ABOUT THIS BOOK In these pages, you'll find dinosaurs of every shape and size--from long-necked leaf munchers as big as buses to little feathery fighters with beaks, and a full gamut in between. Some of them seem so incredible, so unlikely, so wonderfully weird, that it's easy to forget one of the most amazing things about them: that they actually existed--stomping (or scuttling) their way around the very same planet we live on today! In fact, dinosaurs lived ALL OVER the globe: in deserts, rain forests, swamps, even on snow and ice. We think they ruled the earth for around 180 million years, and if you compare that to the few million years we humans have been around, you'll start to get a sense of just how long that is. Some hunted at top speed, munching huge mouthfuls of meat in one go. Some plodded about slowly, nibbling leaves. Some had claws as long as swords and peacock-style feathery tails. At least that's what we think. But it's exciting to remember that there are lots of things about dinosaurs that even experts don't know for certain.

It's important to keep curious about them, to keep asking What if . ? This question might just lead us to our next big dinosaur discovery. Take a look at the dinosaurs on the right. Maybe you can spot some you already know. Are there any you'd like to know more about? There are? Well, you're in the right place!.