Sources & fact-check policy
Dinosaur science keeps moving, and this reference grew from an older site, so it is important to be clear about where the information comes from and where modern consensus has updated the picture.
Where our facts come from
The structured facts on each page — the meaning and pronunciation of a name, diet, posture, period, size, and classification — come from the reference dataset behind the site. For background and verification we lean on primary natural-history authorities rather than secondary blogs:
- Natural History Museum, London — Dinosaurs
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Dinosaurs
- American Museum of Natural History — Dinosaurs & Fossils
- Natural History Museum, London — Did all dinosaurs have feathers?
Sizes and weights are given as typical published ranges, not measurements of any single specimen, and classification follows the taxonomy used by the source era.
Where modern science has updated the picture
Some of the descriptions inherited from the original reference reflect an older understanding. The most important corrections to keep in mind:
- Many dinosaurs had feathers. Dromaeosaurs such as Velociraptor and Deinonychus — long pictured as scaly — are now known to have had feathers, and feathers are documented across many theropod groups. Older scaly depictions are out of date.
- “Brontosaurus” is back. For decades Brontosaurus was treated as the same animal as Apatosaurus. A 2015 study revived Brontosaurus as a valid genus in its own right.
- Taxonomy shifts. Dinosaur classification is actively revised; some family placements here follow the source era and may differ from the latest consensus. Where a family is uncertain in our data we flag it on the page.
- Posture and behaviour. Modern reconstructions favour active, bird-like animals over the sluggish, tail-dragging images of older books.
We treat the legacy descriptions as a starting reference and update or flag them where modern consensus clearly differs.
Corrections welcome
Spotted an error? Tell us — include a source and we’ll review and update. We date our reviews.