Dinosaur Trivia

70 Fun, Mind-Blowing Dinosaur Trivia Questions 

Everybody loves dinosaurs. But how much do you know about their history? You can put your knowledge to the test with this dinosaur quiz. Here are some dinosaur trivia questions and answers:

Dinosaur Trivia:

What dinosaur name means “fast thief” and lived during the Cretaceous period?

Velociraptor.

On which continent have the most dinosaur fossils been found?

North America.

What dinosaur-themed book was turned into a blockbuster movie in 1993?

Jurassic Park.

What does the word “dinosaur” mean?

Terrible lizard.

How long were the arms of an average Tyrannosaurus Rex?

1 meter (3 feet) long.

brown horse running on brown field during daytime
Unsplash / Stephen Leonardi

When did dinosaurs become extinct?

65 million years ago.

True or false? Some dinosaurs were the size of turkeys.

True.

What dinosaur fossil was originally mistaken for a type of bison?

Triceratops.

What were the direct ancestors of the dinosaurs?

Archosaurs.

What is the only dinosaur lineage to survive the mass extinction event?

Birds.

dinosaur skeleton
Unsplash / Jon Butterworth

When did dinosaurs first appear?

Triassic period.

How did most dinosaurs reproduce?

Lay eggs.

What was known as the biggest dinosaur?

Dreadnoughtus.

How many horns did Triceratops have?

Three.

How many legs did the earliest dinosaurs walk on?

Two.

Unsplash / Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz

How many claws did a velociraptor have on each hand?

Three.

At the beginning of the Triassic period, how many continents were there?

One.

For how many years did dinosaurs rule the earth?

165 million years.

How much meat could Tyrannosaurus Rex eat in one bite?

500 pounds.

Which dinosaur had a giraffe-like neck?

Brachiosaurus.

gray and brown dinosaur surrounded by trees during daytime
Unsplash / Amy Baugess

True or false? Birds evolved from dinosaurs.

True.

What kind of dinosaur is the Toronto-based NBA basketball team named after?

Toronto Raptors.

What is the nickname of the most complete T-rex specimen ever discovered?

Sue.

What dinosaur name means a “covered lizard?”

Stegosaurus.

Which continents have dinosaur fossils been found on?

All seven continents.

brown triceratops surrounded by plants
Unsplash / Ellicia

What would a sauropod use gastroliths for?

To grind food.

What was the first carnivorous dinosaur to be discovered in Antarctica?

Cryolophosaurus.

Which extinction event wiped out the dinosaurs?

Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.

What was the first mounted dinosaur skeleton?

Hadrosaurus foulkii.

What dinosaur genus was originally named from a single feather?

Archaeopteryx.

brown and black dinosaur statue on forest during daytime
Unsplash / Deb Dowd

True or false: Feathered dinosaurs existed?

True.

What did Ankylosaurus have on the end of its tail?

A club.

How many teeth did Triceratops have?

800 teeth.

How many species of dinosaurs appeared in Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel, Jurassic Park?

Fifteen.

Deinonychus was most similar to which dinosaur in the Jurassic Park films?

Velociraptors.

More Dinosaur Quiz Questions:

brown and black dinosaur illustration
Unsplash / Amy-Leigh Barnard

When was the Jurassic Period?

201.3 million years ago – 145 million years ago.

Some paleontologists believe Brachiosaurus may have had _____.

Trunks.

What was the first coelurosaur to be discovered and named from Africa?

Nqwebasaurus.

What does the name Dilophosaurus mean?

Two-crested lizard.

Which dinosaur name means “hopping foot”?

Saltopus.

Unsplash / Erik Larson

True or false: Most plant-eating dinosaurs had sharp, jagged teeth?

False.

Who outbid Leonardo DiCaprio in an auction for a dinosaur skull?

Nicolas Cage.

What are the spikes on the end of a dinosaur’s tail called?

A thagomizer.

How did Stegosaurus protect itself from enemies?

Swinging its spiky tail.

What kind of dinosaur is Fred Flintstone’s pet Dino?

Snorkasaurus.

skeleton dinosaur
Unsplash / Solstice Hannan

What was the name of the Tyrannosaurus in the TV series Land of the Lost (1974-76)?

Grumpy.

What was the wingspan of the smallest known pterodactyl?

10 inches.

When the first Megalosaurus fossil was discovered, what was it mistaken for?

A human giant.

Which dinosaurs were the smallest?

Compsognathus, Microraptor, Parvicursor, and Caenagnathasia.

Who discovered the first fossilized dinosaur eggs?

Jean-Jacques Poech.

black and brown dinosaur toy
Unsplash / engin akyurt

How many fossils are necessary to identify a new dinosaur species?

One.

The discovery of what dinosaur ushered in the age of the giant Sauropods?

Diplodocus.

Which dinosaur is considered a transitional form between bipedal prosauropods and the giant quadrupedal sauropods?

Aardonyx.

In what country were dinosaur fossils thought to be dragon bones?

China.

Where were the oldest dinosaur fossils in Canada found?

Nova Scotia.

dinosaur illustration
Unsplash / Markus Spiske

How many wings did a Microraptor have?

Four.

Which dinosaur had the smallest brain for its body size?

Stegosaurus.

What fossil hunter theorized that bezoar stones were fossilized feces?

Mary Anning.

What is the official state dinosaur of Colorado?

Stegosaurus.

How are the two groups of dinosaurs differentiated?

Hip bones.

two T-Rex dinosaurs illustration
Unsplash / Stephen Leonardi

What paleoartist produced a classic painting of Triceratops facing off against Tyrannosaurus rex?

Charles R. Knight.

Which dinosaur was named after a commercial airline?

Qantassaurus.

How many teeth did the Nigersaurus have?

More than 500 teeth.

What was the lifespan of a T. Rex?

20-30 years.

What was the first non-carnivorous theropod fossil to be discovered?

Therizinosaurs.

brown animal skull on tree branch
Unsplash / Jesper Aggergaard

What close relative of the Velociraptor could grow up to 7 meters (20 feet) long and weighed almost a ton?

Utahraptor.

What was the first dinosaur to be discovered?

Megalosaurus.

The meteor that many scientists believe killed the dinosaurs struck in what modern-day country?

Mexico.

What dinosaur was, for many years, mistakenly called a Brontosaurus?

Apatosaurus.

Which dinosaur had fifteen horns?

Kosmoceratops.

More Quizzes:

brown and black snake on brown rock during daytime
Unsplash / Michael Herren

January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.