From BonesFrom Bones in a Box... in a Box... ...to Heroes...to Heroes in Hollywood! in Hollywood!

(Source: http://www.mwc.mus.co.us/dinosaurs)

Dinosaur Valley Museum paleontologist Dinosaur Valley Museum paleontologist studying recently-discovered sauropod studying recently-discovered sauropod braincase.braincase.

The Importance Of BonesThe Importance Of Bones

Exposed bones on the surface at the Big Bend dig siteExposed bones on the surface at the Big Bend dig site

The Bone ControversyThe Bone Controversy

Pieces of the hip bone from the Tyrannosaurus rex named "Sue" lie unassembled at Chicago's Field Museum shortly after they were delivered from Sotheby's auction house, where the museum purchased them for $8.4 million.

(Source: http://www.discovery.com/area/discovery news/news971107/news1.html)

Removing the BonesRemoving the Bones

UT-Dallas staff UT-Dallas staff carrying bones out of carrying bones out of the desertthe desert

UT-Dallas staff UT-Dallas staff documenting documenting

bones in Big Bendbones in Big Bend

Some bones Some bones require cranes require cranes and trucks to and trucks to move themmove them(Source:http://www.lights.com/fossil)

The Paleontology LabThe Paleontology Lab

(Source: http://tyrrell.magtech.ab.ca/tour/preplab.html)

Collections area Collections area and bones from and bones from the Dalton the Dalton Wells Dinosaur Wells Dinosaur Quarry in Utah.Quarry in Utah.(Source: http://www.mwc.mus.co.us/dinosaurs)

Staff carefully Staff carefully removing removing

fossils from fossils from large blocks of large blocks of

rock.rock.

Windows to the Prep Lab let you watch preparators work.Windows to the Prep Lab let you watch preparators work.

Preparing the BonesPreparing the Bones

Tools are adapted from many professions.Tools are adapted from many professions.

A young volunteer A young volunteer carefully removes carefully removes rock from a 50-rock from a 50-million-year-old fish million-year-old fish skeleton.skeleton.

(Source: http://www.mwc.mus.co.us/dinosaurs)

Skeleton ReconstructionSkeleton Reconstruction(Source: http://www.mwc.mus.co.us/dinosaurs)

Aligning sauropod vertebraeAligning sauropod vertebrae

Measuring sauropod Measuring sauropod limb bones limb bones

Reconstructed dinosaur Reconstructed dinosaur skeletons on display at skeletons on display at

the Smithsonian Museumthe Smithsonian Museum

(Source: http://www.nmnh.si.edu)

Developing The StoryDeveloping The Story

Artist’s idea of how the Late Artist’s idea of how the Late Cretaceous might have looked.Cretaceous might have looked.

Bones from the Big Bend site were Bones from the Big Bend site were deposited in an ancient riverbed.deposited in an ancient riverbed.

(Source: http://www.nmnh.si.edu)

Life-sized reconstruction of T. Life-sized reconstruction of T. rex’s left hind leg with foot rex’s left hind leg with foot

skeleton.skeleton.

(Source: http://www.mwc.mus.co.us/dinosaurs)

Plant/Animal FossilsPlant/Animal FossilsSandstone slab Sandstone slab with more than 520 with more than 520 fresh-water herring fresh-water herring from Green River from Green River Fm.Fm.

Petrified trees are also found Petrified trees are also found at the Big Bend dig site.at the Big Bend dig site.

(Source: http:// www.mwc.mus.co.us/dinosaurs)

Turtle fossil from Turtle fossil from Green River Fm.Green River Fm.

TracksTracks

This theropod track is in the Morrison Formation (Jurassic) of eastern Utah. Notice the greater depth of the track in the toe region, which suggests a horizontal posture for the dinosaur while it was walking.

(Source: http://www.nmmnh-abq.mus.nm.us/nmmnh/footprints.html)

Iguanodont track, left, Iguanodont track, left, compared to a meat-compared to a meat-

eating dinosaur track.eating dinosaur track.

(Source: http://www.emory.edu/GEOSCIENCE/HTML/dinotracks.htm)

Trackway with 2 sets of prints: Iguanadon and Megolasaurus.(Source: http://www.stone.uk.com/dinos/)

TeethmarksTeethmarksTyrannosaurus rex skull from the American Tyrannosaurus rex skull from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. It is Museum of Natural History in New York. It is an exact replica of one of the best-preserved an exact replica of one of the best-preserved T. rex skulls ever found, and one can see T. rex skulls ever found, and one can see there again the large carnivore teeth. there again the large carnivore teeth.

(Source: http://www.emory.edu/ GEOSCIENCE/HTML/dinotooth.htm)

The end of this limb bone from Apatosaurus has parallel toothmarks on it. The spacing of the tooth marks, as well as the individual marks themselves, help to identify what dinosaur was feeding on this apatosaur.

GastrolithsGastroliths

(Source: http://www.emory.edu/GEOSCIENCE/HTML/dinogastro.htm)

These could be gastroliths, or they could be just polished stones. One of the major criteria for suspecting gastroliths in this case is that these specimens were found in Mesozoic rocks that were known to contain dinosaurs. Specimens are in the Museum of Western Colorado's Dinosaur Valley, Grand Junction, Colorado.

CoprolitesCoprolites

This coprolite is most likely from a sauropod, owing mainly to its large size (about 40 cm diameter), and age (Jurassic); it is from the Morrison Formation in eastern Utah and the specimen was in the Löwentor Museum of Stuttgart, Germany. Individual dinosaur coprolites actually can be quite small (< 10 cm length) compared to the body size of the tracemakers. For example, modern mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and elks (Cervus canadensis) of North America, animals that can weigh more than 100 kg but leave many individual pellets less than 1 cm in diameter.

(Source: http://www.emory.edu/GEOSCIENCE/HTML/Dinocopro.htm)

Eggs & NestsEggs & Nests

One of the more spectacular dinosaur fossil finds of recent years was of a Late Cretaceous specimen of Oviraptor that was found in a sitting position directly over its nest. This find, a wonderful combination of trace fossils and a body fossil, represents one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for brooding behavior in dinosaurs. This fossil find is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and was illustrated in a National Geographic article.

(Source: http://www.emory.edu/GEOSCIENCE/HTML/dinoeggs.htm)

SkinSkin

(Source: http:// www.mwc.mus.co.us/dinosaurs)

This model at Dinosaur Valley provides This model at Dinosaur Valley provides an idea of how dinosaurs might an idea of how dinosaurs might

have looked.have looked.

(Source: McGowan, p. 23)

A natural cast of the skin of a A natural cast of the skin of a hadrosaurian dinosaur, preserved hadrosaurian dinosaur, preserved in sandstone. The skin had a in sandstone. The skin had a pebbled structure and was devoid pebbled structure and was devoid of scales.of scales.

Artistic RenditionArtistic Rendition

““The World of Dinosaurs” The World of Dinosaurs”

Commemorative StampsCommemorative Stamps

(Source: www.mwc.mus.co.us/ dinosaurs/firstday.htm)

Sketch of AllosaurusSketch of Allosaurus

(Source: www.mwc.mus.co.us/ dinosaurs/gallery.htm)

Animated ModelsAnimated ModelsFull-sized Tyrannosarus rex head, purchased from the Dynamation company which makes robotic dinosaurs. The skin, and the color, of course, are an artistic and scientific guess.

Fully robotic Allosaurus Fragilis created for the McKinley Museum of Science and History in Ohio. Cut-away shows inner workings of pneumatic system. (Source: www.panix.com/~spoerri)

(Source: www.bcc. hawaii.edu/dinos)

Famous DinosaursFamous Dinosaurs

(Source: www.pathfinder.com/ altculture/aentries/g/godzilla.html)

(Source: www.tbssuperstation.com)

(Source: www.dinosaur.org/Gertie6.htm)

GodzillaGodzilla

GertieGertie

DinoDino

Barney & CompanyBarney & Company

Jurassic ParkJurassic Park

Dinosaur MythsDinosaur Myths Dinosaurs represent failure & extinction.Dinosaurs represent failure & extinction. Dinosaurs and “humans” coexisted.Dinosaurs and “humans” coexisted. Dinosaurs were either all hot-blooded or all cold-blooded.Dinosaurs were either all hot-blooded or all cold-blooded. The word dinosaur means “terrible-lizard”.The word dinosaur means “terrible-lizard”. Whatever you read in the latest “dinosaur book” must be Whatever you read in the latest “dinosaur book” must be

true.true. Dinosaurs all lived and died at the same time.Dinosaurs all lived and died at the same time. Mammals arose after the dinosaurs, and helped drive the Mammals arose after the dinosaurs, and helped drive the

dinosaurs into extinction by eating dinosaur eggs.dinosaurs into extinction by eating dinosaur eggs. An asteroid (or comet) killed the dinosaurs.An asteroid (or comet) killed the dinosaurs. All big reptiles from the prehistoric past [“Monsters”] are All big reptiles from the prehistoric past [“Monsters”] are

dinosaurs.dinosaurs. Archaeologists dig up dinosaurs.Archaeologists dig up dinosaurs.

New DiscoveriesNew Discoveries

(Source: http://www.discovery.com/area/ discoverynews/news1.html)

Zhangheotherium quinquecuspidens is a symmetrodont mammal that lived about 120 to 140 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era. This nearly complete skeleton offers the first glimpse of what these animals looked like and what ecological role they played in a world dominated by dinosaurs. (Photo: Dr. Zhexi Luo)

UT-Dallas crews will continue to explore the Big Bend area and discover new fossil finds.