An Introduction to Paleontology- "The Study of Ancient Life"
Paleontology is the scientific study of life existent prior to, but sometimes including, the start of the Holocene Epoch. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments. Paleontology lies on the border between biology and geology but differs from archaeology in that it excludes the study of morphologically modern humans. It now uses techniques drawn from a wide range of sciences, including biochemistry, mathematics and engineering. Use of all these techniques has enabled paleontologists to discover much of the evolutionary history of life almost all the way back to when earth became capable of supporting life, about 3,8000 million years ago.
Watch the slide show to see what paleontology is and what types of things you see and do when you are a paleontologist. Watch the video to get a full explination on what paleontology is and what types of things are involved within it.
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I shall collect plants and fossils, and with the best of instruments make astronomic observations. Yet this is not the main purpose of my journey. I shall endeavor to find out how nature's forces act upon one another, and in what manner the geographic environment exerts its influence on animals and plants. In short, I must find out about the harmony in nature. |
What is a DINOSAUR?
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, 231.4 million years ago, and were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for 135 million years, from the beginning of the Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous, when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of most dinosaur groups at the close of the Mesozoic Era. The fossil record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic Period and, consequently, they are considered a subgroup of dinosaurs by many paleontologists. Some birds survived the extinction event that occurred 66 million years ago, and their descendants continue the dinosaur lineage to the present day.
What Classifies a Dinosaur? - Legs are directly underneath the body - It has scales and feathers |
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"A dinosaur is a Megolosaurus [a Theropod] or Iguanadon [a Sauropod], their most recent common ancestors and all of their descendants
-Unknown Scientist
Is it a Dinosaur?
This creature is a dinosaur because it has feathers and its legs are directly underneath the body. In the video clip below from Jurassic Park you can see dinosaur Gallimimus running and how the body design of having legs below a body allows for you to gallop. |
Is it a Dinosaur?
although this creature has scales and has a very dinosaur-like appearance, it is not a dinosaur because its legs are bended and are not directly underneath the body. You can also see how this creature is not a dinosaur based on the way it runs in the following video. You can see that it must rotate its legs rather than swing them back and forth. |
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Watch the cartoon below to further your understanding of some characteristics of dinosaurs as long with what certain dinosaurs were like. The Dinosaur song will provide you with a catchy tune to help remember certain facts like how dinosaurs brains were the size of peas.
Birds... Dinosaurs?
yes, birds (avians) are dinosaurs. Using proper terminology, birds are avian dinosaurs; other dinosaurs are non-avian dinosaurs, and (strange as it may sound) birds are technically considered reptiles. Overly technical? Just semantics? Perhaps, but still good science. In fact, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of birds being the descendants of a maniraptoran dinosaur, probably something similar (but not identical) to a small dromaeosaur. What is this evidence? Some similarities between dinosaurs and birds are listed below
-Pubis (one of the three bones making up the vertebrate pelvis) shifted from an anterior to a more posterior orientation, and bearing a small distal "boot". -Elongated arms and forelimbs and clawed manus (hands). -Large orbits (eye openings in the skull). -Flexible wrist with a semi-lunate carpal (wrist bone). -Hollow, thin-walled bones. -3-fingered opposable grasping manus (hand), 4-toed pes (foot); but supported by 3 main toes. -Reduced, posteriorly stiffened tail. -Elongated metatarsals (bones of the feet between the ankle and toes). -S-shaped curved neck. -Erect, digitgrade (ankle held well off the ground) stance with feet postitioned directly below the body. -Similar eggshell microstructure. -Teeth with a constriction between the root and the crown. -Functional basis for wing power stroke present in arms and pectoral girdle (during motion, the arms were swung down and forward, then up and backwards, describing a "figure-eight" when viewed laterally). -Expanded pneumatic sinuses in the skull. -Five or more vertebrae incorporated into the sacrum (hip). -Straplike scapula (shoulder blade). -Clavicles (collarbone) fused to form a furcula (wishbone). -Hingelike ankle joint, with movement mostly restricted to the fore-aft plane. -Secondary bony palate (nostrils open posteriorly in throat). -Possibly feathers... this awaits more study. Small, possibly feathered dinosaurs were recently found in China. It appears that many coelurosaurs were cloaked in an external fibrous covering that could be called "protofeathers." A close relationship between birds and dinosaurs was first proposed in the nineteenth century after the discovery of the primitive bird Archaeopteryx in Germany. Birds share many unique skeletal features with dinosaurs. Moreover, fossils of more than twenty species of dinosaur have been collected with preserved feathers. There are even very small dinosaurs, such as Microraptor and Anchiornis, which have long, vaned, arm and leg feathers forming wings. The Jurassic basal avialan Pedopenna also shows these long foot feathers. Witmer (2009) has concluded that this evidence is sufficient to demonstrate that avian evolution went through a four-winged stage. The main conclusion to if birds are descendants of dinosaurs is, "Dinosaurs, Birds, Yes they are related! Birds are part of the theropod category and theropods are dinosaurs!" |
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10 Basic Facts Everyone Should Know About Dinosaurs Along with 10 Facts only a Paleontologist Would Know
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Pin in how many facts you knew to see how your dino-knowledge compares to others. Be honest, your name or email will not be associated with your score
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Watch the video below to learn more about some of these facts but in a cooler way, watch a 3rd grade kid school Chris Pratt (the dinosaur whisperer) in dino trivia!
Paleontology at a Glance- A Brief History
Humans have been collecting fossils for centuries starting in the Ice Age with the neandrathols who used mammoth tusk fossils as flutes and beads. Discovering fossils has now turned into a way to discover and piece together ancient history and share your findings. New technologies are emerging every day and new fossils are being discovered all the time. Who knows were paleontology will take us in the future. Some believe it may lead us to knowledge of the beginning of the universe and also how it will end. Ice age mammals and more recent aquatic life were found much before the dinosaurs because they fossilize on top layers of rock when the dinosaurs are farther down. Dinosaurs were originally depicted to walk on 4 legs and have a very lizard-like appearance, but having more fossils uncovered, especially those of the body structure and neck lead to much different images being depicted for what dinosaurs looked like. Major fossil unearthing's are listed below.
Timeline of When Dinosaurs Were Discovered and Different Events Occurred:
1676- Megolosaurus, the first found dinosaur, is unearthed 1764- Huge aquatic reptile fossils found and are named Mososaurus 1811- Icthyosaur fossils found 1820- The Iguanodon is first discovered 1858- A herd of Hadrosaurs discovered 1860- Archeoptepteryx discovered 1871- First American Pterosaurs found 1877- Diplodocus fossils discovered 1878- Stegosaurus Discovered 1889- Triceratops first uncovered 1905- Tyrannosaurus Discovered 1912- Spinosaurus fossils found in Asia 1924- First Velociraptor fossils found 1947- Coleophysis first discovered 1972- Gallimimus found in Mongolia 1974- "Lucy" the neandrathol is discovered 1975- Miasaura discovcered by a nest of dinosaur eggs 1997- Sinosauropteryx found in China 2000- Bracylophosaurs discovered 2009- Titanaboa found in Columbian mines 2010- Asilisaurus fossils found 2012- Yutyrannus are found Timeline of Technological Advances: 6th Century BC- Fossilization and rock formation is first observed to have information leading to prehistoric time periods 1027- Petrification is first observed and the difference between petrified wood and rock has been reported 1796- First theories about mass extinction are proposed through the discovery that mammoths were a completely different genus than elephants 1815- Theories about continental drift first developed along with the publishing of "The Map that changed the World" With the two mega continents Gondwana and Laurisa 1841- A new order of reptiles, dinosauria, is created for the known species of dinosaurs (Megalosaurus, Iguanadon, Hylaeosaurus) 1841- It is first noted that different rock layers will produce different fossils from different time periods 1856- Homo Neanderthalensis (Cave men) are first noticed to be different from living humans 1859- Charles Darwin publishes on the origin of species 1909- Cambrian fossils are first found 1912- The first paleontology hoax is discovered, starting a trend of many more to come in the next 100 years. The hoax was the discovery of a neandrathol called the Piltdown man which was discovered to be a plastic replica of a fossil placed in a quarry. 1944- Process of fossilization is explained in a book "The fossils synthesis" 1947- Carbon-14 Dating is first introduced by Willard Libby 1959- Luis Alvarez discovers high levels of Iridium in the cretaceous level of rock proving an asteroid lead the dinosaurs to extinction 1967- "Overkill Hypothesis" is first proposed. This theory proposes that cave men drove many ice age mammals to their extinction A longer timeline with more event is shown in the videos to the side |
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A Career In Paleontology
If you want to become a paleontologist, you first need to determine if this career path is a good fit for you. If the following description sounds like you, then you’re probably well suited for a career as a paleontologist:
"Those who become paleontologists must have a passion for understanding the history of life on earth. They must be interested in working in the field, and have a strong aptitude for the natural sciences. Paleontologists are strong in academics and are emotionally stable, as this is required to complete the years of schooling that are necessary to work in this field."
-Jobs Canada
The salary level of paleontologists can vary depending on factors such as their level of education, their level of experience, where they work, their specific job responsibilities, and many others.
Paleontologist Salary Alberta: According to the 2011 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans in the Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists occupational group, which includes Paleontologists, earned on average from $40.80 to $60.85 an hour, with a mean wage of $50.48 per hour.
Paleontologist Salary Canada: According to Service Canada, the average salary for workers in the Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists occupational group is $66,900 per year.
Paleontologist Salary United States: According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary of workers in the Geoscientists occupational group is $82,500 per year. The lowest 10 percent in this occupational group earned less than $43,820 per year, and the top 10 percent earned more than $160,910 per year.
Paleontologists primarily work in colleges and universities as instructors and researchers for Geology and Paleontology departments. There are a few organizations outside of academics that are interested in employing the skills, knowledge and competencies of paleontologists, including:
• Self-employment (as consultants for academics and industry)
• Museums and historical exhibits
• Provincial/state and federal government departments (typically for mapping or other applied geological functions)
• Oil, gas and mining companies
To become a paleontologist you need to study an array of subjects in school, specifically Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy and Geology. To become a paleontologist that works as a researcher or an instructor, you typically need a Ph.D. in paleontology. In order to ensure you have acquired a strong set of skills, knowledge and competencies that will be applied to your future career in paleontology, there is a certain body of coursework you should pursue during your undergraduate years. Becoming a paleontologist requires a strong educational background in the natural sciences, with a combined focus in geology and biology. Having a double-major in these areas is ideal, although having a major in one of these areas with a minor in the other, or a substantial amount of coursework in the other, is also a great way to gain the necessary background knowledge in these areas. Many graduate programs in biology, geology, or paleontology require students to have completed coursework in areas such as modern languages, mathematics, chemistry and physics. Skills in statistical analysis and computers are also necessary for a career in modern paleontology, so be sure to pursue this coursework during your undergraduate years, as it may be difficult to do so while pursuing graduate studies.
Watch the video below to learn about what it is like to be a paleontologist
Paleontologist Salary Alberta: According to the 2011 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans in the Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists occupational group, which includes Paleontologists, earned on average from $40.80 to $60.85 an hour, with a mean wage of $50.48 per hour.
Paleontologist Salary Canada: According to Service Canada, the average salary for workers in the Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists occupational group is $66,900 per year.
Paleontologist Salary United States: According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary of workers in the Geoscientists occupational group is $82,500 per year. The lowest 10 percent in this occupational group earned less than $43,820 per year, and the top 10 percent earned more than $160,910 per year.
Paleontologists primarily work in colleges and universities as instructors and researchers for Geology and Paleontology departments. There are a few organizations outside of academics that are interested in employing the skills, knowledge and competencies of paleontologists, including:
• Self-employment (as consultants for academics and industry)
• Museums and historical exhibits
• Provincial/state and federal government departments (typically for mapping or other applied geological functions)
• Oil, gas and mining companies
To become a paleontologist you need to study an array of subjects in school, specifically Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy and Geology. To become a paleontologist that works as a researcher or an instructor, you typically need a Ph.D. in paleontology. In order to ensure you have acquired a strong set of skills, knowledge and competencies that will be applied to your future career in paleontology, there is a certain body of coursework you should pursue during your undergraduate years. Becoming a paleontologist requires a strong educational background in the natural sciences, with a combined focus in geology and biology. Having a double-major in these areas is ideal, although having a major in one of these areas with a minor in the other, or a substantial amount of coursework in the other, is also a great way to gain the necessary background knowledge in these areas. Many graduate programs in biology, geology, or paleontology require students to have completed coursework in areas such as modern languages, mathematics, chemistry and physics. Skills in statistical analysis and computers are also necessary for a career in modern paleontology, so be sure to pursue this coursework during your undergraduate years, as it may be difficult to do so while pursuing graduate studies.
Watch the video below to learn about what it is like to be a paleontologist