Think you can tell a hadrosaur from a ceratopsian before your coffee cools? Prove it. This fast-paced dinosaur trivia quiz sprints from Triassic trailblazers to Late Cretaceous heavyweights—mixing fossil facts, name meanings, and a few curveballs about birds (yes, they’re dinosaurs). Ready when you are.
(Multiple choice; answer right after each question so you can copy/paste into a quiz app.)
Tip: For clean import into most quiz tools, keep one question per line. I’ve bundled facts that line up with museum/peer-reviewed sources cited above. The “load-bearing” claims (dates, birds-are-dinosaurs, tail-club biomechanics, T. rex bite/pressure, pterosaurs ≠ dinosaurs) are supported in the sources list; most of the rest are standard dino 101.
- The Mesozoic Era spans which three periods?
A) Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian B) Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous C) Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary D) Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian
Answer: B. - Roughly when did the Mesozoic begin?
A) 541 Ma B) 252 Ma C) 201 Ma D) 66 Ma
Answer: B. stratigraphy.org - When did non-avian dinosaurs go extinct?
A) 200 Ma B) 145 Ma C) 100 Ma D) 66 Ma
Answer: D. University of Notre Dame - Which group includes the ancestors of birds?
A) Sauropodomorphs B) Theropods C) Ceratopsians D) Ankylosaurs
Answer: B. Understanding Evolution - Which of these is not a dinosaur?
A) Triceratops B) Velociraptor C) Pteranodon D) Iguanodon
Answer: C. American Museum of Natural History - “Duck-billed” dinosaurs belong to which group?
A) Ornithopods B) Theropods C) Pachycephalosaurs D) Sauropods
Answer: A. - The “lizard-hipped” vs “bird-hipped” split describes:
A) Pterosaurs vs dinosaurs B) Saurischia vs Ornithischia C) Herbivores vs carnivores D) Land vs sea reptiles
Answer: B. National Park Service - Which period came last in the Mesozoic?
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: C. stratigraphy.org - Which famous Late Cretaceous predator had bone-crushing tooth pressures?
A) Spinosaurus B) Allosaurus C) Tyrannosaurus rex D) Giganotosaurus
Answer: C. Nature - What likely ended the non-avian dinosaurs?
A) Massive volcanism only B) Asteroid impact only C) A mix of impact + environmental shocks D) Mammals ate all the eggs
Answer: C. University of Notre Dame - Long-necked giants like Brachiosaurus are:
A) Theropods B) Sauropodomorphs C) Ceratopsians D) Ornithopods
Answer: B. - Which group carries a tail-club capable of bone-breaking in large adults?
A) Stegosaurs B) Ankylosaurs C) Ceratopsians D) Ornithopods
Answer: B. PLOS - Feathered non-avian dinosaurs are best documented in which group?
A) Theropods B) Sauropods C) Ankylosaurs D) Ceratopsians
Answer: A. Wikipedia - The Triassic ends around:
A) 252 Ma B) 201 Ma C) 145 Ma D) 66 Ma
Answer: B. stratigraphy.org - The Jurassic begins around:
A) 201 Ma B) 145 Ma C) 100 Ma D) 66 Ma
Answer: A. stratigraphy.org - The Cretaceous ends at:
A) 145 Ma B) 120 Ma C) 80 Ma D) 66 Ma
Answer: D. stratigraphy.org - Parasaurolophus likely used its crest for:
A) Flight B) Storing water C) Sound resonance D) Head-butting
Answer: C. Acoustics - Pterosaurs are:
A) Flying dinosaurs B) Flying reptiles, dinosaur cousins C) Giant birds D) Marine reptiles
Answer: B. American Museum of Natural History - Mosasaurus is:
A) A marine reptile (not a dinosaur) B) A sauropod C) A ceratopsian D) A pterosaur
Answer: A. Encyclopedia Britannica - Which group includes Triceratops?
A) Ornithopods B) Ceratopsians C) Theropods D) Stegosaurs
Answer: B. - The word “dinosaur” literally means:
A) Great lizard B) Terrible lizard C) Ancient monster D) Giant reptile
Answer: B. - Stegosaurus plates may have served:
A) Only armor B) Only solar panels C) Display/thermoregulation mix D) Wing support
Answer: C. - The only dinosaurs alive today are:
A) Crocodiles B) Birds C) Lizards D) None
Answer: B. Understanding Evolution - “Duck-bills” are especially common in the:
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Late Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: C. - The K–Pg boundary is dated to about:
A) 100 Ma B) 80 Ma C) 66 Ma D) 50 Ma
Answer: C. University of Notre Dame - T. rex bite force is best estimated around:
A) 800 lb B) 8,000 lb C) 80,000 lb D) 800,000 lb
Answer: B. ScienceDaily - The earliest dinosaurs appear in which period?
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: A. - Pachycephalosaurus is famous for its:
A) Horn frill B) Dome skull C) Tail club D) Head crest
Answer: B. - Ankylosaur armor is made of:
A) Keratin only B) Inflated skin sacs C) Bony plates (osteoderms) D) Cartilage
Answer: C. - Sauropod necks were supported by:
A) Pure muscle B) Air-sac-lightened bones + ligaments C) Spinal gas bladders D) Hollow keratin rods
Answer: B. - Which group dominated Jurassic herds on land?
A) Sauropods B) Pterosaurs C) Mosasaurs D) Ceratopsians
Answer: A. - Archaeopteryx is from which period?
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: B. - Which group is most closely related to birds?
A) Ceratopsians B) Theropods C) Stegosaurs D) Ankylosaurs
Answer: B. Understanding Evolution - The term “ornithischian” translates to:
A) Bird-hipped B) Lizard-hipped C) Fish-hipped D) Plate-hipped
Answer: A. National Park Service - The term “saurischian” translates to:
A) Bird-hipped B) Lizard-hipped C) Shell-hipped D) Dome-hipped
Answer: B. National Park Service - The Chicxulub crater is in:
A) Arizona B) Yucatán, Mexico C) Patagonia D) Gobi Desert
Answer: B. University of Notre Dame - Titanosaurs are:
A) Giant ceratopsians B) Giant sauropods C) Giant theropods D) Giant stegosaurs
Answer: B. - The Triassic–Jurassic transition involved:
A) No change B) A mass extinction that dinosaurs survived C) Mammal extinction D) All marine life extinction
Answer: B. National Geographic - Parasaurolophus calls were likely:
A) High squeaks B) Low, resonant tones C) Ultrasound only D) Purely silent
Answer: B. Acoustics - Quetzalcoatlus is a:
A) Giant bird B) Giant pterosaur C) Giant ceratopsian D) Giant marine reptile
Answer: B. American Museum of Natural History - Therizinosaurus is famous for:
A) Horn frill B) 1-meter claws C) Dome skull D) Sail back
Answer: B. National Geographic - “Thagomizer” refers to:
A) Ceratopsian frill B) Stegosaur tail spikes C) Ankylosaur club D) Hadrosaur crest
Answer: B. - The K–Pg boundary marks:
A) Start of Mesozoic B) End of Jurassic C) End of Cretaceous D) Start of Triassic
Answer: C. stratigraphy.org - Which herbivores had “dental batteries”?
A) Ceratopsians & hadrosaurs B) Theropods C) Pterosaurs D) Ichthyosaurs
Answer: A. - Velociraptor fossils show:
A) Flight feathers B) No feathers C) Fins D) Shells
Answer: A. WIRED - Marine reptiles that looked like dolphins:
A) Ichthyosaurs B) Plesiosaurs C) Mosasaurs D) Thalattosaurs
Answer: A. - Long-necked marine reptiles:
A) Mosasaurs B) Plesiosaurs C) Ichthyosaurs D) Nothosaurs
Answer: B. - The biggest Late Cretaceous land herbivores in North America included:
A) Ceratopsians & hadrosaurs B) Stegosaurs C) Sauropods D) Pterosaurs
Answer: A. - The Morrison Formation (USA) is famous for:
A) Pterosaurs B) Late Jurassic sauropods & theropods C) Early Triassic mammals D) Cretaceous ceratopsians
Answer: B. - Which lived only in water?
A) T. rex B) Mosasaurus C) Ankylosaurus D) Triceratops
Answer: B. Encyclopedia Britannica - Which dinosaur had the iconic three horns?
A) Stegosaurus B) Triceratops C) Iguanodon D) Baryonyx
Answer: B. - Which group had tail spikes not clubs?
A) Ankylosaurs B) Stegosaurs C) Ceratopsians D) Theropods
Answer: B. - Long-clawed, pot-bellied, feathered oddball:
A) Therizinosaurus B) Giganotosaurus C) Pachycephalosaurus D) Diplodocus
Answer: A. National Geographic - “Bone-headed” domes belong to:
A) Pachycephalosaurs B) Ceratopsians C) Ornithopods D) Ankylosaurs
Answer: A. - “Duck-bill” with a tube-like crest:
A) Edmontosaurus B) Parasaurolophus C) Iguanodon D) Corythosaurus
Answer: B. Acoustics - The non-avian dinosaur extinction occurred in which period?
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: C. stratigraphy.org - The only dinosaur lineage still alive:
A) Crocs B) Lizards C) Birds D) None
Answer: C. Understanding Evolution - Clubbed tails are typical of:
A) Ankylosaurs B) Ceratopsians C) Sauropods D) Theropods
Answer: A. PLOS - The Jurassic lasted from ~201 to:
A) 145 Ma B) 100 Ma C) 66 Ma D) 50 Ma
Answer: A. stratigraphy.org - The Triassic started around:
A) 300 Ma B) 252 Ma C) 200 Ma D) 150 Ma
Answer: B. stratigraphy.org - Sauropod teeth were generally:
A) Steak knives B) Peg-like/leaf-stripping C) Molar plates D) Flat grinders
Answer: B. - Hadrosaur crests likely aided:
A) Deep diving B) Echolocation C) Social signaling/sound D) Poison storage
Answer: C. Acoustics - T. rex lived in:
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Late Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: C. - Stegosaurus lived in:
A) Late Cretaceous B) Early Cretaceous C) Jurassic D) Paleogene
Answer: C. - Ceratopsians peak in:
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Late Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: C. - “Avian dinosaurs” means:
A) Pterosaurs B) Birds C) Marine reptiles D) Crocodiles
Answer: B. Understanding Evolution - Bone-crushing behavior in T. rex is termed:
A) Osteopathy B) Osteophagy C) Osteolysis D) Osteometry
Answer: B. Nature - Which group is most likely to have elaborate horns and frills?
A) Ornithopods B) Ceratopsians C) Theropods D) Sauropods
Answer: B. - The asteroid impact site is called:
A) Hell Creek B) Morrison C) Chicxulub D) Solnhofen
Answer: C. University of Notre Dame - Birds evolved from:
A) Early ceratopsians B) Small theropods C) Early ankylosaurs D) Pterosaurs
Answer: B. Understanding Evolution - Marine reptile related to lizards & snakes:
A) Ichthyosaur B) Mosasaur C) Plesiosaur D) Nothosaur
Answer: B. Encyclopedia Britannica - Early feather impressions come from:
A) Sauropods B) Theropods C) Ceratopsians D) Ankylosaurs
Answer: B. Wikipedia - The Late Cretaceous of N. America famously features:
A) Diplodocus vs Allosaurus B) T. rex vs Triceratops C) Plateosaurus vs Coelophysis D) Stegosaurus vs Brachiosaurus
Answer: B. - The Triassic world was mostly:
A) A single supercontinent, Pangaea B) All modern continents C) Entirely ocean D) Frozen
Answer: A. - Longest manual claws among land animals belong to:
A) Deinonychus B) Therizinosaurus C) Baryonyx D) Iguanodon
Answer: B. National Geographic - The K–Pg extinction date (rounded) is:
A) 252 Ma B) 201 Ma C) 145 Ma D) 66 Ma
Answer: D. University of Notre Dame - The “Age of Dinosaurs” nickname belongs to:
A) Paleozoic B) Mesozoic C) Cenozoic D) Proterozoic
Answer: B. - Corythosaurus belongs to which group?
A) Ceratopsians B) Ankylosaurs C) Hadrosaurids D) Theropods
Answer: C. - Which is famous for plate backs?
A) Stegosaurs B) Ankylosaurs C) Ceratopsians D) Theropods
Answer: A. - Which is a dome-headed dino?
A) Styracosaurus B) Pachycephalosaurus C) Parasaurolophus D) Camarasaurus
Answer: B. - The toothless, beaked flyers of the Mesozoic were:
A) Birds only B) Pterosaurs like Pteranodon (not dinosaurs) C) Ceratopsians D) None of the above
Answer: B. American Museum of Natural History - Diplodocus lived in the:
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: B. - Iguanodon is most associated with the:
A) Triassic B) Early Cretaceous C) Late Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: B. - Which lineage survives today?
A) Sauropods B) Ceratopsians C) Theropods (as birds) D) Stegosaurs
Answer: C. Understanding Evolution - Spinosaurids are notable for:
A) Horn frills B) Tail clubs C) Crocodile-like skulls & fishing D) Dome heads
Answer: C. - The “Hell Creek Formation” is famous for:
A) Early Triassic reptiles B) Late Cretaceous dinosaurs including T. rex & Triceratops C) Jurassic sauropods D) Pterosaur fossils only
Answer: B. - The Solnhofen limestone (Germany) preserved:
A) Archaeopteryx with feathers B) Ankylosaur clubs C) Ceratopsian frills D) Mosasaur nurseries
Answer: A. - Which saurischian group is herbivorous?
A) Theropods B) Sauropodomorphs C) Ceratopsians D) Ornithopods
Answer: B. - “Marginocephalia” literally references:
A) Plate backs B) Dome heads C) Frill/“margin” heads D) Beaks
Answer: C. - Evidence for the dinosaur-killing impact includes:
A) Iridium-rich clay layer + global ejecta + crater match
B) Dino footprints running away
C) Mammoth bones in the same layer
D) None of the above
Answer: A. University of Notre Dame - The Morrison Formation age is mostly:
A) Triassic B) Late Jurassic C) Early Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: B. - The most common hadrosaur dental feature:
A) Single blade tooth B) Shark-like rows C) Grinding dental batteries D) No teeth
Answer: C. - Theropods typically walked on:
A) Four toes B) Two legs (bipedal) C) Flippers D) Wings
Answer: B. - Which group includes horned dinosaurs?
A) Ceratopsians B) Theropods C) Ornithopods D) Ankylosaurs
Answer: A. - The Triassic began after which mass extinction?
A) K–Pg B) End-Permian (“Great Dying”) C) End-Devonian D) End-Ordovician
Answer: B. - Titanosaurs thrived mainly in the:
A) Triassic B) Jurassic C) Cretaceous D) Paleogene
Answer: C. - Jurassic stegosaur tail spikes nickname:
A) Clubomizer B) Thagomizer C) Hornomizer D) Spikomizer
Answer: B. - T. rex tooth pressure helped it:
A) Filter plankton B) Pulverize bone (extreme osteophagy) C) Chew cud D) Bite underwater
Answer: B. Nature - Pterosaurs evolved:
A) Gliding only B) True powered flight (independent of birds) C) Helicopter rotors D) None of the above
Answer: B. American Museum of Natural History - The only accurate way to say “dinosaurs are gone” is:
A) True—none remain B) False—birds are dinosaurs C) True—birds are reptiles, not dinosaurs D) Unknowable
Answer: B. Understanding Evolution
