Are There Any Dinosaurs Alive Today?

🕐 4 min 23 sec 👦 Ages 6–8 🌍 English
Koko and Owlo explore whether dinosaurs are truly gone — and discover a surprising living connection to them!
What caused dinosaur extinction Birds as living dinosaur relatives What extinction means How science keeps discovering new things
📖 Story Script
                    Koko:
                    Owlo! Owlo! I have the most important question in the whole world today!
                
                    Owlo:
                    Well, good morning to you too, Koko. Come in, come in. Your scarf is half falling off.
                
                    Koko:
                    Sorry! I ran the whole way here because I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was watching a show last night about dinosaurs.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Ah, dinosaurs. Now there is a topic worth running for. What has your brain buzzing?
                
                    Koko:
                    The show said dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. But then I thought, what if some of them are still out there? Like, hiding somewhere?
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is one of the greatest questions in all of science, Koko. You are not the first to wonder about it.
                
                    Koko:
                    Really? Even scientists wondered that?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Absolutely. In fact, let's head to the library. I think there is a book that will help us start our investigation.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Here we are. This big blue book is all about prehistoric life. Prehistoric means the time before people wrote down history.
                
                    Koko:
                    Prehistoric. So like, super duper ancient?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Exactly right. Now, most dinosaurs disappeared about sixty-six million years ago. Scientists call this an extinction event.
                
                    Koko:
                    Extinction means they all died out, right? My teacher mentioned that word once.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Yes, well remembered. When a whole group of animals disappears completely from Earth, we say they went extinct.
                
                    Koko:
                    But why did they all die? Was it just because it got cold?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Scientists believe a giant rock from space, called an asteroid, crashed into Earth. It caused fires, dust, and darkness that blocked the sun.
                
                    Koko:
                    Without the sun, the plants died. And without plants, the animals that ate plants got hungry too.
                
                    Owlo:
                    You just figured out the whole chain reaction on your own. I am genuinely impressed, Koko.
                
                    Koko:
                    So every single dinosaur just vanished? Not even one snuck away somewhere?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Well, here is the part that might surprise you. Not every dinosaur went extinct. One group actually survived.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wait, seriously? Which ones?
                
                    Owlo:
                    The ones with feathers and wings. Birds, Koko. Modern birds are direct descendants of a group of dinosaurs.
                
                    Koko:
                    Birds are dinosaurs? So the little sparrows outside your window are basically tiny dinosaurs?
                
                    Owlo:
                    In a very real scientific sense, yes. When you see a bird, you are looking at a living dinosaur relative.
                
                    Koko:
                    That is the coolest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Wait until I tell everyone at school.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Scientists call them avian dinosaurs. Avian just means relating to birds. The ones that went extinct are called non-avian dinosaurs.
                
                    Koko:
                    So the big ones with the teeth and the long necks are gone. But the feathery flying ones made it.
                
                    Owlo:
                    You have summarized millions of years of natural history in one sentence. I think you might have a future in science.
                
                    Koko:
                    What about the ocean? Could any big sea creatures from dinosaur times still be alive deep down there?
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a thoughtful question. Some ancient-looking creatures do still exist, like the horseshoe crab and the coelacanth fish. But they are not dinosaurs.
                
                    Koko:
                    The ocean is so mysterious. Maybe it is keeping secrets.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Scientists actually agree with you on that. Much of the deep ocean is still unexplored. Nature always has more to discover.
                
                    Koko:
                    Okay Owlo, I think I can put it all together now. Can I try the summary?
                
                    Koko:
                    So, dinosaurs ruled Earth millions of years ago. Then a giant space rock caused an extinction, which means they mostly all died out.
                
                    Koko:
                    But birds survived, and birds are actually a type of dinosaur. So dinosaurs are not completely gone. They are just really tiny and feathery now.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a perfect summary. You should be very proud of yourself today.
                
                    Koko:
                    Next time I want to learn why birds still have wings even when lots of them don't really fly much. Like penguins!
                
                    Owlo:
                    Now that, Koko, is a question worth running to school for.