100+ Dinosaur Names and Facts for Kids (Free Printable List)
Excite every young dinosaur lover with this mighty list of dino names and fun facts!
Dinosaurs spark endless curiosity in kids, and this big list of dino names and kid-friendly facts is the perfect way to explore their prehistoric world together. From towering plant eaters to fast, feathered hunters, this collection introduces a wide variety of dinosaurs that kids will enjoy learning about. Whether they’re fascinated by giant sauropods, intrigued by horned dinosaurs, or eager to discover new species they’ve never heard of before, our guide is packed with fun information to inspire every young dinosaur enthusiast.
You’ll also find engaging, online dinosaur-themed games from ABCmouse for kids to try, dinosaur coloring pages, and more!
Most Popular Dinosaurs
| Allosaurus | Apatosaurus | Giganotosaurus | Parasaurolophus | Triceratops |
| Ankylosaurus | Brachiosaurus | Iguanodon | Spinosaurus | Tyrannosaurus rex |
| Carnotaurus | Diplodocus | Pachycephalosaurus | Stegosaurus | Velociraptor |
Fun Facts About the Most Popular Dinosaurs
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus was one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs. It had a long snout like a crocodile and a tall sail on its back. Scientists think it spent much of its time near water and may have hunted fish.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Tyrannosaurus rex, or T. rex, was one of the biggest meat-eating dinosaurs. It had huge teeth the size of bananas and powerful jaws. T. rex walked on two legs and used its sharp eyesight and strong sense of smell to find food.
Triceratops
Triceratops was a plant-eating dinosaur with three horns on its face and a big frill on the back of its head. The horns helped to protect itself from predators( like T. rex). It used its beak to clip tough plants.
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus was a large plant eater with big, flat plates along its back and sharp spikes on its tail. Scientists think the plates may have helped Stegosaurus stay warm or show off to other dinosaurs.
Brachiosaurus
Brachiosaurus was a giant, long-necked dinosaur that ate leaves from tall trees. Its front legs were longer than its back legs, which helped it reach high branches. It was one of the tallest dinosaurs ever found.
Apatosaurus
Apatosaurus was a massive long-necked dinosaur that ate plants. It had a long tail that may have made a loud cracking sound when whipped. Apatosaurus spent much of its time eating leaves and ferns. It weighed up to 40 tons and was up to 75 feet long!
Diplodocus
Diplodocus was a very long dinosaur with a whip-like tail. It used its long neck to reach lots of plants without moving much. Its teeth were shaped like pegs, perfect for stripping leaves.
Ankylosaurus
Ankylosaurus was a heavily armored dinosaur covered in bony plates. It had a large club at the end of its tail that it used for protection. It ate low-growing plants.
Velociraptor
Velociraptor was a small, fast meat-eating dinosaur about the size of a large turkey. It had feathers, sharp claws, and was very quick. It likely hunted small animals and may have worked in groups.
Allosaurus
Allosaurus was a large predator that lived long before T. rex. It had sharp teeth and claws and hunted in forests and plains. Some scientists think Allosaurus may have worked together to take down big prey.
Parasaurolophus
Parasaurolophus was a plant-eating dinosaur with a long, curved crest on its head. Scientists think the crest helped it make loud, trumpet-like sounds to communicate with other dinosaurs.
Pachycephalosaurus
Pachycephalosaurus had a thick, domed skull that could be up to 10 inches (25 cm) thick. It may have used its hard head to bump into other dinosaurs of its kind. It ate plants and maybe fruits.
Iguanodon
Iguanodon was a plant-eating dinosaur with a large thumb spike. The spike may have been used for defense. It walked on two or four legs and had strong jaws for chewing plants.
Giganotosaurus
Giganotosaurus was one of the longest meat-eating dinosaurs, even longer than T. rex. It had long, sharp teeth and hunted large plant-eating dinosaurs in groups or alone.
Carnotaurus
Carnotaurus was a fast meat-eating dinosaur with two short horns above its eyes. It had tiny arms—smaller than T. rex’s!—and a long, powerful tail that helped it move quickly.
Check out all of our free printable dinosaur coloring pages here!
Biggest Dinosaurs Ever Discovered
Did you know some dinosaurs were longer than a blue whale or taller than a four-story building? These giant dinosaurs are some of the largest creatures to ever walk the Earth. Scientists learn about their size by studying fossil bones, trackways, and complete skeletons found around the world.
Here are a few of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered:
- Argentinosaurus – One of the largest known dinosaurs; may have weighed as much as 10 elephants.
- Patagotitan – A huge long-necked titanosaur from Argentina.
Brachiosaurus – A tall sauropod with long front legs that helped it reach treetops. - Dreadnoughtus – A massive dinosaur whose name means “fear nothing.”
- Apatosaurus – A giant plant eater with a long neck and tail.
- Supersaurus – one of the longest dinosaurs, with a neck and tail that stretched over huge distances.
- Sauroposeidon – an extremely tall dinosaur that could reach leaves high up in the trees.
These enormous dinosaurs were all plant eaters, and their size helped protect them from predators.
Large Meat-Eating Dinosaurs (Theropods)
These carnivorous dinosaurs are known for their sharp teeth and hunting skills:
| Acrocanthosaurus | Compsognathus | Majungasaurus | Stenonychosaurus |
| Albertosaurus | Cryolophosaurus | Mapusaurus | Struthiomimus |
| Ceratosaurus | Daspletosaurus | Megalosaurus | Suchomimus |
| Coelophysis | Dilophosaurus | Monolophosaurus | Tarbosaurus |
| Herrerasaurus | Saurornithoides |
What’s a theropod?
Theropods were a group of dinosaurs that walked on two legs and usually ate meat. They had sharp teeth or claws, long back legs for running, and many of them were fast hunters. Some theropods were small, and others (like T. rex) were huge. Scientists also know that many theropods had feathers, and birds today are actually modern theropods!
Plant-Eating Dinosaurs (Herbivores)
Sauropods
| Argentinosaurus | Brontosaurus | Euhelopus | Patagosaurus |
| Barosaurus | Camarasaurus | Omeisaurus | Saltasaurus |
What are Sauropods?
Sauropods were huge, long-necked dinosaurs that walked on four legs and ate plants. They had long tails, small heads, and big bodies. Their long necks helped them reach leaves high up in trees or plants near the ground. Some sauropods were the largest animals to ever walk on land!
Armored Dinosaurs
| Edmontonia | Euoplocephalus | Nodosaurus | Sauropelta |
Horned Dinosaurs
| Centrosaurus | Chasmosaurus | Pachyrhinosaurus | Styracosaurus |
| Torosaurus |
Duck-Billed Dinosaurs
| Corythosaurus | Gryposaurus | Lambeosaurus | Ouranosaurus |
| Edmontosaurus | Hadrosaurus | Maiasaura | Shantungosaurus |
Small & Fast Dinosaurs
| Dryosaurus | Hypsilophodon | Lesothosaurus | Scutellosaurus |
| Heterodontosaurus | Leaellynasaura |
Feathered or Bird-Like Dinosaurs
| Anchiornis | Bambiraptor | Microraptor | Utahraptor |
| Archaeopteryx | Deinonychus | Sinosauropteryx | Velociraptor |
What does herbivore and carnivore mean?
These terms are related to what a creatures eats. Herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat meat, and omnivores eat both. Learn more about the words and the animals that follow each type of diet in our Herbivore, Omnivore, and Carnivore Animal Words for Kids article.
Dinosaurs from Different Periods
Dinosaurs from the Triassic Period
| Eoraptor | Mussaurus | Plateosaurus | Riojasaurus |
What is the Triassic Period?
The Triassic Period was a time over 200 million years ago, from about 252 to 201 million years in the past, when the very first dinosaurs began to appear. Earth looked very different then—almost all the land was joined together in one huge supercontinent called Pangaea, which made the climate hot and dry in many places. Early dinosaurs like Coelophysis and Plateosaurus lived during this time, along with many strange reptiles and the first mammals. Plants such as ferns, conifers, and ginkgo trees were common. The Triassic ended with a major extinction event that cleared the way for dinosaurs to become the dominant land animals in the Jurassic Period.
Dinosaurs from the Jurassic Period
| Allosaurus | Compsognathus | Huayangosaurus | Mamenchisaurus |
| Apatosaurus | Dilophosaurus | Kentrosaurus | Megalosaurus |
| Brachiosaurus | Diplodocus | Shunosaurus | Stegosaurus |
| Camarasaurus | Dryosaurus |
What is the Jurassic Period?
The Jurassic Period was a time long, long ago (about 200 to 145 million years in the past) when many famous dinosaurs lived. The Earth was warm, and huge green forests covered much of the land. This was the age of giant long-necked dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus, spiky dinosaurs like Stegosaurus, and fast hunters like Allosaurus.
Dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period
| Deinocheirus | Oviraptor | Quetzalcoatlus | Therizinosaurus |
| Gallimimus | Protoceratops |
What is the Cretaceous Period?
The Cretaceous Period was the last part of the Age of Dinosaurs, lasting from about 145 to 66 million years ago. During this time, dinosaurs were found all over the world, and many well-known species—like Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Velociraptor, and Spinosaurus—lived during this period. Flowering plants began to spread, making Earth greener and more colorful. The continents were moving apart and starting to look more like they do today. The Cretaceous Period ended with a massive asteroid impact that caused a huge extinction event, bringing the time of the dinosaurs to a close and allowing mammals to rise in the eras that followed.
More Dinosaur Names for Kids
| Alvarezsaurus | Dracorex | Kentrosaurus | Rugops |
| Baryonyx | Gigantoraptor | Massospondylus | Saurolophus |
| Beipiaosaurus | Gorgosaurus | Minmi | Spinosaurus |
| Haplocanthosaurus | Huayangosaurus | Muttaburrasaurus | Zuniceratops |
More Dinosaur Facts for Kids
- Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, long before humans appeared.
- Some dinosaurs were as small as chickens, while others were longer than school buses.
- Not all dinosaurs were meat eaters—many loved plants, leaves, and ferns.
- Some dinosaurs, like Velociraptor, had feathers.
- Triceratops had three horns that helped protect it from predators.
- Stegosaurus had a tiny brain—about the size of a lime!
- The word “dinosaur” means “terrible lizard,” even though dinosaurs weren’t lizards.
- Many dinosaurs laid eggs, and some even cared for their young.
- Some dinosaurs, like Allosaurus, ran on two legs, while others, like Brachiosaurus, walked on four.
- Birds are actually modern dinosaurs that evolved from small, feathered theropods.
- Some dinosaurs lived in herds, traveling together for safety and food.
- Sauropods such as Argentinosaurus were the largest land animals to ever live.
- Fossils show that many dinosaurs grew quickly, especially when they were young.
- Some small dinosaurs, like Ornithomimus, were very fast and may have run up to 40 miles per hour.
- Dinosaurs lived during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods, which together are called the Mesozoic Era.
- Many dinosaurs had special features—like crests, sails, or frills—that helped them communicate, show off, or defend themselves.
- Paleontologists use fossils such as bones, teeth, footprints, and even eggs to learn how dinosaurs lived.
Educational Dinosaur-Themed Games for Kids
Click on the name of each dinosaur game to play it for free!
Draco’s Dash: Odd Numbers
Help Draco race through jungle by running through the odd numbers and avoiding the even number!
Dinosaur Chomp
This hungry dino needs to eat the leaves with the correct number of rain drops on them. Can you pick the right ones?
Fossil Finder
Take on the role of paleontologist in this game that lets kids “dig” up fossils and test their knowledge about what they find.
Nutly’s Dinosaur Daydreams
Nutly is daydreaming about dinosaurs but needs help completing his thoughts. You’ll need to pick the correct noun, adjective, or verb to finish his sentences.
