Book 5, Question 19
Not Mini Adults! Why Were Baby Dinosaurs Different?
Young dinosaurs did not always look like small copies of their parents. Fossils of babies and teenagers show that their bodies could have different shapes, and some features changed as they grew. That is one reason scientists need lots of fossils to tell the whole story.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 5
More fun facts
- Tyrannosaur babies started out about the size of a small dog.
- Scientists learned this from a tiny fossil jaw and claw of tyrannosaurs still inside their eggs.
- A three-foot baby would have been tiny next to adults that grew to 30 feet or more.
- Some small fossils once thought to be a separate species, called Nanotyrannus, may just be teenage T. rex.
- Young T. rex had dagger-like teeth, while adults had teeth the size and shape of bananas.
- A baby titanosaur called Rapetosaurus looked a lot like a mini grown-up and may have taken care of itself soon after hatching.
Sources: National Geographic, Science News Explores, Science News Explores
Questions kids ask
How big was a baby T. rex?
Scientists think tyrannosaur hatchlings were about the size of a small dog.