Early Cretaceous Dinosaurs

The Early Cretaceous Period was a time in which the Earth was undergoing a process of change. Learn more about some common and not so common Early Cretaceous dinosaurs, including the Iguanodon, Muttaburrasaurus, and Sauropelta.

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Utahraptors lived around 135 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period. So what does salt have to do with these massive dinosaurs whose fossils were first discovered in 1975?

By Mark Mancini

Known by the nickname "Mesozoic Cow," the African dinosaur Nigersaurus taqueti has also had its face compared to a vacuum cleaner.

By Mark Mancini

Acrocanthosaurus was a sauropod of spectacular proportions. In some ways it looked like many other meat-eating dinosaurs, but it had a sail along its back. See pictures and learn more about this dinosaur.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

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Baryonyx was found in 1983 by an amateur fossil collector in Surrey, England. He discovered a large claw that was nearly a foot long is and the animal was named for this fossil, which means "heavy claw." Learn more.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Carnotaurus (its name means "meat bull") is known from a single, nearly complete skeleton that had skin impressions over much of the skull and body. Read more about this South American dinosaur's unusual features.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

The 1964 discovery of Deinonychus in southern Montana was groundbreaking for many reasons, mostly because it helped prove that birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs.

By Mark Mancini

This dinosaur got its name, "iguana tooth," because its tooth looked like those of an iguana. It was a large ornithopod and walked on its stocky back legs. Discover if it was a plant or meat eater.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

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Discovered in 1966 in Niger is africa, this new dinosaur was first named and studied in 1976. Its name means "brave reptile." See why it is one of the most puzzling large ornithopods of the Cretaceous.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Discovered in Outer Mongolia in 1922, Psittacosaurus was one of the smallest and most primitive members of the Ceratopsia. Two of the specimens were juveniles, smaller than a robin. Learn about these tiny dinosaurs.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Tenontosaurus was a medium-size ornithopod dinosaur from Montana and Wyoming. Skeletons range in size from very small juveniles to almost 22-foot-long adults. Learn more about how this dinosaur lived and what it ate.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

The best-documented Early Cretaceous stegosaur is Wuerhosaurus. Skeletons were found in the Tugulo Formations near the northwestern part of the Junggar Basin, China. Learn more about his historic dinosaur.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

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The "reptile from Muttaburra," Muttaburrasaurus is one of the recently discovered ornithopods from Australia is and it is one of the best known from there. Learn more about this plant-eating dinosaur and its relatives.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.