Dinosaur Discovery Network (DDN) is a natural history reference for people who want to understand dinosaurs properly — what they were, how they lived, and how we know. It is built for curious adults and younger enthusiasts alike, with the clarity of a good museum gallery and the care of a well-referenced textbook.
Why DDN exists
Most dinosaur information online is scattered: a species page here, a news story there, rarely connected to the evidence behind it. DDN is designed as a connected knowledge network instead of a conventional blog.
Each entry links outwards to the things that give it meaning:
- Dinosaurs — species profiles covering anatomy, classification, behaviour and fossil evidence
- Fossils and specimens — the individual finds that a species is known from
- Geological formations — the rocks and environments those fossils were preserved in
- Museums — where significant specimens can be seen today
- Researchers — the people who found, described and debated them
- Discoveries — new finds and research as they are published
The aim is that you can follow the evidence from a species to the skeleton, the rock it came from and the scientists who studied it.
An evidence-led approach
DDN content is written from the scientific record rather than from other websites. In practice that means:
- Prioritising peer-reviewed research, formal species descriptions and museum collection records
- Separating what the fossils show from how researchers interpret them
- Giving measurements and dates as ranges where the evidence varies, and explaining why
- Reviewing and updating entries when significant new research is published
Citations
Species profiles and articles list the sources they rely on. Wherever possible we cite the original research — author, year, title, journal and DOI — so you can read it for yourself. Supporting sources, such as museum pages or reputable science journalism, are identified as such. If a statement cannot be supported by a reliable source, it does not belong on DDN.
Scientific uncertainty
Palaeontology is a living science. New specimens and new methods regularly overturn ideas that once seemed settled, and many questions remain open. Rather than hiding that uncertainty, DDN makes it visible:
- Established — strongly supported by multiple lines of evidence
- Widely supported hypothesis — the leading explanation, but not confirmed
- Debated — credible researchers disagree, and we summarise the main positions
- Speculative — plausible ideas with limited direct evidence
Examples include the arrangement of the major dinosaur groups, how fast large species grew, and what features such as crests and frills were used for.
Names, classification and dates
Species names and classifications follow the current published scientific literature. Where a name has been revised, merged or disputed, we say so and note older names you may come across. Classification is presented as a working hypothesis rather than a fixed tree, because new analyses regularly rearrange the relationships between groups.
Geological ages are given in millions of years ago, with the period and stage, and follow the International Commission on Stratigraphy’s chronostratigraphic chart. Dates for individual fossils depend on the dating of the rocks they were found in, so we give ranges and explain where those ranges come from.
About the artwork
The dinosaur illustrations on DDN originated with Dinosaurs Everywhere, the earlier project from which DDN grew, and were originally commissioned for it. They are reused here as part of DDN’s visual identity.
Like all palaeoart, each illustration is an artist’s interpretation informed by the science available when it was made. Some are painterly impressions or scenes rather than technical reconstructions, so they should not be read as definitive evidence of an animal’s exact appearance, colouring or behaviour. Where an illustration departs from current evidence in a way that matters, we say so.
Artists are credited where the original commissioning terms allow, and credits will be added as they are confirmed. The illustrations are not available for reuse — please do not reproduce them without permission.
Corrections
If you spot an error or know of research we should include, please get in touch. Corrections are made promptly and significant changes are noted on the page concerned.
Email: tony@dinosaurdiscoverynetwork.com
Who runs DDN
Dinosaur Discovery Network is an independent project founded and run by me, Tony Fowles. I started DDN because I wanted a place where dinosaur and Mesozoic palaeontology research is genuinely accessible — where a species page doesn’t stand alone, but connects to the specimens it is known from, the rock formations they came from, the museums that hold them, the researchers who described them and the scientific papers behind it all.
DDN is built and edited independently. Every page aims to meet the evidence-led standards described above, and I’m always glad to hear from readers, researchers and educators who can help make it better.
Using and citing DDN
You are welcome to link to any DDN page. If you refer to DDN in your own work, please cite the page title, the site name, the page address and the date you viewed it — and, wherever possible, go back to the original research we cite.
Text and artwork on DDN are protected by copyright. Please do not reproduce the illustrations without permission.
How DDN is researched and written
DDN is researched and edited by Tony Fowles. AI tools are used to help with parts of the process — for example organising research notes, structuring information and producing early drafts. They are assistants, not sources.
AI-assisted text is reviewed and edited before publication, and published claims are meant to be verified against reliable scientific sources, such as peer-reviewed papers, formal species descriptions and museum records, which are cited on the page. If you find a claim that is not supported by its sources, please let us know so it can be corrected.
Privacy
DDN collects as little personal information as possible. The Privacy Policy explains what is collected and why, and the Cookie Policy explains the cookies used and how to change your choices.
Join the community
DDN grew out of the Dinosaurs Everywhere community, where enthusiasts, educators and professionals discuss fossil discoveries and new research. Join the Dinosaurs Everywhere group on Facebook.