Why are dinosaurs called dinosaurs?

The word "dinosaur" comes from Greek, which is a combination of the two words "deinos" and "sauros". Among them, "deinos" means terrible and amazing, while "sauros" is the suffix of the scientific name of dinosaurs, indicating that they are a kind of reptiles, similar to modern lizards, crocodiles, etc.

The name was proposed by British scientist Richard Owen in the early 19th century. At that time, Owen was studying some huge fossil bones and found that they were different from other known mammals or reptiles. He believed that these fossil bones belonged to a new group of animals, so he created the new classification name "dinosaur".

Although the name "dinosaur" contains the meaning of "terrible", in fact many dinosaurs are not aggressive and will not pose a threat to humans. They are just extinct ancient creatures, but their remains can help us understand the evolution of life in the history of the earth.

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