Did all the dinosaurs die out?

When you learn about dinosaurs in school, most books will teach you that all the dinosaurs went extinct millions of years ago. This means that there are no dinosaurs left on the planet. But how do we know if that’s really true?

For years, scientists thought that it was. But recently, some very special dinosaur fossils that scientists found in China told a different story. Scientists found fossilized eggs with hard shells that a dinosaur had laid in a nest. They found dinosaurs that walk on three toes. They found dinosaurs with beaks instead of teeth. And most amazingly, they found dinosaurs with skin that was covered in feathers!

What animal can you think of that lays eggs in a nest, walks on three toes, has a beak, and is covered with feathers?

That’s right, birds! Birds are actually the only living dinosaurs on the planet today.

So why did dinosaurs 65 million years ago need feathers in the first place?

Velociraptor, one of the most famous feathered dinosaurs, was too big to fly, but scientists think that it could have used its feathers to keep warm and to help it communicate with other dinosaurs, like a peacock does. The feathers also might have helped it turn quickly when it was running after its prey. Some scientists even think that Tyrannosaur babies might have had soft fluffy feathers!

So next time you come across a flock of pigeons in the park, remember to be nice to them – they’re actually a flock of dinosaurs!