LiveScience Image Gallery

Dinosaur Art

Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Eye of the Riverbed: (Tyrannosaurus)

The bipedal Tyrannosaurus rex used its long tail to balance its large head as it roamed in search of prey. Scientists don’t know whether T. rex could run at high speeds or whether its body weight limited it to walking. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Sinosauropteryx prima

This Sinosauropteryx prima, who lived during the Lower Cretaceous in China, spies its potential lizard meal. This species had an outer covering that resembled "protofeathers". Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Dromiceiomimus brevitertius

The aptly named Dromiceiomimus, or “emu mimic,” had a long neck and limbs, large eyes, and a toothless, beaked mouth. Found in Canada during the Upper Cretaceous, it would have been difficult prey to catch because it was extremely fast. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Einiosaurus procurvicornis

Einiosaurus, an Upper Cretaceous herbivore, is characterized by its strongly forward-pointing nasal horn. Like other ceratopsids, it traveled in herds and had teeth that could chew through even the toughest plants. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis

The herbivorous Pachycephalosaurus, or “thick-headed lizard,” had a large, bony dome on top of its head. Scientists are unsure whether the dome might have been used for head-butting or whether any impact would have injured the dinosaur. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Dimorphodon macronyx

One of the earliest known pterosaurs, or "flying reptiles," Dimorphodon had an approximately 4-foot wingspan and two sets of teeth „ ─ a rare trait in reptiles. It was found in Britain during the Jurassic. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Cretoxyrhina mantel pursuing Clidastes liodontus

Top sea predator Cretoxyrhina, called the “Jaws of the Cretaceous,” rivaled the modern Great White shark in size. Swimming through the same seas with its undulating body and paddle-like feet, Clidastes reached lengths of 7 to 12 feet, half of which was its tail. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Oviraptor philoceratops

Originally found near what was thought to be another dinosaur’s nest, this small, bird-like dinosaur was named Oviraptor, which means “egg thief.” But the nest actually contained Oviraptor eggs, turning Oviraptor from an egg snatcher into a nurturing parent. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Masiakasaurus knopfleri

Characterized by its strange teeth that curled outward and forward from its mouth, Masiakasaurus lived in Madagascar during the late Jurassic. The German shepherd-sized dinosaur was named after Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler because the paleontologists who discovered it thought his music was their “lucky charm” for finding fossils. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Mei long

Possibly an ancestor of the first bird, this early Cretaceous dinosaur’s name means “soundly sleeping dragon.” The first fossil of the duck-sized dinosaur was found in what is believed to be a bird-like sleeping posture, providing a rare glimpse of dinosaur behavior. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Diplodocus carnegii

Named after businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, Diplodocus, with its long, flexible neck and tail, is one of the longest dinosaurs ever found. Because it had no teeth in the back of its mouth for chewing, scientists think it swallowed stones to help grind up and digest its food. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

"Moonlight hunt": Microraptor

This crow-sized dinosaur, found in China in the lower Cretaceous, may have been capable of guided flight, with long feathers on its two sets of wings (both fore and hind limbs) and tail. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Gorgosaurus libratus

Gorgosaurus libratus, found around Alberta, Canada, is pictured here with speculative arm feathers. An earlier tyrannosaur, Dilong, is known to have possessed an outer covering of hair-like feathers along its back and tail, and such traits may have been conserved in later members of the group as well. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Dromiceiomimus brevitertius

With its long, clawed forelimbs, Dromiceiomimus could have scooped up insects, eggs and small animals for its dinner. The omnivorous dinosaur may also have eaten seeds. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, found in Egypt and Morocco during the Upper Cretaceous, had a sail-like structure of fleshy spines extending from its vertebrae. The original Spinosaurus fossil specimens were destroyed during Allied bombing of Germany in 1944. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Carcharodontosaurus saharicus

Found in North Africa during the Upper Cretaceous, Carcharodontosaurus, grew nearly as long as T. rex. Its name, which means “jagged-toothed lizard,” comes from its long, serrated teeth. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Shuvuuia deserti

The turkey-sized Shuvuuia, or “desert bird,” lived in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia during the Cretaceous. It had strong forelimbs with enlarged thumbs that it may have used to probe the nests of insects, like termites. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Ornithocheirus giganteus

One of the largest known ptersosaurs, Ornithocheirus had a 40-foot wingspan but weighed only as much as a grown man because it had hollow bones filled with air sacs. It also had a bony crest adorning its snout. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Ichthyosaurus communis

Ichthyosaurus was an ancient marine reptile that swam through the Jurassic seas. A treasure trove of fossils of this dolphin-shaped creature were found over 100 years ago in Holzmaden, Germany. Click to enlarge.
Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.

Ctenacanthus

Found in Scotland during the Carboniferous period, Ctenacanthus was an early shark-like fish that had rigid spines in front of each of its two dorsal fins. Click to enlarge.

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