Dinosaurs in Texas


During the Triassic Period, (250-205 million years ago), reptiles ruled,

Triassic Period exhibit

like this heavily armoured Aetosaur.

heavily armoured Aetosaur

There were crocodile-like reptiles, like the Phytosaur,

crocodile-like Phytosaur

and anphibians, like this Buettneria Perfecta.

Buettneria Perfecta

During the Cretaceous Period, (145-65 million years ago), there was the Tyrannosaurus Rex, one of the largest land carnivores of all time. He ate Aggies for breakfast!

Tyrannosaurus Rex

A few teeth from a close relative were found here in Texas.

dinosaur teeth

Here are the heads of two duck-billed dinosaurs, a Parasaurolophus and a Hadrosaur.

Parasaurolophus and Hadrosaur

There was a head of a pointed lizard, the Centrosaurus.

Centrosaurus was a pointed lizard

The Tertiary Period, (65-2 million years ago), followed an extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period.

Tertiary Period exhibit

There were some large animals around, as suggested by this lower jaw from a Shovel tusked Gomphothere, a prehistoric elephant, found in Roberts County, Texas.

shovel tusked Gomphothere a prehistoric elephant

Not all examples in the exhibit were found in Texas. This American "Zebra", one of the oldest horses of the genus Equus, was found in Idaho.

Hagerman horse or American Zebra

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