The Dino Directory

Discover facts, figures and images for more than 300 dinosaurs.

From slow, plant-eating giants to fierce scavengers and hunters, dinosaurs once dominated the land. Search our alphabetical list, or explore dinosaurs by when and where they lived or what type they are.

Uncover what dinosaurs have been found in your country and how big they were. Learn the meaning of dinosaur names and how to say them. Browse your favourite dinosaurs or start with our top five.

Top 5 dinosaurs

Museum dinosaur researcher Prof Paul Barrett has examined the evidence for how five of the most popular dinosaurs lived.

Illustration of a Triceratops, a large four-legged dinosaur, showing its three facial horns and the bony frill at the back of its skull. Its stocky, rough-textured body is brown.

Triceratops

Triceratops was a plant-eater with specialised teeth for cutting and slicing and a huge stomach for digesting tough plant matter. It would have used its horns for defending itself from predators like Tyrannosaurus.
Artist's impression of Stegosaurus with green and brown colouration. It has a small head, distinctive triangular plates along its back and tail spikes.

Stegosaurus

This slow-moving plant-eater used spikes on its tail to fend off would-be predators. The jury is still out on what the spiny plates on its back were used for.
Illustration of the large dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex showing its small arms and strong legs. Its mouth is open, revealing lots of sharp teeth.

Tyrannosaurus

An infamous meat-eating predator. Look at the evidence as to whether Tyrannosaurus hunted in packs or alone.
Artist's impression of Diplodocus with brown, scaly skin and small spikes running along its back. The large dinosaur stands on four legs and has a very long neck and tail.

Diplodocus

What did this giant look like and how did it hold its enormous neck?
Coelophysis stands on two legs, holding a small prey animal in its mouth. In this artist's impression, the dinosaur is brown with dark-striped legs.

Coelophysis

This small meat-eater was one of the earliest dinosaurs. It was fast and agile and would have fed on animals like small reptiles and insects.