Courtesy of Goldenbooks.com
Did T-rex have a plant-eating relative?
News story originally written on October 4, 2002
The scary meat-eating dinosaurs like Tyrannasaurus rex and raptors had a plant-eating relative! Scientists have found a new species of dinosaur in Chinese rocks that was related to the meat-eaters but ate plants instead of meat. The scientists named the new species of dinosaur Incisivosaurus.
Scientists can tell that Incisivosaurus ate plants by looking at its teeth. Meat-eaters like T-rex had sharp pointed teeth for ripping through meat, but Incisivosaurus had large front teeth and an overbite, like hamsters do today. The dinosaur’s teeth are worn down, which happens when animals grind plants between their teeth.
This new species of dinosaur was discovered in sediments that were laid down 129 million years ago in China. Other fossils found in the area tell scientists what the environment was like a long time ago. Those fossils indicate that the Incisivosaurus lived in a forest filled with trees and shrubs.
Last modified October 9, 2002 by Lisa Gardiner.
You might also be interested in:

Temperate forests are found all over the world, but they are not all the same. Some forests have trees that lose their leaves in the winter. These trees are called deciduous. Other forests have trees that
...more
It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,
...more
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on October 29th at 2:19 p.m. EST. The sky was clear and the weather was great. This was the America's 123rd manned space mission. A huge
...more
Scientists found a satellite orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is the second one ever! A special telescope allows scientists to look through Earth's atmosphere. The first satellite found was Dactyl.
...more
The United States wants Russia to put the service module in orbit! The module is part of the International Space Station. It was supposed to be in space over 2 years ago. Russia just sent supplies to the
...more
A coronal mass ejection (CME) happened on the Sun last month. The material that was thrown out from this explosion passed the ACE spacecraft. ACE measured some exciting things as the CME material passed
...more
Trees and plants are a very important part of this Earth. Trees and plants are nature's air conditioning because they help keep our Earth cool. On a summer day, walking bare-foot on the sidewalk burns,
...more