evolution|debunking the Theory of Evolution]] and the beliefs of evolutionary scientists about the age and creation of the earth.

[[Creation science]] asserts that the biblical account, that dinosaurs were created on day six of [[creation]]<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|1:25|ESV}}</ref> approximately 6,000 years ago, along with other land animals, and therefore co-existed with humans, thus [[Counterexamples to Evolution|debunking the Theory of Evolution]] and the beliefs of evolutionary scientists about the age and creation of the earth.

Also, creation scientists point out that we don't find human bones buried with [[coelacanth]]s yet humans and coelacanths coexist today.<ref name="HaD" />

Also, creation scientists point out that we don't find human bones buried with [[coelacanth]]s yet humans and coelacanths coexist today.<ref name="HaD" />

== In Popular Culture ==

== In Popular Culture ==