Test your dinosaur knowledge with our quiz
In 1964, a replica 'brontosaurus' was brought to New York City to decorate an oil company's exhibition at the World's Fair. (AP photo, file)
Think you can tell a real dinosaur from a fakeasaurus?
Test your dinosaur smarts with this quiz. Identify each of the following 10 creatures and see if you know: Dino, or Not?
1. Hadrosaurus
2. Megalodon
3. Dino Flintstone
4. Pachycephalosaurus
5. Brontosaurus
6. Barney
7. Protoceratops
8. Phrynichus
9. Pterodactyl
1. Hadrosaurus: DINO
Hadrosaurus isn’t just any dinosaur, but the official dinosaur of the state of New Jersey. The skeleton of a creature described as “larger than an elephant, with structural features of both a lizard and a bird,” now known as Hadrosaurus foulkii, was excavated from a marl pit in Haddonfield, Camden County, in 1858.
2. Megalodon: NOT a dino
These massive creatures evolved and went extinct millions of years after the dinosaurs and were actually prehistoric sharks so large they fed on whales. They may be an evolutionary cousin to the great white sharks we know today.
3.) Dino Flintstone: DINO (sort of)
The Flintstone family pet was called a “snorkasaurus,” which didn’t exist in real life, but was modeled from sauropods like Diplodocus, which did exist.
4. Pachycephalosaurus: DINO
Its name basically means “thick-headed lizard,” and that’s a good way to describe this guy, who may have used his head like a battering ram.
5. Brontosaurus: NOT a dino
Pity the poor Brontosaurus: Not only was he not actually a dinosaur, scientists now say that such a creature never even existed. As it turns out, what we all think of as a Brontosaurus was actually an Apatosaurus, and the mixup has to do with competition among rival paleontologists trying to out-do each other in the 1800s.
6. Barney: DINO
The purple dude and PBS Kids favorite whose friendly antics captivated a generation of American children is meant to be a Tyrannosaurus rex — the tiny arms are a dead giveaway — but in a kinder, cuddly form. He loves you. And you love him.
7. Protoceratops: DINO
This familiar dinosaur, like the Triceratops (but smaller), was a plant-eater who walked on four legs. Protoceratops had a strong bird-like beak and a distinctive neck frill perhaps used to attract mates.
8. Phrynichus: NOT a dino
Phrynichus was actually a man — one of the first Greek tragic playwrights. His play “Capture of Miletus,” based on the capture by Persians of the city, was said to have moved the audience to tears and led to Phrynichus being fined “for reminding the Athenians of their misfortunes.”
9. Pterodactyl: NOT a dino
Sorry, Pterri.
The Pee Wee’s Playhouse pal and his flying kin, the Pterosaurs, were actually “winged lizards,” or flying reptiles. However, like dinosaurs, they’re more closely related to birds than any currently living reptile. “Pterodactyl” (meaning “winged finger” for the fourth fingers of the animal which supported its wings) is actually a misnomer used to describe two distinct genus, Pterodactylus and Pteranodon.
10. Dreadnoughtus: DINO
For a genus that lived 77 million years ago, Dreadnoughtus is a fresh face on the dino scene. This newly named tough guy weighed 85 tons and stood more than two stories high. Get all the details on Dreadnoughtus in Carolyn Beeler’s story from this week’s edition of The Pulse, here.
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