6 Popular Dinosaurs to Know and Love

Here at LearnPlay we never really lost our love and fascination for dinosaurs, which is why we love carrying Yantai Halftoys’ dinosaur series. Many of our customers are also dino fans; we love seeing toddlers and adults enjoying the toys on our social media feeds. It’s fun to play with toys, but what about the real-life creatures behind the toys? We’ve been itching to delve into the stories about the real dinosaurs that inspired the Halftoys series, and we’re excited to share with you! Here are a few fun facts:

Stegosaurus ate rocks

Yes, really. Stegosaurus wasn’t too different from other plant-eating dinosaurs in that it would supplement its diet by swallowing small rocks. The rocks would tumble around the Stegosaurus’ stomach, breaking up plant matter. One other interesting thing about the Stegosaurus is that it had a small brain for its body size; tradition says it was about the size of a walnut, but scientists have been saying recently it was about the size and shape of a hotdog.

Diplodocus had a huge heart

At least, scientists think so. The Diplodochus had a neck that was around 20 feet and 15 vertebrae, which is twice as long as a giraffe’s neck! Having a huge heart would have been useful for pumping blood up the neck to the brain. The Diplodochus’ extremely long tail had 80 bones, and often used it as a weapon.

Parasaurolophus might have used its crest to communicate

Technically classified as a “duck-billed” dinosaur, the Parasaurolophus had a crest that would stick far out from the back of its skull. Also known as a “Parasaur,” when scientists ran a simulation of a digitally-constructed crest and when blasted with virtual air, the simulation created a deep, resonating sound. Even though Parasaurs spent most of their time on all four legs, it would move on its hind legs when they wanted to reach high-placed food or run quickly from predators.

Tyrannosaurus Rex has competition for the throne

Many people think that T-Rex was the largest of the meat-eating dinosaurs; its Latin name literally translates as, “tyrant lizard king.” But there are two other meat-eating dinosaurs that outweigh T-Rex; the South American Giganotosaurus and the northern African Spinosaurus. These dinosaurs didn’t meet face to face because they lived in vastly different time periods and places. Scientists determined from T-Rex bone structures that females were also larger than males.

Triceratops would have had long dentist visits

As a constant grazer, Triceratops had rows of teeth to break down the plants that it would clip with its parrot beak. A Triceratops would have anywhere between 400-800 teeth in its mouth; once a section of teeth wore down, another section of teeth would move forward to replace them. The Triceratops’ huge and recognizeable head made up a third of its body length, and it probably used its large horns to fend off predators like T-Rex (but don’t worry, Tricera and T-Rex get along!)

Ankylosaurus was more armored than a knight

This dinosaur had huge plates of bony plates called osteoderms embedded in its tough skin, which looked a lot like those found on a crocodile. These plates covered its sides, tail, and skull; the underside of Ankylosaurus didn’t seem to have had the same protection. The dinosaur would use its clubbed tail as a weapon against predators. It’s estimated to have reached a length of 30 feet and a weight of around six metric tons, which is as heavy as four big cars!