dinofyi 0.1.1

Dinosaur paleontology encyclopedia API client — dinofyi.com

dinofyi

Python API client for dinosaur paleontology and fossil record data. Access 6,142 dinosaur species across 15 geological periods, with taxonomic classification, fossil site locations in 198 countries, species comparison data, and paleontological glossary — all through a clean REST API with zero core dependencies.

Extracted from DinoFYI, a dinosaur encyclopedia platform cataloging every known dinosaur genus with classification, temporal range, geographic distribution, and discovery history based on the Paleobiology Database and peer-reviewed paleontological literature.

Explore dinosaur data at dinofyi.com — browse dinosaurs, periods, classifications, fossil sites, and countries.

Table of Contents

• Install
• Quick Start
• What You Can Do
  • Dinosaur Classification
  • Geological Time Scale
  • Fossil Sites and Discovery
  • Geographic Distribution
  • Species Comparison
• Command-Line Interface
• MCP Server (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf)
• REST API Client
• API Reference
• Learn More About Dinosaurs
• Nature FYI Family
• FYIPedia Developer Tools
• License

Install

pip install dinofyi                # Core (zero deps)
pip install "dinofyi[cli]"         # + Command-line interface (typer, rich)
pip install "dinofyi[mcp]"         # + MCP server for AI assistants
pip install "dinofyi[api]"         # + HTTP client for dinofyi.com API
pip install "dinofyi[all]"         # Everything

Or run instantly without installing:

uvx --from dinofyi dinofyi search "tyrannosaurus"

Quick Start

from dinofyi.api import DinoFYI

with DinoFYI() as api:
    # Search across all dinosaur species
    results = api.search("velociraptor")
    print(results)

    # Get detailed information for a specific dinosaur
    dino = api.get_dinosaur("tyrannosaurus-rex")
    print(dino["name"])  # Tyrannosaurus rex

    # Browse geological periods — 15 periods of the Mesozoic
    periods = api.list_periods()
    print(periods["count"])  # 15

    # Explore fossil sites across 198 countries
    sites = api.list_sites()
    print(sites["count"])

What You Can Do

Dinosaur Classification

Dinosaurs are classified within the clade Dinosauria, first defined by Richard Owen in 1842. The fundamental split separates dinosaurs into two major orders based on hip structure — a distinction proposed by Harry Seeley in 1888 that remains central to dinosaur taxonomy today.

Order	Hip Structure	Major Groups	Examples
Saurischia (lizard-hipped)	Pubis points forward	Theropoda, Sauropodomorpha	T. rex, Brachiosaurus, Velociraptor
Ornithischia (bird-hipped)	Pubis points backward	Thyreophora, Ornithopoda, Marginocephalia	Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Iguanodon

Within these two orders, dinosaurs diversify into numerous families and clades:

Clade	Description	Notable Members
Theropoda	Bipedal carnivores (ancestors of birds)	Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus, Spinosaurus
Sauropodomorpha	Long-necked herbivores, largest land animals	Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, Argentinosaurus
Thyreophora	Armored dinosaurs	Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus
Ornithopoda	Beaked herbivores, often bipedal	Iguanodon, Parasaurolophus
Marginocephalia	Horned and dome-headed dinosaurs	Triceratops, Pachycephalosaurus

from dinofyi.api import DinoFYI

with DinoFYI() as api:
    # Browse dinosaur classifications
    classifications = api.list_classifications()
    for cls in classifications["results"][:5]:
        print(f"{cls['name']}")

    # Get details for a specific classification
    theropod = api.get_classification("theropoda")
    print(theropod["name"])  # Theropoda

Learn more: Dinosaur Encyclopedia · Classifications · Paleontology Glossary

Geological Time Scale

Dinosaurs dominated Earth for approximately 165 million years during the Mesozoic Era (252-66 Ma), which is divided into three periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Each period saw different dinosaur faunas, climate conditions, and continental configurations.

Period	Time (Ma)	Climate	Dominant Dinosaurs
Late Triassic	237-201	Hot, arid interior	Early theropods (Coelophysis), prosauropods
Early Jurassic	201-174	Warming, humid	Dilophosaurus, early sauropods
Middle Jurassic	174-163	Warm, tropical	Megalosaurus, early stegosaurs
Late Jurassic	163-145	Warm, seasonal	Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Diplodocus
Early Cretaceous	145-100	Cooling then warming	Iguanodon, Spinosaurus, flowering plants emerge
Late Cretaceous	100-66	Warm, high sea levels	T. rex, Triceratops, Velociraptor

The Mesozoic ended with the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event (66 Ma), caused by an asteroid impact at Chicxulub, Mexico, wiping out all non-avian dinosaurs.

from dinofyi.api import DinoFYI

with DinoFYI() as api:
    # Browse all 15 geological periods
    periods = api.list_periods()
    for p in periods["results"][:5]:
        print(f"{p['name']}")

    # Get details for a specific period
    cretaceous = api.get_period("late-cretaceous")
    print(cretaceous["name"])  # Late Cretaceous

Learn more: Geological Periods · Guides

Fossil Sites and Discovery

Dinosaur fossils have been discovered on every continent, including Antarctica. The history of paleontological discovery spans from the first scientific description of Megalosaurus by William Buckland in 1824 to modern CT-scanning and molecular analysis techniques. DinoFYI catalogs fossil sites with their geographic coordinates, geological formation, and associated species.

Formation	Location	Notable Finds
Hell Creek	Montana, USA	T. rex, Triceratops, Edmontosaurus
Morrison	Western USA	Allosaurus, Diplodocus, Stegosaurus
Ischigualasto	Argentina	Eoraptor, Herrerasaurus (oldest dinosaurs)
Djadochta	Mongolia	Velociraptor, Protoceratops, Oviraptor
Solnhofen	Germany	Archaeopteryx (earliest known bird)
Yixian	China	Feathered dinosaurs (Sinosauropteryx, Microraptor)

from dinofyi.api import DinoFYI

with DinoFYI() as api:
    # Browse fossil sites worldwide
    sites = api.list_sites()
    for s in sites["results"][:5]:
        print(s["name"])

    # Get details for a specific fossil site
    site = api.get_site("hell-creek-formation")
    print(site["name"])  # Hell Creek Formation

Learn more: Fossil Sites · Glossary

Geographic Distribution

Dinosaur fossils have been found in 198 countries, reflecting the changing geography of Earth during the Mesozoic. Pangaea was breaking apart throughout the age of dinosaurs — Laurasia (north) and Gondwana (south) separated in the Jurassic, leading to increasing endemism in the Cretaceous.

from dinofyi.api import DinoFYI

with DinoFYI() as api:
    # Browse countries with dinosaur fossil discoveries
    countries = api.list_countries()
    print(countries["count"])  # 198 countries

    # Get fossil data for a specific country
    mongolia = api.get_country("mongolia")
    print(mongolia["name"])  # Mongolia — rich Cretaceous fossil beds

Learn more: Countries · Guides

Species Comparison

DinoFYI provides detailed comparisons between similar or frequently confused dinosaur species, covering size, diet, temporal range, geographic overlap, and distinguishing features.

from dinofyi.api import DinoFYI

with DinoFYI() as api:
    # Browse dinosaur comparisons
    comparisons = api.list_comparisons()
    for comp in comparisons["results"][:3]:
        print(comp["name"])

    # Compare two specific dinosaurs
    comp = api.get_comparison("t-rex-vs-spinosaurus")
    print(comp["name"])  # T. rex vs Spinosaurus

Learn more: Dinosaur Comparisons · Guides

Command-Line Interface

pip install "dinofyi[cli]"

dinofyi search "stegosaurus"     # Search across all dinosaur species

MCP Server (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf)

Add dinosaur data to any AI assistant that supports Model Context Protocol.

pip install "dinofyi[mcp]"

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "dinofyi": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": ["--from", "dinofyi[mcp]", "python", "-m", "dinofyi.mcp_server"]
        }
    }
}

REST API Client

from dinofyi.api import DinoFYI

with DinoFYI() as api:
    dinos = api.list_dinosaurs()          # Browse all 6,142 dinosaurs
    periods = api.list_periods()          # Browse 15 geological periods
    sites = api.list_sites()              # Browse fossil sites
    results = api.search("raptor")        # Full-text search

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/v1/dinosaurs/	List all dinosaurs
GET	/api/v1/dinosaurs/{slug}/	Dinosaur detail
GET	/api/v1/periods/	List geological periods
GET	/api/v1/periods/{slug}/	Period detail
GET	/api/v1/classifications/	List classifications
GET	/api/v1/classifications/{slug}/	Classification detail
GET	/api/v1/sites/	List fossil sites
GET	/api/v1/sites/{slug}/	Site detail
GET	/api/v1/countries/	List countries
GET	/api/v1/comparisons/	List comparisons
GET	/api/v1/glossary/	List glossary terms
GET	/api/v1/guides/	List guides
GET	/api/v1/search/?q={query}	Search across all content

curl -s "https://dinofyi.com/api/v1/dinosaurs/?limit=3"

Full API documentation at dinofyi.com/developers/. OpenAPI 3.1.0 spec: dinofyi.com/api/openapi.json.

API Reference

Function	Description
DinoFYI()	Create API client (base_url, timeout)
list_dinosaurs(**params)	List all dinosaur species
get_dinosaur(slug)	Get dinosaur detail
list_periods(**params)	List geological periods
get_period(slug)	Get period detail
list_classifications(**params)	List classifications
get_classification(slug)	Get classification detail
list_sites(**params)	List fossil sites
get_site(slug)	Get site detail
list_countries(**params)	List countries
list_comparisons(**params)	List comparisons
list_glossary(**params)	List glossary terms
list_guides(**params)	List guides
search(query)	Search across all content

Learn More About Dinosaurs

• Browse: Dinosaur Encyclopedia · Classifications · Geological Periods
• Reference: Fossil Sites · Countries
• Guides: Glossary · Guides
• API: REST API Docs · OpenAPI Spec

Nature FYI Family

Part of the FYIPedia open-source developer tools ecosystem — living organisms, wildlife, and natural history.

Package	PyPI	Description
speciesfyi	PyPI	49,112 species, 17,982 taxa, 846 ecoregions — speciesfyi.com
birdfyi	PyPI	11,251 birds, 40 orders, 258 families — birdfyi.com
fishfyi	PyPI	78 fish species, 48 orders, 188 families — fishfyi.com
plantfyi	PyPI	379,774 plants, 734 families, 50 orders — plantfyi.com
dinofyi	PyPI	6,142 dinosaurs, 15 periods, 198 countries — dinofyi.com

FYIPedia Developer Tools

Package	PyPI	npm	Description
colorfyi	PyPI	npm	Color conversion, WCAG contrast, harmonies — colorfyi.com
emojifyi	PyPI	npm	Emoji encoding & metadata for 3,953 emojis — emojifyi.com
symbolfyi	PyPI	npm	Symbol encoding in 11 formats — symbolfyi.com
unicodefyi	PyPI	npm	Unicode lookup with 17 encodings — unicodefyi.com
fontfyi	PyPI	npm	Google Fonts metadata & CSS — fontfyi.com
dinofyi	PyPI	—	Dinosaur paleontology & fossil record — dinofyi.com
speciesfyi	PyPI	—	Species taxonomy & biodiversity — speciesfyi.com
birdfyi	PyPI	—	Bird species encyclopedia — birdfyi.com
fishfyi	PyPI	—	Fish species & marine biology — fishfyi.com
plantfyi	PyPI	—	Plant taxonomy & cultivation — plantfyi.com

License

MIT