We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to meet a paleontologist. Paleo Joe gave a presentation at one of our local libraries. He engaged the kids on being a detective to determine if the dinosaur was a meat or plant eater by looking at their teeth. Of course, he had dinosaur teeth to show. Mr. T is holding a model of the largest T-Rex tooth.
He gave an interesting discussion on whether the T-Rex was a scavenger or a super predator. He showed a model of the T-Rex brain which is very small compared to his head. Plus, the largest portion of the brain was related to smell; the brain is very similar in shape to a vulture's brain. Super predators have very large eyes compared to the size of their heads and they would use their arms to bring food to their mouth. The T-Rex has neither of this attributes.
At the end of the presentation, the kids were able to ask questions. "How do you know how old a dinosaur was when it died?" "How do you know what a dinosaur eats?" "What inspired you to learn about dinosaurs?" "How do animals change into different animals?"
From one of his books:
PaleoJoe is a real paleontologist whose recent adventures included digging in the famous Como Bluff for Allosaurus, Camptosaurus, and Apatosaurus.
A graduate of Niagara University just outside of the fossil rich Niagara Falls and Lewiston area of New Your, Joseph has collected fossils since he was 10 years old. He has gone on digs around the United States and abroad, hunting for dinosaur fossils with some of the most famous and respected paleontologist in the world. He is a member of the Paleontological Research Institute and Society of Vertebrae Paleontology and is the winner of the prestigious Katherine Palmer Award for his work communicating dinosaur and fossil information with children and communities. He has given over 300 school presentations around the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment