570 vanished lives

86Mesozoic

A crocodile-like snout and huge thumb claw equipped this theropod to catch fish and other prey.

87Mesozoic

A deep parrot-like beak helped this early horned dinosaur process plants; this record distinguishes P. mongoliensis from other specimens of the genus.

88Mesozoic

A broad duck bill and dense dental batteries processed huge amounts of vegetation.

106Mesozoic

A handful of colossal vertebrae and limb bones indicate one of the largest land animals known.

107Mesozoic

This huge, robust dromaeosaur used strength and a curved second-toe claw to control prey.

108Mesozoic

Huge arms, a broad bill, a tall back and wide feet formed one of the strangest dinosaur silhouettes.

109Mesozoic

Two rows of elongated neck spines made its profile unique, though their soft-tissue covering remains debated.

171Mesozoic

A lightly built one-meter animal ran on two legs with both sharp and leaf-shaped teeth in its jaws.

172Mesozoic

Each tiny forearm ended in one stout main claw, perhaps used to tear open insect nests like a modern anteater.

222Mesozoic

A long neck, small head and grasping hands mark a stage between bipedal ancestors and giant quadrupedal sauropods.

223Mesozoic

A curved transverse crest across its skull gives this large Antarctic theropod an unmistakable profile.

224Mesozoic

Tall neural spines along the neck and back supported a muscular ridge rather than a paper-thin sail.

225Mesozoic

Two very tall vertebrae ahead of the hips formed a short steep back crest, while the forearm carried unusual knobs.

226Mesozoic

A short deep skull carried a rounded horn, while tooth marks on its own species provide rare scavenging evidence.

227Mesozoic

A huge nasal horn and long spikes radiating from the frill made one of the most dramatic ceratopsian heads.

228Mesozoic

Fifteen horn-like ornaments across the nose, brows and broad frill formed a folded crown around the skull.

229Mesozoic

Plates covered the front body while long paired spikes armed the hips and tail, concentrating defense behind it.

230Mesozoic

Nineteen elongated neck vertebrae placed nearly half the body's length in the neck, lightened internally by air spaces.

231Mesozoic

Simple filamentous feathers and tail color bands made it the first dinosaur restored with evidence-based coloration.

232Mesozoic

Orderly vaned feathers covered its arms and short tail, but symmetric feathers and body proportions prevented powered flight.

271Mesozoic

A nasal horn, brow ridges and small midline osteoderms made this predator unmistakable.

272Mesozoic

A huge skull and unusually powerful three-fingered arms marked one of the largest megalosaurids.

273Mesozoic

The first formally named non-avian dinosaur later became a wastebasket for unrelated theropod bones.

274Mesozoic

Tall neural spines supported a sail, ridge or fatty hump whose soft-tissue shape remains uncertain.