Dinosaurs What is a dinosaur? How do we know about them?
Feb 24, 2016
Dinosaurs
What is a dinosaur?How do we know about them?
FOSSILSDinosaurs
What are fossils?
Fossils are the petrified remains of ancient objects.Petrified – means turned to stone.Ancient – means very, very old.
PETRIFIED FOSSILThe Field Museum in Chicago displays
a fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
What kinds of things make fossils?
Fossils can be of animals, plants, or other objects.Most of the time we think of dinosaurs when we hear the word fossil.
Fossils, big or small….
Fossils can be very large or very smallScientists even have found fossilized dinosaur teeth and claws!
How are fossils made?
1. SedimentAn animal is buried by sediment, such as volcanic ash or silt, shortly after it dies. Its bones are protected from rotting by the layer of sediment.
4. ErosionErosion from rain, rivers, and wind wears away the remaining rock layers. Eventually, erosion or people digging for fossils will expose the preserved remains.
2. LayersMore sediment layers accumulate above the animal’s remains, and minerals, such as silica (a compound of silicon and oxygen), slowly replace the calcium phosphate in the bones.
3. MovementMovement of tectonic plates, or giant rock slabs that make up Earth’s surface, lifts up the sediments and pushes the fossil closer to the surface.
Five kinds of fossils:
PetrifiedFossils
Molds andCasts
CarbonFilms
TraceFossils
PreservedRemains
Why are fossils important?
A paleontologist is a scientist who digs up fossils, puts the bones together and tries to figure out what type of animal it used to be. Fossils give clues about organisms that
lived long ago. They help to show that evolution has occurred.
They also provide evidence about how Earth’s surface has changed over time.
Fossils help scientists understand what past environments may have been like.
Let’s Make a Fossil!
We are going to make mold and trace fossils1. Flatten a ball of clay
on manila paper2. Press objects lightly
into the clayAfter the clay is fired in the kiln, we will paint it to make it look ancient and weathered!
WHAT TYPES OF DINOSAURS WERE THERE?
Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago! Mesozoic Era
Triassic Period (245-208 million years ago) Jurassic Period (208-145 million years ago) Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago)
Dinosaurs could be: Herbivores: vegetarian; eats plants Carnivores: eats meat
TYRANNOSAURUS
“Tyrant Lizard”7” teeth23’ tall, 50’ long16,000 lbs.Could run at 30 MPHCould lift 450 lbs.CarnivoreFound in North American and Asia
STEGOSAURUS
“Roof Lizard”Herbivore14’ tall, 28’ long6,000 lbs.Found in western North America
ANKYLOSAURUS
“Fused Lizard”Herbivore11’ tall, 35” long10,000 lbs.Tail was used as a weapon against predatorsFound in North America
BACTROSAURUSPronunciation: BAK-truh-SAWR-us Translation: Bactrian LizardAlso known as:Description: Herbivore, BipedalOrder: OrnithischiaSuborder: OrnithopodaInfraorder: IguanodontiaFamily: HadrosauridaeHeight: 8 feet (2.4 meters) Length: 20 feet (6.1 meters) Weight: Period: Late Cretaceous
Notes: Bactrosaurus is one of the earliest known duck-billed hadrosaurs. It had fewer teeth than did later hadrosaurs. It lived in what is now Mongolia.
BAGACERATOPSPronunciation: bag-uh-SAIR-uh-tops Translation: Small Horned FaceAlso known as: Description: Herbivore, QuadrupedalOrder: OrnithischiaSuborder: MarginocephaliaInfraorder: CeratopsiaMicro-order NeoceratopsiaFamily: ProtoceratopsidaeHeight: 12 inches (0.3 meters)Length: 36 inches (0.9 meters)Weight: 7 pounds (3.2 kg) Period: Late Cretaceous
Notes: Discovered in the Gobi desert of Mongolia, Bagaceratops was a small, primitive ceratopsian. It had a very small horn on its nose and its neck was protected by a very short frill. Glossary In Asia, the protoceratopsians were prevalent during the Late Cretaceous, while no certain neoceratopsians are known, whereas at the same time in North America, the neoceratopsians were more prevalent and only a few protoceratopsians have been discovered.
BAHARIASAURUSPronunciation: buh-HAR-ee-uh-SAWR-us Translation: Baharije LizardAlso known as:Description: Carnivore, BipedalOrder: SaurischiaSuborder: TheropodaInfraorder: TetanuraeMicro-order: CarnosauriaHeight: Length:Weight: Period: Cretaceous
Notes: The name was given to fragmentary remains found in Egypt. It was probably similar to Megalosaurus.No further study of Bahariasaurus is possible until new specimens are identified, for its remains were destroyed in the World War II bombing of Stuttgart, Germany.
BARAPASAURUSPronunciation: buh-RAP-puh-SAWR-us Translation: Big Leg Lizard Also known as: Description: Herbivore, Quadrupedal Order: SaurischiaSuborder: SauropodomorphaInfraorder: SauropodaFamily: VulcanodontidaeHeight: 25 feet (7.6 meters) Length: 60 feet (18.3 meters)Weight:Period: Early Jurassic
Notes: Known from parts of over 300 individual specimens found in India yet no skulls have been recovered. Barapasaurus is the oldest known sauropod certain to have been a sauropod, however; Vulcanodon may be older. While Barapasaurus gathered in herds, as did many sauropods, it differed in that it had comparatively slender legs.
BAROSAURUSPronunciation: BARE-uh-SAWR-us Translation: Heavy LizardAlso known as: Description: Herbivore, QuadrupedalOrder: SaurischiaSuborder: SauropodomorphaInfraorder: SauropodaFamily: DiplodocidaeHeight: 40 feet (12.2 meters) Length: 79 feet (24.1 meters)Weight: 50,000 pounds (22,680 kg)Period: Late Jurassic
Notes: Barosaurus is a relatively rare sauropod. The first dinosaur to be found in the Black Hills of South Dakota, its remains have also been found in East Africa suggesting the connection of the modern African and North American continents during Late Jurassic times. The neck of Barosaurus was 30 feet long, longer than its closest relative, the whip-tailed giant Diplodocus but its tail was shorter and its hind limbs stockier. Gastroliths were discovered among its the bones, indicating that at least some dinosaurs swallowed stones to grind the food they consumed.
BARYONYXPronunciation: bare-ee-ON-iks Translation: Heavy ClawAlso known as:Description: Carnivore, Bipedal, semi QuadrupedalOrder: SaurischiaSuborder: TheropodaFamily: Height: 6 feet (1.8 meters) Length: 30 feet (9.1 meters)Weight: 4,000 lbs (1,814 kg)Period: Early Cretaceous
Notes: Discovered in southern England, Baronyx had a huge curved claw over 12 inches (30-cm) in length on each hand. Its long narrow jaws were equipped with small pointed teeth, twice as many as a theropod would normally have, which leads many to think that Baryonyx was a fisher. It might have waded in shallow water to spear fish with its claws.
BELLUSAURUSPronunciation: BEL-uh-SAWR-us Translation: Beautiful lizard Also known as:Description: Herbivore, QuadrupedalOrder: SaurischiaSuborder: SauropodomorphaInfraorder: SauropodaFamily: Cetiosauridae (not confirmed) Height: Length: 16.4 feet (5 meters) Weight: Period: Middle Jurassic
Notes: Sauropod skulls were small and light-boned, and finds are rare, but a complete Bellusaurus skull exists, showing that this very small sauropod had a deep head with a sloping face. There is a possibility that all Bellusaurus finds may be juveniles, hence their small size.
BOTHRIOSPONDYLUSPronunciation: bah-three-uh-SPON-dih-lus Translation: Excavated VertebraeAlso known as: MarmarospondylusDescription: Herbivore, QuadrupedalOrder: SaurischiaSuborder: SauropodomorphaInfraorder: SauropodaFamily: BrachiosauridaeHeight: 35 feet (10.7 meters)Length: 66 feet (20.1 meters) Weight: Period: Late Jurassic
Notes: Bothriospondylus is known from fragmentary remains discovered in Western Europe and Madagascar. This sauropod had large teeth and a long tail. Its forelegs were approximately as long as its hind legs.
BRACHIOSAURUS
“Arm Lizard”Herbivore50’ tall, 100’ long120,000 lbs.Complete skeleton fossil found in Tanzania
TRICERATOPS
Three-Horned Face”Herbivore9.5’ tall, 26’ long14,000 lbs.Found in North America
Fossils of Dinosaur Skin
Fossils of Dinosaur Skin
ExtinctionNo one knows for sure what caused the dinosaurs to go extinct, or die Starvation A meteor Climate change
Some animals did survive though! Alligators and crocodiles Mosquitoes Sharks Turtles Frogs
Let’s Draw Dinosaur Texture!Choose a dinosaur to draw a close-up view of!Draw the texture on the dinosaur skin using line and shapeColor neatly!
I Can……draw texture…draw a dinosaur…color neatly
WHAT DID THE EARTH LOOK LIKE TO DINOSAURS?
Dinosaurs
Pangea
The world looked A LOT different when the dinosaurs roamed the earthThe earth is constantly changing, as it has been around for millions of years Continental drift has caused the continents we
have today When the dinosaurs roamed the earth, there was
only one continent, Pangea
The Environment
Earth was a lot warmer!No grass! Only ferns covered the ground!No winter! Average global temperature: 50-60 degrees
There were: Deserts Forests Tropical areas
The Environment
There were: Volcanoes Mountains Tropical trees Forests Deserts Fields Lakes Ponds
Dinosaur World
Create a drawing of a dinosaur world Draw an appropriate
environment Draw 3 dinosaurs Draw good texture on their skin Show depth
Draw with pencil firstOutline with black markerColor with crayons
I can… Draw a dinosaur Draw texture Create depth in my
artwork Describe the world
when dinosaurs lived