CyberBee Meets T-Rex and Other Dino Stories

Leapin' Lizards! CyberBee has time warped back over 65 million years to the Mesozoic Era known as the age of the dinosaurs. Aren't Jurassic Park, the Legend of the Loch Ness monster, and the original Lost World enough? Not for CyberBee. Tarpits, arid lands, and stream beds have been part of his itinerary to dig up theories on why dinosaurs disappeared, to learn about their habitats, to find out if scientists can recreate them from ancient DNA, and to answer why they resemble modern birds. Let's begin this adventure withCyberBee as he takes us to ground zero of modern paleontology.

HISTORY

Paper Dinosaurs
1824-1969

Highlighting this extraordinary exhibit is original source material from the collections of the Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, Missouri. The curators have gathered over 80 printed works about dinosaur discoveries and lore such as why one scientist called T-Rex Teddysaurus. You will learn about the pioneers, read their findings, and view over 136 impressive dinosaur drawings and images. Any student researching or investigating the history of paleontology will want to make a stop here.

Hadrosaurus foulkii

Visit Haddonfield, New Jersey, to view the area where the first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton was discovered in 1858 by William Parker Foulke. This single discovery changed scientific thinking about dinosaurs forever. As the focus shifted to newer finds and bigger bones, the importance of this event faded. It wasn't until 1984 when a local boy scout decided to reestablish the site as a community service project that Hadrosaurus foulkii received proper recognition. In 1994, it became a National Historic Site. An excellent, easy-to-understand history of the location is presented along with numerous photographs, drawings, and maps. A link to Fossils of New Jersey discusses the geologic history of the East Coast.

Dinosaur Eggs

For a unique perspective on dinosaur embryos, the National Geographic Society has prepared a virtual exhibit using sophisticated modeling and QuickTime Virtual Reality. First, embark on expeditions with the explorers who discovered nests and their contents. Next, learn about the painstaking method used to reach the embryo inside the fossilized rock. Then, examine and compare the realistic renderings created by Brian Cooly and transformed into QuickTime VR models. QuickTime Virtual Reality allows the viewer to see things in a panoramic dimension. In this case, you can use the mouse to rotate the eggs and see them from various angles. Manning's Egg and Baby Louie will truly amaze inquisitive students. Jump over to the museum area to find out more about mothers and babies, nesting habits, and resources. Be sure to read the "Dinosaur Eggs" article in the May 1996 issue of National Geographic magazine. It will make a great tie-in.

REFERENCE

Dinosaur Illustrations

The best dinosaur art posted on the Internet has been gathered together into a compendium of links. You can browse alphabetical sections or select your favorite dinosaur and go directly to the picture. Each thumbnail image is accompanied by a brief line about the artist or illustrator. A small collection of panoramas is also available.

Dinosaur Pages

T. Mike Keesey, an artist and college student, has compiled an extensive interconnected Web site on dinosaur images. You can click on the phylogeny chart, which transports you to an area showing relationships and time periods of major groups. Record breakers lists the biggest to the most confusing of the dinosaurs. High school students will utilize this site the most because of its more technical nature.

Dinosauria On-Line Omnipedia

Have a question about dinosaur anatomy? Perplexed by those difficult names? Looking for maps of ancient earth or geologic history? Hunting for dinosaur pictures? Then add the Dinosauria On-Line Omnipedia to your reference collection. You can browse through several dictionaries, listen to dinosaur names pronounced, view maps, and see a gallery of incredible art.

Dinosaurs Facts and Fiction

MUSEUMS

American Museum of Natural History

Who are the people behind the bones? What contributions did they make to paleontology? Personalities in Paleontology showcases 10 leading individuals, complete with a picture and short biography. Ever wonder what the environment would look like during geologic history? An artist's depiction in the Timelines section lets you imagine a scene from a specific period and explains the habitat. How should T-Rex be mounted for display? To find the current theory, click on six new halls. Vertebrate evolution is illustrated with numerous drawings.

Dinosauria University of California at Berkeley

This is one of the best places for finding general information about dinosaurs. Learn all about current research in Dinosbuzz, a newsletter that gives a thorough explanation of the theories on extinction, the relationship with birds, and the differences between fact and fiction of dinosaurs portrayed in the movies. To better understand the groups of dinosaurs, read dinosaur diversity and dispelling myths. Join Sam Welles, professor emeritus, on a narrated tour of his discovery of Dilophosaurus beginning in the summer of 1942. Find out why the name changed after several years of investigation and how he viewed Dilophosaurus as a movie star in Jurassic Park. In addition, the site is searchable, has a glossary of terms, and links to the geologic time machine.

Royal Tyrrell Museum

Want to dig for fossils or save the dinosaurs? There are numerous choices for all ages. Trips range from day digs to lengthier field experiences. World renowned paleontologists lead you on fascinating journeys throughout North America. On the Great Canadian Fossil Trail, you will be linked to locations in western Canada. All ages will want to browse the virtual museum. It is loaded with facts and pictures.

MORE MUSEUMS

Museum of Western Colorado
Field Museum of Natural History
Honolulu Community Colllege Dinosaur Exhibit
Hunterian Museum University of Glasgow
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
Wyoming Dinosaur Center

There are other notable museums to visit for virtual tours, area information, and images. Don’t miss the Sue Website at the Field Museum. Then, journey through other dinosaur exhibit areas. Check out the forecast for the Triassic period by dialing 1-900 CLIMATE for an audio recording. Round out you visit in the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods for an overview of dinosaurs that lived during those times.

A CT-Scan of "Time Capsule Dinosaur Eggs" is one of the projects that was undertaken at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. Featured at Honolulu Community College's Dinosaurs in Hawaii are replicas of fossil originals found in the American Museum of Natural History. Rick Ziegler, a historian, narrates the tour of the permanent exhibit.

Although not easy to navigate, the Wyoming Dinosaur Center does have some interesting articles about fossil preparation and dinosaur eggs. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science focuses on local digs. Lots of good information and several line drawings are provided.

MISCELLANEOUS

Trace Fossils
Prem's Fossil Gallery
Fossil Collecting
Dino Russ's Lair

In our zeal to focus on the dinosaurs themselves, we often overlook the area of trace fossils. These are tracks, trails, burrows, borings, gnawings, eggs, nests, gizzard stones, and dung. An excellent place to learn more about this subject is at Emory University's Trace Fossils site.

All of your aspiring rock hounds will want to read Fossil Hunting FAQ at Prem's Fossil Gallery. This amateur collector has assembled a top-notch display of trilobites, graphtolites, and fossil plants. Another good source for tips is  Fossil Collecting. Information on collecting tools, a fossil care, and safety is supplied.

If students want to dino surf, have them launch their exploration from Dino Russ's Lair. Russ Jacobson is an associate geologist at the Illinois State Geological Survey. He maintains an extensive annotated list of links to dinosaur, fossil, and paleontology sites that is updated frequently.

LESSONS

Dinosaur Extinction Newton's Apple
Dinosaurs Bill Nye
Dinosaurs Home Page Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Dinosaur Lessons Curry School Grades 1-3

From a comprehensive unit designed for kindergartners at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory site, to the Education Station, teachers will want to look through the list of lessons. Book resources, hands-on activities, dinosaur recipes, songs, and lots of suggestions will be found at these educational sites.

FUN STUFF

Scholastic Build a Dinosaur
Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Creative Insanity
Dino Hunt
Dinosaur Interplanetary Gazette
Field Museum Flip Books
Jurassic Park Institute
Prehistoric World Images
SEDL Dinosaur Clip Art
Smithsonian 3-D Images

For up-to-date doings in the dino world, you can read the Dinosaur Interplanetary Gazette. Although there are science related-articles, DIG is really a popular culture magazine. The front page contains a quote, a joke, and links to book reviews, news nibbles, and feature articles.

Play games at several different sites including the Jurassic Park Institute. Don’t miss Dinosphere at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Build a dinosaur at Scholastic. Send a friend dino postcards from Prehistoric World Images. Put together flip books of the Albertosaurus or Triceratops at the Field Museum. Make your own 3-D glasses then view the 3-D dinos at the Smithsonian. Grab the cool clip art from Creative Insanity's More Extra Clip Art and SEDL's Dinosaurs. Students will love it. Purchase the Dino Hunt card game and try capturing dinosaurs for a modern day zoo. But watch out for the charging T-Rex.

Still haven't had enough of those denizens of the past? Then visit the Museum of Western Colorado and schedule a dino dig for you and your family.

HAPPY DINO TRACKING!