| Boy Discovers Dinosaur!! An 8-year-old boy named Christopher Wolfe has had a dinosaur named after
him. Zuniceratops christopheri is thought to be the oldest horned
dinosaur ever found. Chris was with his father, a paleontologist, in the
hills of New Mexico when he saw something "blackish purple, a little bit
shiny." It turned out to be a piece of the dinosaur's horn. Later Chris
and his father found other pieces of the dinosaur. Chris hopes to be a
paleontologist like his dad, but with one difference. ``Most likely I'll
be doing it in space,'' he said. ``I'll be going to other planets and
seeing if they have fossils.''
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 Did you know that fewer than 1% of all the dinosaurs that ever lived have been discovered? Imagine how exciting it would be to discover the remains of a dinosaur that no one had heard of before. Or even better–what if you discovered a dinosaur egg? And what if the impossible happened and that egg was almost ready to hatch? You could expect a very unusual pet!
- What might the dinosaur look like when it grew up?
- What would it need to eat?
- Where would it sleep?
These are all things you need to think about, because in this activity you are going to hatch your own personal dinosaur. Follow the numbered steps on this page to find out what to do.
 
 How will your dinosaur be different from other dinosaurs? This is a good time to get some background on many of the dinosaurs we already know about. Visit the Dinosaur Gallery and click on some of the dinosaurs there to find out about their special features. Here are some things you should know first:
An herbivore is a plant-eating animal.
A carnivore is a meat-eating animal.
You probably already knew that, didn't you? Have fun in the gallery!
 
 Names for dinosaurs can be quite a mouthful. But if you take a dinosaur's name apart, you will find out that it is often a good description of the animal. The names are made up of Latin and Greek root words that have meanings of their own. For example, take apart the name Tyranno/saurus rex. Tyranno means "tyrant," saurus means "lizard," and rex means "king." "Tyrant lizard king"–a good name for this giant dinosaur with its sharp teeth!
Find the meanings of the dinosaur names below, which are already divided into root words. Look up each root word on the DinoRoots page, write down what you think the dinosaur might be like, and then check in the Dinosaur Gallery to see if you were right.
| brachio/saurus |
ornitho/mimus |
tri/cerat/ops |
| psittaco/saurus |
deino/nychus |
pachy/cephalo/saurus |
Now use the DinoRoots page to create a name for your dinosaur. Remember that the name describes one or more features of the dinosaur. For example, the made-up name anatocephalomegasaur would describe a large dinosaur with a ducklike head. Mix roots together until you find a name you like. Write the name on paper so you won't forget it.
 
Ooh . . . your dinosaur egg just hatched! Isn't the baby dinosaur cute? Look how small it is! But it won't be small for long!!
Make a rough sketch of what your dinosaur will look like when it grows up. (Remember, it should match its name.)
Next, look at the Adopt-A-Dino Fact Sheet page to see what people will want to know about your dinosaur. Make notes of your ideas. Try to be realistic. For example, if your dinosaur has very sharp teeth, it is probably a meat-eater. Refer to the Dinosaur Gallery for information on actual dinosaurs that have been discovered.
When you are ready, fill out and print the Adopt-A-Dino Fact Sheet form. On a separate piece of paper, make a colorful drawing of your dinosaur.
Put labels on the drawing to point out its important features.
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