Thursday, April 7, 2011

Digging Up Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs are abundant in Montana.  Paleontologists are still recovering them, and learning about them.   Jack Horner is one of the worlds foremost authorities on dinosaurs.  He was born in Shelby, MT and works closely with the folks at the "Museum of the Rockies". The Bozeman museum has recently opened the "Hall of Giants".

Walt Disney said," When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do."  "Montana Dinosaur Trail" is a map showing 15 museums that have their own paleontology section.  Many of the artifacts have been found in Montana.  Perhaps it will spark your curiosity.

There are also a few living creatures whose direct ancestors lived during the dinosaur age.  There are about 26 species of sturgeon in the world today, some are found in Montana rivers. Fossil records of sturgeon date back 200 million years.  They can live to be over 100 years old.  The Pallid Sturgeon can weigh 60 pounds and is very rare.  Sturgeons are classified as at risk of extinction.

Montana is one of 23 states that are home to another interesting creature that time forgot - the "Paddlefish".  They have looked the same for over 60 million years, only two species have survived. They are Montana's largest fish and are related to the Sturgeon.



Dinosaur Resources

Judith River Dinosaur Institute  http://www.montanadinosaurdigs.com

Makoshika Dinosaur Museum  http://www.makoshika.com    http://www.paleokids.com

Museum of the Rockies http://www.montana.edu/wwwmor

Timescale Adventures  http://www.timescale.org



3 comments:

  1. This is a great piece, & I liked the way you wove the background information into it along with the extra info about the fish. Students from my school have traveled to Montana to study fossils & dinosaurs, although my class never did. Our loss.

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  2. I have been fascinated with dinosaurs since I was about 8. There were a lot in Bucks County, Pa where I used to live. It was so exciting to actually watch a dig.
    I have missed you thank you for stopping by.

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  3. This morning the blog Free Technology for Teachers has some great dinosaur resources

    http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/04/5-good-resources-for-learning-and.html

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