Paleontologist Jack Horner, whose work has primarily been done in Montana, describes the lifestyle of the long-extinct dinosaurs. In 1978, Dr. Horner was looking for baby dinosaurs, which, until that time, had not been found in North America.
Some people in a rock shop had some small bones, but they didn’t know what they were. The led Dr. Horner to the location where the bones were found, and he discovered an entire nest of baby dinosaurs. Dr. Horner studies the legs of the babies and found they could not walk; therefore, the babies had to be cared for by their mother. This was a new discovery for scientists because they knew so little about the family life of dinosaurs. The first baby dinosaurs were found in Mongolia, where the baby dinosaur bones were thought to be those of baby dragons.
Paleontologists dig up fossils and try to determine the lifestyles of organisms. Sometimes there are problems digging up the fossils because the rocks in which they are embedded are harder than the bones. If paleontologists don’t find the whole skeleton, that is also a problem. Paleontologists and their staff make casts of the bones and then put the casts together. They see where the muscles fit, and then put a skin covering over the casts though no one knows what colors dinosaurs were. The result is a very lifelike creature that is probably very similar to a real dinosaur.
Dinosaurs are related to birds -- they share such characteristics as hollow bones and three-toed feet. Dinosaurs lived all over the world. No one knows why they became extinct. Learning all we can about dinosaurs is important because studying the plant Earth and its history is important. Dr. Horner was the technical adviser for the fictional movie Jurassic Park. His job was to ensure that the dinosaurs were as real as possible. He answered questions and made sure that the actors correctly pronounced the names of dinosaurs.
Produced at the SC State Museum.
Standards
- 8.E.5 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the processes that alter the structure of Earth and provide resources for life on the planet.
- 8.E.5A All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among Earth’s systems. Because Earth’s processes are dynamic and interactive in nature, the surface of Earth is constantly changing. Earth’s hot...
- 8.E.6 The student will demonstrate an understanding of Earth’s geologic history and its diversity of life over time.
- 8.E.6A The geologic time scale interpreted from rock strata provides a way to organize major historical events in Earth’s history. Analysis of rock strata and the fossil record, which documents the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of ...
- 8.E.6A.1 Develop and use models to organize Earth’s history (including era, period, and epoch) according to the geologic time scale using evidence from rock layers.
- 8.E.6A.2 Analyze and interpret data from index fossil records and the ordering of rock layers to infer the relative age of rocks and fossils.
- 8.E.6A.3 Construct explanations from evidence for how catastrophic events (including volcanic activities, earthquakes, climatic changes, and the impact of an asteroid/comet) may have affected the conditions on Earth and the diversity of its life forms.
- 8.E.6A.4 Construct and analyze scientific arguments to support claims that different types of fossils provide evidence of
- 8.E.6A.5 Construct explanations for why most individual organisms, as well as some entire taxonomic groups of organisms, that lived in the past were never fossilized.
- 8.E.6B Adaptation by natural selection acting over generations is one important process by which species change in response to changes in environmental conditions. The resources of biological communities can be used within sustainable limits, but if th...
- 8.E.6B.1 Construct explanations for how biological adaptations and genetic variations of traits in a population enhance the probability of survival in a particular environment.
- 8.E.6B.2 Obtain and communicate information to support claims that natural and human-made factors can contribute to the extinction of species.
- 8.E.6A The geologic time scale interpreted from rock strata provides a way to organize major historical events in Earth’s history. Analysis of rock strata and the fossil record, which documents the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of ...
