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'''Dinosaurs''' are a [[diverse]] [[group]] of [[reptiles]]. They were the [[dominant]] [[terrestrial]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verterbrates vertebrates] for over 160 million years, from the late [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triassic Triassic] period (about 230 million years ago) until the end of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous Cretaceous] period (about 65 million years ago), when the Cretaceous–Tertiary [[extinction]] event caused the extinction of most dinosaur [[species]], except for some birds. The [[fossil]] record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic Jurassic] period, and most paleontologists regard them as the only [[group]] of dinosaurs to have survived until the present day.
Paleontologists have identified over 500 distinct [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genus genera] and more than 1,000 different [[species]] of non-avian dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are [[represented]] on every continent by both extant [[species]] and [[fossil]] remains. Some dinosaurs are or were herbivorous, others [[carnivorous]]. Some have been bipedal, others quadrupedal, and others have been able to shift between these [[body]] [[posture]]s. Many non-avian species [[developed]] elaborate skeletal modifications such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armour_(zoology) bony armor], horns or crests. Avian dinosaurs have been the [[planet]]'s [[dominant]] flying vertebrate since the [[extinction]] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterrosaurs pterosaurs]. Although generally known for the large size of some [[species]], most dinosaurs were [[human]]-sized or even smaller. Most [[groups]] of dinosaurs are known to have built nests and laid eggs.
The term "dinosaur" was coined in 1842 by the [[English]] paleontologist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Owen Richard Owen], and derives from [[Greek]] δεινός (deinos) "terrible, [[powerful]], wondrous" + σαῦρος (sauros) "lizard". Through the first half of the twentieth century, most of the [[scientific]] [[community]] mistakenly believed dinosaurs to have been sluggish, unintelligent cold-blooded [[animals]]. Most [[research]] conducted since the 1970s, however, has indicated that dinosaurs were [[active]] animals with elevated [[metabolism]]s and numerous [[adaptation]]s for [[social]] [[interaction]].
Since the first dinosaur [[fossils]] were recognized in the early nineteenth century, mounted dinosaur skeletons have been major [[attractions]] at museums around the world, and dinosaurs have become a part of world [[culture]]. They have been featured in best-selling [[books]] and films such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park Jurassic Park], and new discoveries are regularly covered by the [[media]]. The outdated image of dinosaurs as maladapted extinct monsters has led to the word "dinosaur" entering the [[vernacular]] to describe anything that is impractically large, slow-moving, obsolete, or bound for [[extinction]].
==Cultural depictions==
[[Public]] [[enthusiasm]] for dinosaurs first [[developed]] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era Victorian] England, where in 1854, three decades after the first [[scientific]] descriptions of dinosaur remains, the famous dinosaur [[sculptures]] were unveiled in London's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Palace_Park Crystal Palace Park]. The Crystal Palace dinosaurs proved so popular that a strong market in smaller replicas soon [[developed]]. In subsequent decades, dinosaur exhibits opened at parks and museums around the world, ensuring that successive [[generations]] would be introduced to the [[animals]] in an immersive and exciting way. Dinosaurs' enduring popularity, in its turn, has resulted in significant [[public]] funding for dinosaur [[science]], and has frequently spurred new [[discoveries]]. In the United States, for example, the [[competition]] between museums for public [[attention]] led directly to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars Bone Wars] of the 1880s and 1890s, during which a pair of feuding paleontologists made enormous scientific contributions.
The popular preoccupation with dinosaurs has ensured their [[appearance]] in [[literature]], [[film]] and other [[media]]. Beginning in 1852 with a passing mention in Charles Dickens' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleak_House Bleak House], dinosaurs have been featured in large numbers of fictional works. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 book [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_World_(Conan_Doyle_novel) The Lost World], the iconic 1933 film [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(1933_film) King Kong], 1954's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(1954_film) Godzilla] and its many sequels, the best-selling 1990 [[novel]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park Jurassic Park] by Michael Crichton and its 1993 film adaptation are just a few notable examples of dinosaur appearances in [[fiction]]. [[Authors]] of general-interest non-fictional works about dinosaurs, including some prominent paleontologists, have often sought to use the [[animals]] as a way to educate [[readers]] about [[science]] in general. Dinosaurs are ubiquitous in advertising; numerous companies have referenced dinosaurs in printed or televised advertisements, either in order to sell their own products or in order to characterize their rivals as slow-moving, dim-witted or obsolete.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs]
[[Category: Paleontology]]
'''Dinosaurs''' are a [[diverse]] [[group]] of [[reptiles]]. They were the [[dominant]] [[terrestrial]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verterbrates vertebrates] for over 160 million years, from the late [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triassic Triassic] period (about 230 million years ago) until the end of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous Cretaceous] period (about 65 million years ago), when the Cretaceous–Tertiary [[extinction]] event caused the extinction of most dinosaur [[species]], except for some birds. The [[fossil]] record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic Jurassic] period, and most paleontologists regard them as the only [[group]] of dinosaurs to have survived until the present day.
Paleontologists have identified over 500 distinct [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genus genera] and more than 1,000 different [[species]] of non-avian dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are [[represented]] on every continent by both extant [[species]] and [[fossil]] remains. Some dinosaurs are or were herbivorous, others [[carnivorous]]. Some have been bipedal, others quadrupedal, and others have been able to shift between these [[body]] [[posture]]s. Many non-avian species [[developed]] elaborate skeletal modifications such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armour_(zoology) bony armor], horns or crests. Avian dinosaurs have been the [[planet]]'s [[dominant]] flying vertebrate since the [[extinction]] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterrosaurs pterosaurs]. Although generally known for the large size of some [[species]], most dinosaurs were [[human]]-sized or even smaller. Most [[groups]] of dinosaurs are known to have built nests and laid eggs.
The term "dinosaur" was coined in 1842 by the [[English]] paleontologist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Owen Richard Owen], and derives from [[Greek]] δεινός (deinos) "terrible, [[powerful]], wondrous" + σαῦρος (sauros) "lizard". Through the first half of the twentieth century, most of the [[scientific]] [[community]] mistakenly believed dinosaurs to have been sluggish, unintelligent cold-blooded [[animals]]. Most [[research]] conducted since the 1970s, however, has indicated that dinosaurs were [[active]] animals with elevated [[metabolism]]s and numerous [[adaptation]]s for [[social]] [[interaction]].
Since the first dinosaur [[fossils]] were recognized in the early nineteenth century, mounted dinosaur skeletons have been major [[attractions]] at museums around the world, and dinosaurs have become a part of world [[culture]]. They have been featured in best-selling [[books]] and films such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park Jurassic Park], and new discoveries are regularly covered by the [[media]]. The outdated image of dinosaurs as maladapted extinct monsters has led to the word "dinosaur" entering the [[vernacular]] to describe anything that is impractically large, slow-moving, obsolete, or bound for [[extinction]].
==Cultural depictions==
[[Public]] [[enthusiasm]] for dinosaurs first [[developed]] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era Victorian] England, where in 1854, three decades after the first [[scientific]] descriptions of dinosaur remains, the famous dinosaur [[sculptures]] were unveiled in London's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Palace_Park Crystal Palace Park]. The Crystal Palace dinosaurs proved so popular that a strong market in smaller replicas soon [[developed]]. In subsequent decades, dinosaur exhibits opened at parks and museums around the world, ensuring that successive [[generations]] would be introduced to the [[animals]] in an immersive and exciting way. Dinosaurs' enduring popularity, in its turn, has resulted in significant [[public]] funding for dinosaur [[science]], and has frequently spurred new [[discoveries]]. In the United States, for example, the [[competition]] between museums for public [[attention]] led directly to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars Bone Wars] of the 1880s and 1890s, during which a pair of feuding paleontologists made enormous scientific contributions.
The popular preoccupation with dinosaurs has ensured their [[appearance]] in [[literature]], [[film]] and other [[media]]. Beginning in 1852 with a passing mention in Charles Dickens' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleak_House Bleak House], dinosaurs have been featured in large numbers of fictional works. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 book [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_World_(Conan_Doyle_novel) The Lost World], the iconic 1933 film [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(1933_film) King Kong], 1954's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(1954_film) Godzilla] and its many sequels, the best-selling 1990 [[novel]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park Jurassic Park] by Michael Crichton and its 1993 film adaptation are just a few notable examples of dinosaur appearances in [[fiction]]. [[Authors]] of general-interest non-fictional works about dinosaurs, including some prominent paleontologists, have often sought to use the [[animals]] as a way to educate [[readers]] about [[science]] in general. Dinosaurs are ubiquitous in advertising; numerous companies have referenced dinosaurs in printed or televised advertisements, either in order to sell their own products or in order to characterize their rivals as slow-moving, dim-witted or obsolete.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs]
[[Category: Paleontology]]
