Dinosaur limbs

Dinosaurs held their legs directly beneath the body, unlike other reptiles, which crawl with their legs held out from the sides of the body. Huge herbivorous dinosaurs, such as Diplodocus, walked on all fours with front and rear legs supporting bulky bodies. Most carnivores, such as Albertosaurus, walked on the two back legs, leaving the front limbs free for catching and holding prey.
FLESH AND BONE
The rear legs of Albertosaurus were powered by large muscles that pulled on the bones to make them move. The ankle and metatarsals worked as part of the leg, giving a longer stride.
MYSTERIOUS DINOSAUR
Almost all that is known of Deinocheirus is this huge pair of arms and hands. Thes forelimbs are 8ft (2.4 m) long. It is thought that Deinocheirus belonged to a group of dinosaurs called ornithomimosaurs. The huge hands would have been used to catch
and hold prey.
GOOD SUPPORT
Five widely spread toes on the rear feet of Diplodocus helped support the dinosaur’s enormous weight. The first three toes had claws. A padded heel, like that of an elephant, cushioned the thundering footsteps.
FLEET FOOT
Ornithomimus was one of the speediest dinosaurs. Its three foot bones were locked together, making a long extension to the leg. Running on the tips of its toes, it could take long strides. Ornithomimus may have reached top speeds of 37 mph (60 km/h) – fast enough to escape most predators.
LEGS LIKE PILLARS
The heaviest dinosaurs had pillarlike legs, like those of elephants. Brachiosaurus weighed about 0 tons (tonnes) so it needed thick, strong legs to support its body.