Glossary of dinosaur anatomy

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/glossary-of-dinosaur-anatomy

1. What is the difference between a dinosaur's axial skeleton and its appendicular skeleton?
2. What are the main regions of a dinosaur's vertebral column?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the difference between a dinosaur's axial skeleton and its appendicular skeleton?The axial skeleton includes the skull, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum. The appendicular skeleton is made up of the limbs and the shoulder and hip girdles.
2. What are the main regions of a dinosaur's vertebral column?The vertebral column is divided into cervical (neck), dorsal (back), sacral (hip), and caudal (tail) regions. Each part has a different shape and function.

Axial Skeleton: The central structural axis of the skeleton, including the skull and vertebral column.
Appendicular Skeleton: The limbs and the girdles (shoulder and hip) that attach them to the axial skeleton.
Dentition: The arrangement, type, and form of an animal's teeth.
Fenestrae: Bony openings or windows within the skull of vertebrates.