Legends of the Prehistoric World Quiz

100 questions · by Qwiz Rush

Legends of the Prehistoric World Quiz is a free 100-question multiple choice, letters and numbers quiz on Qwiz Rush, made by Qwiz Rush, split into 10 rounds. Journey back millions of years to test your knowledge on Mesozoic giants, ancient marine reptiles, and prehistoric wonders.

Host it live for friends, family, a class or a quiz night: everyone joins with a game code on their own device, no app needed. Or play it solo with Free Play and see how many you get right.

Every question runs on a 10-second countdown and the fastest correct answers score the most. All the questions and their choices are listed below so you can see what the quiz covers; the answers are revealed in the game. Want to change something? Make your own copy and edit it in your library.

Host this set Free Play

The 100 questions

Which massive theropod dinosaur, known for its distinctive sail-like neural spines, is believed to have been a semi-aquatic apex predator in what is now North Africa?
- Carcharodontosaurus
- Spinosaurus
- Suchomimus
- Baryonyx
Which giant marine reptile of the Late Cretaceous, characterized by its powerful paddle-like limbs and double-hinged jaw, was the apex predator of the Western Interior Seaway?
- Mosasaurus
- Plesiosaurus
- Ichthyosaurus
- Elasmosaurus
During which geological period did the famous apex predator Allosaurus dominate the floodplains of North America?
- Triassic
- Cretaceous
- Jurassic
- Permian
In which modern-day country were the first fossils of the giant theropod Giganotosaurus, one of the largest known terrestrial carnivores, discovered?
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Mongolia
- South Africa
Despite its oversized depiction in popular culture, the actual dromaeosaurid Velociraptor was roughly the size of which modern bird?
- Ostrich
- Golden Eagle
- Wild Turkey
- Emperor Penguin
Which colossal azhdarchid pterosaur, named after a Mesoamerican feathered serpent deity, is considered one of the largest known flying animals of all time?
- Quetzalcoatlus
- Hatzegopteryx
- Pteranodon
- Dimorphodon
How many fully functional, clawed digits did a Tyrannosaurus rex have on each of its famously short forelimbs?

Answer with a number.
Approximately how many millions of years ago did the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event occur, wiping out the non-avian dinosaurs?

Answer with a number.
Name the genus of giant, short-necked pliosaur that ruled the Middle and Late Jurassic seas, famous for its portrayal as a colossal hunter in BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs.

Answer with a letter.
What genus of heavily armored, bipedal rauisuchian archosaur was the apex land predator of North America during the Late Triassic, prior to the rise of large theropod dinosaurs?

Answer with a letter.
Which massive sauropod dinosaur, discovered in Argentina, is widely considered one of the largest land animals of all time, with estimates putting its weight around 70 metric tons?
- Patagotitan
- Brachiosaurus
- Diplodocus
- Apatosaurus
What distinguished the skull of the sauropod Camarasaurus from that of Diplodocus?
- It had a short, boxy snout with large teeth
- It was long and flat with peg-like teeth
- It possessed a large hollow crest
- It lacked teeth entirely in the front jaw
How many claws did a typical Diplodocus have on each of its front feet?

Answer with a number.
What unique defense mechanism is theorized for the extremely long, whip-like tails of diplodocid sauropods?
- Cracking like a whip to produce supersonic noise
- Injecting venom through a tail-spine
- Camouflaging as tree branches
- Secreting noxious oils
Name the genus of massive, late Jurassic sauropod whose name literally translates to "arm lizard" due to its unusually long forelimbs compared to its hindlimbs.

Answer with a letter.
Which group of sauropodomorphs is characterized by having osteoderms (bony armor plates) embedded in their skin?
- Titanosaurs
- Dicraeosaurids
- Diplodocids
- Mamenchisaurids
In what year was the famous sauropod genus Apatosaurus first described and named by paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh?

Answer with a number.
The sauropod Mamenchisaurus is famous for having one of the longest necks of any known animal. Approximately how many cervical (neck) vertebrae did the species Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis possess?
- 19
- 7
- 12
- 30
What is the scientific term for the fossilized gizzard stones swallowed by sauropods to help grind up tough plant matter in their digestive tracts?

Answer with a letter.
Which of the following sauropods is famous for having a double row of tall, sail-like neural spines running down its neck, which may have supported a sail or skin web?
- Amargasaurus
- Shunosaurus
- Nigersaurus
- Alamosaurus
Which famous armored dinosaur possessed a heavy bony club at the end of its tail, which it used as a weapon against predators?
- Stegosaurus
- Ankylosaurus
- Triceratops
- Kentrosaurus
What is the primary function of the large bony frill found on the skulls of ceratopsian dinosaurs like Triceratops, according to most modern paleontologists?
- Thermoregulation and display
- Underwater breathing
- Storing large fat reserves
- Gliding through the air
How many horns did the famous Late Cretaceous dinosaur Triceratops have on its head?

Answer with a number.
Name the genus of late Jurassic armored dinosaur famous for the double row of upright, kite-shaped plates along its back and a spiked tail called a thagomizer.

Answer with a letter.
What is the informal, yet scientifically accepted, term for the arrangement of defensive spikes on the tails of stegosaurid dinosaurs?
- Thagomizer
- Halberd
- Morningstar
- Falchion
Which ceratopsian dinosaur is easily recognized by having a single large horn on its nose and a frill decorated with at least four to six long spikes?
- Styracosaurus
- Protoceratops
- Pachyrhinosaurus
- Psittacosaurus
How many spikes made up the defensive "thagomizer" on the tail of the standard, most famous species of Stegosaurus (Stegosaurus stenops)?

Answer with a number.
Name the geological period in which the heavily armored Stegosaurus lived.

Answer with a letter.
Instead of long horns, which ceratopsian dinosaur possessed massive, flat bony bosses on its snout?
- Pachyrhinosaurus
- Centrosaurus
- Chasmosaurus
- Pentaceratops
In 2011, an exceptionally well-preserved, 110-million-year-old armored dinosaur "mummy" with intact skin and osteoderms was discovered in Alberta, Canada. What genus does this nodosaurid belong to?
- Borealopelta
- Edmontonia
- Sauropelta
- Nodosaurus
Which prehistoric shark, active during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, is widely regarded as one of the largest and most powerful predators in vertebrate history?
- Otodus megalodon
- Cretoxyrhina mantelli
- Helicoprion bessonowi
- Kronosaurus queenslandicus
Unlike modern fish, the giant Devonian armored predator Dunkleosteus lacked true teeth. What did it use instead to slice through prey?
- Bony plates extending from its jaw
- Keratinized spikes
- Hardened cartilage ridges
- Calcified tentacles
Which group of marine reptiles is characterized by having a remarkably long neck, a small head, and four large flippers, epitomized by the genus Elasmosaurus?
- Plesiosaurs
- Pliosaurs
- Mosasaurs
- Ichthyosaurs
The bizarre prehistoric cartilaginous fish Helicoprion is famous for what unique anatomical feature?
- A spiral-shaped cluster of teeth
- A saw-like snout
- A bioluminescent head lure
- Armor-plated pectoral fins
During which geological period did the formidable marine lizards known as mosasaurs dominate the oceans?
- Cretaceous
- Jurassic
- Triassic
- Permian
What Cambrian apex predator, known for its radial circular mouth and pair of grasping appendages, is considered one of the earliest marine giants?
- Anomalocaris
- Opabinia
- Hallucigenia
- Wiwaxia
How many limbs modified into flippers did marine reptiles like Pliosaurus and Plesiosaurus use to propel themselves through the water?

Answer with a number.
The massive extinction event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs, mosasaurs, and plesiosaurs occurred approximately how many millions of years ago?

Answer with a number.
Identify the group of dolphin-like marine reptiles that flourished during the Mesozoic Era, famous for their exceptionally large eyes and fish-like body shapes.

Answer with a letter.
Identify the predatory Eocene whale that was originally mistaken for a marine reptile due to its long, serpentine body, resulting in a name that translates to "king lizard."

Answer with a letter.
Which massive pterosaur, named after an Aztec feathered serpent deity, is widely considered one of the largest known flying animals of all time?
- Pteranodon
- Quetzalcoatlus
- Dimorphodon
- Rhamphorhynchus
Often called the 'first bird', which Late Jurassic theropod dinosaur represents a famous transitional form between non-avian dinosaurs and modern birds?
- Archaeopteryx
- Microraptor
- Confuciusornis
- Ichthyornis
Which pterosaur is famous for its incredibly oversized, sail-like head crest made of bone and soft tissue, named after a Tupi spirit?
- Tupandactylus
- Pterodactylus
- Cearadactylus
- Eudimorphodon
What giant, dragonfly-like predatory insect from the Carboniferous period boasted a wingspan of up to 70 centimeters?
- Arthropleura
- Meganeura
- Pulmonoscorpius
- Mazothairos
What is the primary structural protein that made up the reinforcing fibers (actinofibrils) inside a pterosaur's wing membrane?
- Keratin
- Chitin
- Collagen
- Fibroin
Which giant, flightless 'terror bird' of South America possessed a massive, hooked beak used to strike down prey during the Miocene epoch?
- Phorusrhacos
- Gastornis
- Argentavis
- Pelagornis
How many wings did the dromaeosaurid dinosaur Microraptor utilize for gliding and flight?

Answer with a number.
In millions of years ago, approximately how long ago did the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event occur, wiping out all pterosaurs and non-avian dinosaurs?

Answer with a number.
What is the name of the famous fish-eating pterosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous of North America, known for its long, toothless beak and the large backward-pointing crest found on males of the species?

Answer with a letter.
What is the name of the extinct, giant flightless bird of New Zealand, belonging to the order Dinornithiformes, which was hunted to extinction by the Maori?

Answer with a letter.
Which species of Smilodon, native to South America, was the largest of the saber-toothed cats, weighing up to 400 kilograms?
- Smilodon populator
- Smilodon fatalis
- Smilodon gracilis
- Smilodon floridanus
What was the dominant, cold-adapted grassland ecosystem that stretched across northern Eurasia and North America during the Ice Age, supporting herds of Woolly Mammoths?
- Mammoth steppe
- Boreal taiga
- Alpine tundra
- Siberian savanna
The giant ground sloth Megatherium, which roamed South America during the Pleistocene, was comparable in physical size and weight to which modern-day land animal?
- Elephant
- Hippopotamus
- Grizzly bear
- Rhinoceros
Which defensive feature characterized the tail of Doedicurus, a giant armored glyptodont relative from the Pleistocene epoch?
- A spiked bony club
- A venomous stinger
- A flattened, paddle-like rudder
- A flexible, prehensile tip
The extinct giant rhinoceros Elasmotherium is famous for possessing which prominent physical feature?
- A single massive horn on its forehead
- Two horns arranged side-by-side
- A thick armor of overlapping bony plates
- A long, prehensile trunk
Analysis of the teeth and nitrogen isotopes in the bones of the Pleistocene Cave Bear (Ursus spelaeus) suggests its diet was primarily composed of what?
- Plants
- Fish
- Large herbivores
- Small rodents
How many fully developed, functional chewing molars did an adult Woolly Mammoth have in its mouth at any single time?

Answer with a number.
In which calendar year was the remarkably preserved, 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth calf named Yuka discovered in Siberia?

Answer with a number.
Name the largest known marsupial to have ever lived, an Ice Age giant native to Australia that resembled a bear-sized wombat.

Answer with a letter.
Which extinct, elephant-like browser of the family Mammutidae roamed North America during the Ice Age and had cone-shaped cusps on its teeth adapted for eating woody vegetation?

Answer with a letter.
Which English fossil collector and paleontologist discovered the first correctly identified ichthyosaur skeleton at Lyme Regis in the early 19th century?
- Mary Anning
- Elizabeth Philpot
- Charlotte Murchison
- Dorothea Bate
The famous 19th-century "Bone Wars," a period of intense and ruthless fossil-hunting rivalry in the American West, was fought between Othniel Charles Marsh and which other American paleontologist?
- Edward Drinker Cope
- Joseph Leidy
- Charles Hazelius Sternberg
- Barnum Brown
In what year did William Buckland publish the first full scientific account of a fossil dinosaur, which he named Megalosaurus?

Answer with a number.
Which famous fossil site in Wyoming, discovered in the late 1870s, became a major battleground of the Bone Wars and yielded massive sauropod skeletons like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus?
- Como Bluff
- Ghost Ranch
- La Brea Tar Pits
- Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry
Name the genus of dinosaur first discovered in Sussex, England, in 1822 by Mary Ann Mantell, which was later named by her husband Gideon for its teeth resembling a modern herbivorous lizard.

Answer with a letter.
Which legendary American Museum of Natural History fossil hunter discovered the first documented remains of Tyrannosaurus rex in 1902 at Hell Creek, Montana?
- Barnum Brown
- Roy Chapman Andrews
- Charles H. Sternberg
- Henry Fairfield Osborn
In what year did Roy Chapman Andrews' expedition to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia discover the first recognized dinosaur nests containing fossilized eggs?

Answer with a number.
In 1909, American paleontologist Charles Walcott discovered which incredibly well-preserved Cambrian fossil site in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia?
- Burgess Shale
- Chengjiang County
- Mazon Creek
- Hunsrück Slate
Name the famous limestone quarry region in Bavaria, Germany, where the first specimen of the transitional fossil Archaeopteryx was discovered in 1861.

Answer with a letter.
Which French naturalist, often regarded as the "founding father of paleontology," established the concept of extinction as a scientific fact through his comparative anatomy studies of mammoths and elephants?
- Georges Cuvier
- Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
- Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
- Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
The impact crater associated with the end-Cretaceous extinction is located off the coast of which modern-day Mexican peninsula?
- Baja California
- Yucatan
- Florida
- Nicoya
Which heavy metal element, abundant in asteroids but rare in Earth's crust, was found in high concentrations at the K-Pg boundary layer, providing key evidence for the impact theory?
- Iridium
- Platinum
- Osmium
- Palladium
What massive volcanic province in modern-day India was erupting heavily around the time of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, contributing to global climate instability?
- Siberian Traps
- Deccan Traps
- Columbia River Basalts
- Emeishan Traps
Which group of dinosaurs is the only one known to have survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, persisting into the modern day?
- Pterosaurs
- Avian dinosaurs
- Ornithischians
- Sauropods
Which prominent group of coiled-shelled marine cephalopods, related to modern squids and octopuses, went completely extinct during the K-Pg event?
- Ammonites
- Nautiloids
- Belemnites
- Trilobites
What global climate phenomenon, caused by the ejection of massive amounts of sulfur and soot into the atmosphere after the asteroid impact, blocked sunlight and halted photosynthesis?
- Greenhouse effect
- Impact winter
- Solar flare
- Ozone depletion
Approximately how many millions of years ago did the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event occur? (Round to the nearest whole million).

Answer with a number.
What is the estimated diameter, in kilometers, of the Chicxulub asteroid that struck Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period? (Round to the nearest whole number).

Answer with a number.
What type of spore-producing, vascular plant experienced a massive, rapid population spike immediately following the K-Pg impact, dominating the devastated landscape?

Answer with a letter.
What is the geological term for the natural water-filled sinkholes in the Yucatan Peninsula that outline the buried rim of the Chicxulub impact crater?

Answer with a letter.
Which of these Triassic animals is widely considered one of the earliest known true dinosaurs, discovered in the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina?
- Herrerasaurus
- Postosuchus
- Cynognathus
- Dimetrodon
During the Late Triassic, at the dawn of the dinosaur dynasty, all of Earth's landmasses were joined into which singular supercontinent?
- Gondwana
- Laurasia
- Pangaea
- Rodinia
Approximately how many millions of years ago did the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event occur, clearing the ecological space for dinosaurs to dominate the planet?

Answer with a number.
Before dinosaurs rose to dominance, which group of heavily armored, crocodile-line archosaurs were the dominant land predators of the Late Triassic?
- Pterosaurs
- Rauisuchians
- Dicynodonts
- Pelycosaurs
Identify the southwestern US state where the famous Ghost Ranch fossil quarry yielded thousands of beautifully preserved skeletons of the early theropod Coelophysis.

Answer with a letter.
Which group of early, long-necked, mostly bipedal Triassic dinosaurs represents the direct evolutionary ancestors of the giant Jurassic sauropods?
- Prosauropods
- Theropods
- Ornithischians
- Thyreophorans
Dinosaurs belong to the taxonomic subclass Diapsida. How many temporal fenestrae (post-orbital skull openings) do diapsid skulls possess on each side?

Answer with a number.
What was the dominant climate across the vast interior of the supercontinent Pangaea during the Early Triassic period?
- Hot and arid
- Cold and glacial
- Humid and tropical
- Temperate and rainy
Name the famous geological formation in Argentina, also known as the Valley of the Moon, where early dinosaur pioneers like Eoraptor were discovered.

Answer with a letter.
Which group of flying reptiles first appeared in the Late Triassic, becoming the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight?
- Pterosaurs
- Archaeopteryx
- Avians
- Drepanosaurs
In the 1993 film 'Jurassic Park', which prehistoric animal is famously depicted as hunting in packs and opening doors, though in reality it was much smaller and feathered?
- Velociraptor
- Dilophosaurus
- Triceratops
- Brachiosaurus
In the 'Ice Age' animated film franchise, what type of prehistoric mammal is the main character Manny?
- Woolly Mammoth
- Saber-toothed Cat
- Ground Sloth
- Glyptodont
In what year was the landmark stop-motion fantasy film 'King Kong', featuring classic battles with a Tyrannosaurus and a Pteranodon, first released in theaters?

Answer with a number.
The iconic giant monster Godzilla (Gojira) is a fictional prehistoric reptile whose name is a Japanese portmanteau of 'gorilla' and which other animal?
- Whale
- Lizard
- Dragon
- Shark
What is the name of the beloved purple pet dinosaur belonging to Fred and Wilma in the classic animated sitcom 'The Flintstones'?

Answer with a letter.
The 1953 sci-fi classic 'The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms', which helped kickstart the giant monster movie craze, features a fictional awakened dinosaur called what?
- Rhedosaurus
- Gorgo
- Anguirus
- Clover
How many giant, scythe-like claws did the prehistoric Therizinosaurus possess on each of its hands, a feature heavily emphasized in the film 'Jurassic World Dominion'?

Answer with a number.
Which Generation I fossil Pokémon is revived from a Dome Fossil and closely resembles a prehistoric horseshoe crab or trilobite?
- Kabuto
- Omanyte
- Aerodactyl
- Anorith
What type of dinosaur serves as the famous green corporate mascot for the American petroleum company Sinclair Oil?

Answer with a letter.
Which British actor and filmmaker narrated the groundbreaking 1999 BBC documentary series 'Walking with Dinosaurs'?
- Kenneth Branagh
- David Attenborough
- Patrick Stewart
- Ian McKellen