Q: What did dinosaurs eat?

Some dinosaurs were carnivores. This means they ate meat and fish. Some were herbivores. These dinosaurs ate plants. A third group were omnivores. They had a mixed diet and ate both meat and plants. Some dinosaurs swallowed stones, which crushed foods inside their stomachs so it was easier to digest.

Q: What were dinosaurs?

Dinosaurs were members of the reptile family. They first appeared about 225 million years ago. For 160 million years dinosaurs ruled the earth. They walked on straight legs, tucked underneath their bodies, and they lived on land. The word dinosaur means 'terrible lizard'.

Q: Did some early reptiles had sails on their backs?

YES!

Dimetrodon had a skin 'sail' on its back. It soaked up the sun's heat, and controlled the animal's body pressure.

Q: Which reptiles had fur?

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Some prehistoric reptiles grew fur on their bodies to keep themselves warm. These were the cynodonts. They lived about 245 million years ago. Overtime they changed into a completely new group of animals, called mammals

Q: What did reptiles eat?

The first reptiles, such as Hylonomus, were small lizard-like animals that are tiny creatures. Reptiles learned how to run quickly so they could catch fast-moving insects. As reptiles became larger, they caught and ate bigger prey including other reptiles. Some reptiles only ate plants.

Q: What are reptiles?

About 300 million years ago, some amphibians changed into reptiles. They could live on land all the time. Reptiles have backbones and scaly skin, and most lay eggs. Many reptiles such as crocodiles, spend lots of its time in the water, but they can't breathe underwater. They use the SUN to keep their bodies warm.

Q: which animals live in water and on land?

An animal that can live in water and on land is called an amphibian. It means double life. The first amphibians appeared 350 million years ago. Gradually, they spent more and more time on land.

Q: Why did some fish grew legs?

Some fish began to live in shallow water. It was difficult to swim in the shallows. To help these fish move around, they grew short legs. Some of them also grew lungs, which meant they could breath air. These animals could live in water and on land.

Q: Is there a fish that can live out of water?

YES! The lungfish is one of today's fish that can live out of water. It can breathe air.

Q: When did life first appear on land?

About 440 million years ago,the first life appeared on land. It was simple plant life, similar to today's mosses. Then about 400 million years ago, the first land animals - worms, spiders, scorpions, and insects - evolved as they moved on land.

Q: What were early fish like?

Giant sharks, much larger than any alive today, swam through the oceans. They hunted smaller fish. Armored fish grew bony plates to protect their soft bodies. Other fish had bodies covered in sharp spines.

Q: Which animals first had backbones?

About 510 million years ago, new kinds of animals appeared in the sea. They were the first fish, and they were the first animals with backbones. Because they had backbones to support their bodies, they become much larger.

Q: Which animals lived in the sea?

For millions of years all life lived in the sea. It was home to a huge variety of creatures, such as shellfish, worms, sponges and jellyfish. None of these animals had backbones.

Q: What were the first living things?

The first living things were bacteria. They lived in the sea. Some bacteria changed into algae, which were simple plant. Algae lived in the sea masses, like huge blankets. They made oxygen which helped to turn the sky and sea blue.

Q: How did life begin?

It is thought that life began when lightning hit the sea. Lightning sent energy into the water. Chemicals in the sea were mixed together by energy. New substances, called amino acids, wre made from which life was able to grow.

Q: When and where did life begin on earth?

Life on Earth began about 3.5 billion years ago. The first life appeared in the sea. It was born into a world that looked very different from today. The atmosphere was filled with poisonous gases. The sky was pink, and the sea was rusty red.

Q: Do continents move?

YES! The continents move about 4 centimeters each year - the length of your little finger. Millions of years in the future, Earth will look very different from today.

Earth's oldest rock

Earth's oldest rocks are found in Scotland. They are about 3.5 billion years old

Q: Has there always been life on earth?

Nothing at all lived on Earth for the first billion (1, 000 million) years of the planet's existence. The conditions were not right for life. There were no plants or animals of any kind. Earth was a dangerous place where life could not survive.

Q: How old is the Earth?

Earth is millions and millions of years old. In fact, our planet is four thousand six - hundred million years old. When the Earth's age (4.6 billion years0 is written as a number it looks like this: 4, 600, 000, 000.