Dinosaur fossils include not only bones, but also footprints, eggs, skin, gastroliths (stomach stones), and coprolites (fossil dung). They have been studied by scientists for over 150 years, and yet there is still much to be done by future palaeontologists before we have a full understanding of what dinosaurs were and how they lived.

The relationship between some of the main types of dinosaurs, large and small, is shown using a family tree.

We look in more detail at one dinosaur that interests a lot of people, Tyrannosaurus rex.

Victoria's Dinosaurs describes some of the polar dinosaurs that have been found here in southern Australia.

Why did the dinosaurs become extinct around 65 million years ago? Scientists now think this mass extinction was caused by the impact of a huge meteor.

Jurassic Park and other films have been based on the notion that scientists may be able to rebuild extinct animals. Are 'Dinosaurs from DNA' actually possible?

A range of printable InfoSheets, including Dinosaurs in Australia, Dinosaur Dreaming - The Inverloch Fossil site, Amargasaurus cazui - Melbourne Museum's newest dinosaur skeleton and other fossil information is available in the Discovery Centre.

Other specimens of dinosaurs and large Mesozoic reptiles displayed at Melbourne Museum are: Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus, a hadrosaur, Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis, Tarbosaurus bataar, Deinonychus antirrhopus, Gallimimus bullatus, Hypsilophodon foxii, Pteranodon ingens, an ichthyosaur Stenopterygius acutirostris and a crocodilian Steneosaurus bollensis.

For further information about dinosaurs, consult some of the books and web sites listed.