At the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, we LOVE dinosaurs. How could we not with our very own life-size Mama T. Rex and her son Max greeting visitors on the prairie and sparking imaginations every day!
We also believe in the Power of Play—and we hope these facts inspire giggles, curiosity, and great conversations with the young people in your life.
Dino Nugget #1: All Dinosaurs Had These in Common
Over 1,000 different dinosaur species have been identified so far, and they all need to have these 3 clues that let you know you’ve found a real-deal dinosaur:
- Two holes behind each eye—they made their skulls lighter and allowed for strong jaw muscles!
- Legs positioned straight underneath the body—more like birds and humans than modern reptiles.
- Short arms(compared to their body size). Just ask Mama T. Rex—strong, but not exactly high-five material.
Dino Nugget #2: Dinosaurs Come in All Sizes
Not all dinosaurs were towering giants. Some were speedy and small, others long and lumbering. Here’s a peek at the prehistoric size chart:
- Eoraptor was about the size of a small dog, with a head as big as an apple. Also, they are one of the oldest known dinosaurs!
- Velociraptors were no bigger than a turkey—just 44 pounds—but could run up to 37 mph and weren’t shy about picking a fight.
- Gilmoreosaurus, an early duck-billed plant-eater, weighed around 3,400 pounds—as heavy as a giraffe or a full vending machine.
- Diplodocus could grow as long as two school buses, with a tail made up of over 80 vertebrae (for comparison, humans have just 33!).
- And Argentinosaurus? Possibly the largest land animal to ever walk the Earth. You’d need at least a whole football field of space just to let it move.
Dino Nugget #3: T. rex was a Real Showstopper
We know we’re biased—our beloved Mama T. Rex and her son Max are pretty awesome—but the Tyrannosaurus rex really was a rock star in the dinosaur world.
- Their name means “Tyrant Lizard King.”
- They had 60 serrated teeth, some as big as bananas!
- Their arms may have been short, but they were strong enough to lift over 400 pounds each.
- T. rex could run up to 12–15 mph.
- They had a superpowered sense of smell—maybe even stronger than today’s bloodhounds!
And then there’s Sue, the most famous T. rex fossil of them all (found in our own backyard):
- Sue is over 40 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hip—the largest T. rex ever found.
- Out of more than 30 T. rex skeletons discovered so far, Sue is the most complete, with about 90% of the skeleton recovered—that’s 250 of 380 known bones!
- It took six people 17 days to excavate the bones.
You can visit Sue at the Field Museum in Chicago.
Dino Nugget #4: Dinosaurs and Birds? Yep, They’re Related!
Did you know the chicken is the closest living relative to the T. rex? Turns out, dinosaurs had a lot in common with birds!
- All dinosaurs laid eggs.
- Some dinosaurs were as small as pigeons.
- Many dinosaurs had feathers. (Take a closer look at Max on our Outdoor Prairie!)
- Like birds, some dinosaurs swallowed stones to help grind their food in their stomachs. Nature’s blender.
Who knew we still had some prehistoric relatives clucking among us?
Here’s to more ROARS, more questions, and more playful moments with the ones you love. We hope these Dino Nuggets help you connect through curiosity, discovery, and a whole lot of prehistoric fun.
Looking for more dinosaur fun? Check out some of the fossils we have at the Museum!
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