What did Dinosaurs eat
Dinosaur is the name given to a family of animals that lived on the earth many years ago. Scientists believe this group of animals to be extinct and many fossils have been found throughout the world. This has enabled scientist to extrapolate what these creatures may have looked like. There were many types of dinosaurs according to scientific findings. Some were reptile-like creatures, while others had bird-like characteristics.
What did Dinosaurs eat?
As with most animals alive today Dinosaurs fell into three categories, herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. Scientists have only been able to theorize what different dinosaurs ate from what fossil evidence has been found.
Herbivorous Dinosaurs, such as stegosaurus and brachiosaurs, would have eaten plant matter such as leaves, trees branches, fruits, berries, roots and seeds. They had flat, broad teeth designed for stripping plants of their leaves and chewing plant matter. Many of the plant eating dinosaurs would have swallowed stones and gravel to help digest the fibers plant matter, much like herbivores today do.
Omnivorous Dinosaurs, such as Massospondylus, would have eaten mainly plant matter such as leaves, seeds and fruits. They would have also supplemented their diet with small reptiles such as lizards and frogs. They may also have eaten small rodent like mice and rats. Many omnivorous dinosaurs would have been scavengers eating dead animals and picking at carcasses they found.
Carnivorous Dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor, would have eaten other dinosaurs. The teeth of these creatures show that they were predators and evidence has been found to suggest that Tyrannosaurus rex could crush bone with their teeth. These dinosaurs would have eaten lizards, insects, and early mammals.
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