Part I. Vertebrate Skeleton: Caudal Vertebrae (Tail)
Exercise 1. Jack Horner is taking living descendants of the dinosaur (chickens) and genetically engineering them to reactivate ancestral traits (including teeth, tails, and hands) to make a "Chickenosaurus.” Watch his Tedx Talk:
“Building a Dinosaur From A Chicken”
and answer the following questions. Link:
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/building-a-dinosaur-from-a-chicken-jack-horner
1. What major motion picture did Jack Horner serve as a technical advisor?
2. What major theory did Jack and his team confirm as a result of their findings?
3. What's the problem with cloning dinosaurs using mosquitos?
4. What did Dr. Mary H. Schweitzer find in the thigh bone of the the Tyrannosaurus rex specimen and how did she find the blood vessels in the dinosaur bones?
5. Is a chicken a dinosaur? Explain.
6. What is an atavism, and how would paleontologists use it to study dinosaurs?
7. Grossi
et al.
(2014) tested the locomotion of a chicken with and without artificial tails. You can watch the short video
here. How does the locomotion of the chickens differ? What implications does this experiment provide to the research that Jack Horner discusses?
Part II. Excavation Stage II: Caudal Vertebrae
1.
In Excavation Stage II, you will annotate the image of the excavation site by using an image editor of your choosing (e.g.,
PowerPoint, Paint, Adobe Illustrator, etc) to create a site map.
a. Analyze the excavation site within the sandbox.
Approximate the scale of the sandbox in the provided image. In real life, the dimensions of the sandbox are 7 x 36 squares, with each square measuring 10 x 10 cm. Include a scale bar in the lower right corner with the scale ratio (e.g.,
1:10 cm, where 1 cm in the image = 10 cm in real life).
b. Be sure to make a note of the orientation of the excavated bones with respect to North. Use an arrow to label the direction of North in the top right corner of your image.
c. On your site map image, carefully number and label each bone in its proper place.
d. Take a screenshot of your annotated excavation site(s) and paste them here. Be sure to include a figure caption for each annotated image that states the region of the skeleton (e.g., Caudal Region)
2.
Next, use Excel to create a table for cataloging the bone numbers and identifications recovered during the excavation. This will be your
Bone Catalog. You will use this table to compile your notes for steps 2a-f, and will continue to update it throughout this project.
a. For each bone that you numbered on the image, identify it (to the best of your ability) in the column labeled “Bone Identification.”
b. The ventral bones beneath the main portion of this dinosaur are called
chevrons.
What are the functions of chevrons? What do you notice about the shape/size of the chevrons from anterior to posterior of the dinosaur?
c. You should take some measurements (length, width,
etc.) of some of the vertebrae (you don’t have to do all of them! Just choose a distal, medial and proximal vertebrae from the tail).
Be sure to calculate the true size of these bones by using your scale (Each square on the grid is 10x10cm!) This will allow you to compare the size of the mystery dinosaur to the sizes of other dinosaurs to either confirm or refute your taxonomic identification. Record these in the column labeled “Measurements.”
How does the size of the vertebrae change from the proximal to distal end of the tail?
d. Carefully examine the taphonomic condition of each bone. Is it crushed, fragmented, or whole? Are the articulation sites preserved? Record these notes in the column labeled “Taphonomic Condition.”
e. Take the time to examine the bones. Identify which region of the skeleton that these bones represent (e.g.,
Caudal Region). Record this is the column labeled “Skeletal Region.”
Can you tell whether this tail is flexible or not? Explain.
f. You can add new columns for information that you want to keep track throughout this project. Otherwise, if you have any other notes, then you can include them in the column labeled “Other Notes.”
e. Copy and paste your completed Excel Bone Catalog here. You may need to resize your table.
3. It is probably time to start thinking about what kind of animal you are reconstructing. If you should have any thoughts regarding the animal’s posture, height, speed, diet,
etc. What interpretations are you able to make based on Excavation Stage I and Excavation Stage II?
4. Organic or biogenic sedimentary structures are trace fossils. Trace fossils, or
ichnofossils, are traces of living organisms (such as burrows, trackways, root marks, etc.) that have been preserved in the substrate and provide evidence for the type of depositional environment. In other words, certain trace fossils can only be preserved in a specific type of depositional environment. Thus, not only do trace fossils provide indirect evidence of an organism but also, they provide evidence for the environmental context of preservation. Identify the trace fossils included in the sandbox and use them to interpret the environment of deposition for the remains of the dinosaur. What do these tell you about organismal interactions surrounding the dinosaur?
Part III: Excavation Stage I - Stratigraphic Column II
Above the Dinosaur Bearing Horizon:
Uppermost sediments:
Lignites, mudstones, siltstones with
Caryapollenites
(1,2) and
Momipites
(3) pollen. These pollens are from the Hickory, Walnut tree family.
Lowermost sediments:
Sandstones, mudstones, siltstones with
Aquilapollenities
(A-F, scale=10 µm).
You will need to use the information provided in the ‘Stratigraphic Column’ to answer the following questions.
1. What is the importance of the fossils found in the horizon above the dinosaur?
2. Describe this horizon. What type of environment does it represent (e.g. terrestrial, marine, etc.)? Be as specific as possible and provide evidence for your conclusion?
3. List the species names of the organisms found in this horizon and make a species range chart, using the information from their FADs and LADs to constrain the age of the excavation site.
Hint: use the names of organisms to search for their geologic time ranges. Record that information in the chart below.
Then, graphically portray this information (y-axis: time interval (e.g. millions of years ago); x-axis: organism). You will want to update this chart each week when you analyze other portions of the stratigraphic column. Then, you can use your chart to constrain an age for the dinosaur.
Organism FAD Age (Ma) LAD Age (Ma)
A. ____________________________ _______________ _______________
B. ____________________________ _______________ _______________
C. ____________________________ ________________ _______________
Part I. Vertebrate Skeleton: Caudal Vertebrae (Tail)
Exercise 1. Jack Horner is taking living descendants of the dinosaur (chickens) and genetically engineering them to reactivate ancestral traits (including teeth, tails, and hands) to make a "Chickenosaurus.” Watch his Tedx Talk:
“Building a Dinosaur From A Chicken”
and answer the following questions. Link:
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/building-a-dinosaur-from-a-chicken-jack-horner
1. What major motion picture did Jack Horner serve as a technical advisor?
2. What major theory did Jack and his team confirm as a result of their findings?
3. What's the problem with cloning dinosaurs using mosquitos?
4. What did Dr. Mary H. Schweitzer find in the thigh bone of the the Tyrannosaurus rex specimen and how did she find the blood vessels in the dinosaur bones?
5. Is a chicken a dinosaur? Explain.
6. What is an atavism, and how would paleontologists use it to study dinosaurs?
7. Grossi
et al.
(2014) tested the locomotion of a chicken with and without artificial tails. You can watch the short video
here. How does the locomotion of the chickens differ? What implications does this experiment provide to the research that Jack Horner discusses?
Part II. Excavation Stage II: Caudal Vertebrae
1.
In Excavation Stage II, you will annotate the image of the excavation site by using an image editor of your choosing (e.g.,
PowerPoint, Paint, Adobe Illustrator, etc) to create a site map.
a. Analyze the excavation site within the sandbox.
Approximate the scale of the sandbox in the provided image. In real life, the dimensions of the sandbox are 7 x 36 squares, with each square measuring 10 x 10 cm. Include a scale bar in the lower right corner with the scale ratio (e.g.,
1:10 cm, where 1 cm in the image = 10 cm in real life).
b. Be sure to make a note of the orientation of the excavated bones with respect to North. Use an arrow to label the direction of North in the top right corner of your image.
c. On your site map image, carefully number and label each bone in its proper place.
d. Take a screenshot of your annotated excavation site(s) and paste them here. Be sure to include a figure caption for each annotated image that states the region of the skeleton (e.g., Caudal Region)
2.
Next, use Excel to create a table for cataloging the bone numbers and identifications recovered during the excavation. This will be your
Bone Catalog. You will use this table to compile your notes for steps 2a-f, and will continue to update it throughout this project.
a. For each bone that you numbered on the image, identify it (to the best of your ability) in the column labeled “Bone Identification.”
b. The ventral bones beneath the main portion of this dinosaur are called
chevrons.
What are the functions of chevrons? What do you notice about the shape/size of the chevrons from anterior to posterior of the dinosaur?
c. You should take some measurements (length, width,
etc.) of some of the vertebrae (you don’t have to do all of them! Just choose a distal, medial and proximal vertebrae from the tail).
Be sure to calculate the true size of these bones by using your scale (Each square on the grid is 10x10cm!) This will allow you to compare the size of the mystery dinosaur to the sizes of other dinosaurs to either confirm or refute your taxonomic identification. Record these in the column labeled “Measurements.”
How does the size of the vertebrae change from the proximal to distal end of the tail?
d. Carefully examine the taphonomic condition of each bone. Is it crushed, fragmented, or whole? Are the articulation sites preserved? Record these notes in the column labeled “Taphonomic Condition.”
e. Take the time to examine the bones. Identify which region of the skeleton that these bones represent (e.g.,
Caudal Region). Record this is the column labeled “Skeletal Region.”
Can you tell whether this tail is flexible or not? Explain.
f. You can add new columns for information that you want to keep track throughout this project. Otherwise, if you have any other notes, then you can include them in the column labeled “Other Notes.”
e. Copy and paste your completed Excel Bone Catalog here. You may need to resize your table.
3. It is probably time to start thinking about what kind of animal you are reconstructing. If you should have any thoughts regarding the animal’s posture, height, speed, diet,
etc. What interpretations are you able to make based on Excavation Stage I and Excavation Stage II?
4. Organic or biogenic sedimentary structures are trace fossils. Trace fossils, or
ichnofossils, are traces of living organisms (such as burrows, trackways, root marks, etc.) that have been preserved in the substrate and provide evidence for the type of depositional environment. In other words, certain trace fossils can only be preserved in a specific type of depositional environment. Thus, not only do trace fossils provide indirect evidence of an organism but also, they provide evidence for the environmental context of preservation. Identify the trace fossils included in the sandbox and use them to interpret the environment of deposition for the remains of the dinosaur. What do these tell you about organismal interactions surrounding the dinosaur?
Part III: Excavation Stage I - Stratigraphic Column II
Above the Dinosaur Bearing Horizon:
Uppermost sediments:
Lignites, mudstones, siltstones with
Caryapollenites
(1,2) and
Momipites
(3) pollen. These pollens are from the Hickory, Walnut tree family.
Lowermost sediments:
Sandstones, mudstones, siltstones with
Aquilapollenities
(A-F, scale=10 µm).
You will need to use the information provided in the ‘Stratigraphic Column’ to answer the following questions.
1. What is the importance of the fossils found in the horizon above the dinosaur?
2. Describe this horizon. What type of environment does it represent (e.g. terrestrial, marine, etc.)? Be as specific as possible and provide evidence for your conclusion?
3. List the species names of the organisms found in this horizon and make a species range chart, using the information from their FADs and LADs to constrain the age of the excavation site.
Hint: use the names of organisms to search for their geologic time ranges. Record that information in the chart below.
Then, graphically portray this information (y-axis: time interval (e.g. millions of years ago); x-axis: organism). You will want to update this chart each week when you analyze other portions of the stratigraphic column. Then, you can use your chart to constrain an age for the dinosaur.
Organism FAD Age (Ma) LAD Age (Ma)
A. ____________________________ _______________ _______________
B. ____________________________ _______________ _______________
C. ____________________________ ________________ _______________
Part I. Vertebrate Skeleton: Caudal Vertebrae (Tail)
Exercise 1. Jack Horner is taking living descendants of the dinosaur (chickens) and genetically engineering them to reactivate ancestral traits (including teeth, tails, and hands) to make a "Chickenosaurus.” Watch his Tedx Talk:
“Building a Dinosaur From A Chicken”
and answer the following questions. Link:
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/building-a-dinosaur-from-a-chicken-jack-horner
1. What major motion picture did Jack Horner serve as a technical advisor?
2. What major theory did Jack and his team confirm as a result of their findings?
3. What's the problem with cloning dinosaurs using mosquitos?
4. What did Dr. Mary H. Schweitzer find in the thigh bone of the the Tyrannosaurus rex specimen and how did she find the blood vessels in the dinosaur bones?
5. Is a chicken a dinosaur? Explain.
6. What is an atavism, and how would paleontologists use it to study dinosaurs?
7. Grossi
et al.
(2014) tested the locomotion of a chicken with and without artificial tails. You can watch the short video
here. How does the locomotion of the chickens differ? What implications does this experiment provide to the research that Jack Horner discusses?
Part II. Excavation Stage II: Caudal Vertebrae
1.
In Excavation Stage II, you will annotate the image of the excavation site by using an image editor of your choosing (e.g.,
PowerPoint, Paint, Adobe Illustrator, etc) to create a site map.
a. Analyze the excavation site within the sandbox.
Approximate the scale of the sandbox in the provided image. In real life, the dimensions of the sandbox are 7 x 36 squares, with each square measuring 10 x 10 cm. Include a scale bar in the lower right corner with the scale ratio (e.g.,
1:10 cm, where 1 cm in the image = 10 cm in real life).
b. Be sure to make a note of the orientation of the excavated bones with respect to North. Use an arrow to label the direction of North in the top right corner of your image.
c. On your site map image, carefully number and label each bone in its proper place.
d. Take a screenshot of your annotated excavation site(s) and paste them here. Be sure to include a figure caption for each annotated image that states the region of the skeleton (e.g., Caudal Region)
2.
Next, use Excel to create a table for cataloging the bone numbers and identifications recovered during the excavation. This will be your
Bone Catalog. You will use this table to compile your notes for steps 2a-f, and will continue to update it throughout this project.
a. For each bone that you numbered on the image, identify it (to the best of your ability) in the column labeled “Bone Identification.”
b. The ventral bones beneath the main portion of this dinosaur are called
chevrons.
What are the functions of chevrons? What do you notice about the shape/size of the chevrons from anterior to posterior of the dinosaur?
c. You should take some measurements (length, width,
etc.) of some of the vertebrae (you don’t have to do all of them! Just choose a distal, medial and proximal vertebrae from the tail).
Be sure to calculate the true size of these bones by using your scale (Each square on the grid is 10x10cm!) This will allow you to compare the size of the mystery dinosaur to the sizes of other dinosaurs to either confirm or refute your taxonomic identification. Record these in the column labeled “Measurements.”
How does the size of the vertebrae change from the proximal to distal end of the tail?
d. Carefully examine the taphonomic condition of each bone. Is it crushed, fragmented, or whole? Are the articulation sites preserved? Record these notes in the column labeled “Taphonomic Condition.”
e. Take the time to examine the bones. Identify which region of the skeleton that these bones represent (e.g.,
Caudal Region). Record this is the column labeled “Skeletal Region.”
Can you tell whether this tail is flexible or not? Explain.
f. You can add new columns for information that you want to keep track throughout this project. Otherwise, if you have any other notes, then you can include them in the column labeled “Other Notes.”
e. Copy and paste your completed Excel Bone Catalog here. You may need to resize your table.
3. It is probably time to start thinking about what kind of animal you are reconstructing. If you should have any thoughts regarding the animal’s posture, height, speed, diet,
etc. What interpretations are you able to make based on Excavation Stage I and Excavation Stage II?
4. Organic or biogenic sedimentary structures are trace fossils. Trace fossils, or
ichnofossils, are traces of living organisms (such as burrows, trackways, root marks, etc.) that have been preserved in the substrate and provide evidence for the type of depositional environment. In other words, certain trace fossils can only be preserved in a specific type of depositional environment. Thus, not only do trace fossils provide indirect evidence of an organism but also, they provide evidence for the environmental context of preservation. Identify the trace fossils included in the sandbox and use them to interpret the environment of deposition for the remains of the dinosaur. What do these tell you about organismal interactions surrounding the dinosaur?
Part III: Excavation Stage I - Stratigraphic Column II
Above the Dinosaur Bearing Horizon:
Uppermost sediments:
Lignites, mudstones, siltstones with
Caryapollenites
(1,2) and
Momipites
(3) pollen. These pollens are from the Hickory, Walnut tree family.
Lowermost sediments:
Sandstones, mudstones, siltstones with
Aquilapollenities
(A-F, scale=10 µm).
You will need to use the information provided in the ‘Stratigraphic Column’ to answer the following questions.
1. What is the importance of the fossils found in the horizon above the dinosaur?
2. Describe this horizon. What type of environment does it represent (e.g. terrestrial, marine, etc.)? Be as specific as possible and provide evidence for your conclusion?
3. List the species names of the organisms found in this horizon and make a species range chart, using the information from their FADs and LADs to constrain the age of the excavation site.
Hint: use the names of organisms to search for their geologic time ranges. Record that information in the chart below.
Then, graphically portray this information (y-axis: time interval (e.g. millions of years ago); x-axis: organism). You will want to update this chart each week when you analyze other portions of the stratigraphic column. Then, you can use your chart to constrain an age for the dinosaur.
Organism FAD Age (Ma) LAD Age (Ma)
A. ____________________________ _______________ _______________
B. ____________________________ _______________ _______________
C. ____________________________ ________________ _______________
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