Gallimimus
Dinosaur Facts for Kids
Gallimimus is a great dinosaur to get to know! Do you want to know what makes it special?
Find out about its size, diet, behavior and more with these fun dino facts for kids!
Kids Fast Facts
- You pronounce their name 'gal-i-my-mus'.
- The meaning of its name is "rooster" or "chicken mimic".
- They lived in the Late Cretaceous Period.
- They could run at around 43mph.
- Their length was 8 metres (26 feet)
- They weighed 970 pounds (440 kilograms).
More Dinosaur Details
Gallimimus were very like ostriches of today in the way they looked and acted.
Their name means 'chicken mimic' because other dinosaurs had already been called 'osterich mimic' (Struthiomimus), 'emu mimic' (Dromiceiomimus) and 'bird mimic' (Ornithomimus)!
They lived during the Late Cretaceous period 70 million years ago. This is the same time as lots of other dinosaurs.
Gallimimus had large eyes and its sight may have been good.
Its dinosaur classification is Therapod.
When Gallimimus ran, it would use its long tail to balance it, and stabilize it during fast turns. Very useful for getting away from predators.
More questions you may have :
What did they eat?
At first scientist thought they were herbivores. But now it is believed it ate small creataceous animals, insects, eggs and plants. Three claw like fingers would have helped it burrow deep into the soil to root around for insects to eat, and hold food.
They had plates in their mouths (similar to combs) which helped them sieve through the mud to find insects. This helped them eat faster and get more protein.
Where did they live?
They lived in Mongolia in Asia. Its skeleton has been found in the Gobi Desert (like the Velociraptor).
How big were they?
It was one of the largest ornithomimosaurs and was around 8 metres (25 feet) long. It had a short, compact body.
Its bones were hollow to keep it light - and this helped it to run at speeds of around 43 miles per hour (70kph).
Learn more about dinosaurs!
Kids-Dinosaurs › Gallimimus
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