In this special issue of BBC Focus Magazine discover how dinosaurs conquered the world, what would have happened if the asteroid hadn’t hit Mexico, what T. rex really looked (and sounded) like, and the modern-day dinosaurs living in your back yard. INSIDE YOU’LL FIND... -In-depth articles on the latest discoveries -Expert interviews with palaeontologists -Detailed annotated diagrams of all your favourite dinosaurs -A timeline clearly explaining when different species lived
Welcome...
EARTH THROUGH THE AGES • Take a journey through time and the key moments in our planet's history that led to the birth and death of the dinosaurs
HOW DINOSAURS CONQUERED THE WORLD • The dinosaurs’ rise to dominance was once thought to be driven by brute force. But, says Darren Naish, that’s far from the truth
WHAT IF… • …the competitors of the dinosaurs had survived?
THE DINOSAUR VS… …THE RIVALS • Traditionally considered the dominant force in the Mesozoic, dinosaurs weren’t the biggest, or fiercest, prehistoric heavyweights
TYRANNOSAURUS REX • The ‘tyrant lizard’ was one of the most ferocious predators of all time – everyone gave this fearsome beast a wide berth
HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT DINOSAURS LOOKED LIKE? • Today we take the appearance of dinosaurs for granted. But, as John Pickrell says, it’s taken centuries of careful study to learn how to accurately read the clues in the fossil record
THE KEY EXPERIMENT • Dinosaurs weren’t just green and black. Recent research has allowed scientists to unveil the true colours of Sinosauropteryx
TIMELINE • How our knowledge of dinosaurs has improved over just a couple of centuries
CAST OF CHARACTERS • Six innovative scientists who helped us decipher what dinosaurs looked like
NEED TO KNOW • A quick glossary of key terms used in dinosaur appearance
KNOWN TYPES OF DINOSAUR FEATHER
ARCHAEOPTERYX • The discovery of Archaeopteryx in 1861 was one of the most significant and influential fossil finds ever made
THE DINOSAURS AMONG US • Velociraptor walked like a chicken, T. rex didn’t roar openmouthed, and herbivorous hadrosaurs also snacked on lobster. Darren Naish looks at how new research on living species is revealing the surprising lives of dinosaurs
ANKYLOSAURUS • With its thick layers of armour and solid, clubbed tail powerful enough to shatter bones, Ankylosaurus was tougher than any army tank
Q & A • All those dinosaur questions that you’ve often wondered about, but never got round to finding out the answers to...
HOW DID DINOSAURS GROW SO BIG?
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE MOST FOSSILS FOUND?
Could we ever clone a dinosaur?
Were dinosaurs cold-blooded like reptiles or warm-blooded like birds?
Did dinosaurs shed their skins, like most modern reptiles?
How did dinosaurs mate?
Could a dinosaur survive in today’s climate conditions?
DINOSAUR BODY SHAPES • The key characteristics of each group reflects their habitats and lifestyles
TRICERATOPS • Despite its intimidating ‘three-horned face’ and hefty 5,500kg body, Triceratops fell prey to the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex
THE DAY THE DINOSAURS DIED • Scientists have drilled into the heart of the Chicxulub crater – the landing site of the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs. Henry Nicholls looks at their latest discoveries
THE STORY OF THE CRATER
CROSS-SECTION OF THE CRATER
A planet in shock • Earth in the hours, years and millennia a!er the impact
WHAT REALLY KILLED THE DINOSAURS?
VELOCIRAPTOR • Despite its small size, this feisty carnivore was a force to be reckoned with
WHAT IF THE DINOSAURS HAD SURVIVED? • If the dinosaurs hadn’t been wiped out in a mass extinction 66...