Imagine being Elmer Riggs in 1900 and uncovering a skeleton that would eventually be the first documented find of a brachiosaurus. He had to figure out how the bones all fit together and how the dinosaur moved using his knowledge of anatomy. (It’s not like he could just walk outside and observe a living brachiosaur in action.) He claimed that the brachiosaur was a land creature, but the scientists of the day argued that it was aquatic. His claim wasn’t validated until the 1970’s, a decade after he died (Side note: growing up I had some older books that weren’t updated and I can still remember pictures of brachiosaurs needing to stay in water just to move.)
You’ll be finding information about paleontology – and, specifically, dinosaurs – to get ready for your fossil dig later this week.
The first site that you will be using is Enchanted Learning. The link takes you to the table of contents where you can find links to the other Enchanted Learning pages.
The 93 Dinosaur Information Pages will be where you read about your assigned dinosaurs.
When you’re done, check out the Smithsonian’s dig site. It has a collection of minigames that simulate an actual fossil find.
