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Dinosaur Science Worksheet

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Dinosaur Science Worksheet

Use the evidence and timeline on this worksheet to solve each question. Explain your thinking where asked. Fossils provide clues, but scientists distinguish observations from interpretations.

Meet the dinosaurs

Dinosaur detectives compare body features, fossils and rock layers to infer how ancient animals lived.

1.A fossil tooth is long, pointed and sharply edged. Which diet is it most consistent with, and why?

2.Which dinosaur group includes many well-known meat-eaters such as Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor?

Sauropods
Theropods
Ornithischians
Pterosaurs

3.A long-necked dinosaur fossil has broad, flat teeth and a large body. Give one reasonable inference about its food and one clue supporting your inference.

Read the rock record

Palaeontologists use rock layers and fossils to build a timeline. The Mesozoic Era is divided into three periods, shown from oldest to youngest below: Triassic from about 252 to 201 million years ago, Jurassic from about 201 to 145 million years ago, and Cretaceous from about 145 to 66 million years ago.

4.The timeline runs from 252 million years ago at the left to 66 million years ago at the right. The period boundaries are about 252, 201, 145 and 66 million years ago. Name the Mesozoic periods in order from oldest to youngest.

5.A fossil is found in a layer between the 201-million-year and 145-million-year boundaries. Which Mesozoic period does the layer belong to?

Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Quaternary

6.A field team finds fossilised shells, fish remains and fine mudstone near a dinosaur fossil. What might these clues suggest about the environment where the remains were buried? Explain one reason.

The extinction evidence file

At about 66 million years ago, a major extinction event eliminated all non-avian dinosaurs. Birds are living descendants of theropod dinosaurs.

7.Which explanation for the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs is strongly supported by evidence from around 66 million years ago?

A large asteroid impact
A sudden change in Earth's rotation
A single worldwide disease
Overpopulation of all dinosaur species

8.Scientists found a thin layer of rock around the world dating to about 66 million years ago. It contains unusually high amounts of iridium, an element uncommon in Earth's crust but more common in many asteroids. Explain how this observation supports the impact explanation.

9.Around million years ago, an asteroid impact may have thrown dust and debris into the atmosphere.

10.Dust and debris in the atmosphere may have caused major changes that disrupted food webs.

11.A news post says, “The asteroid instantly killed every dinosaur on Earth.” Identify one problem with this claim and rewrite it as a more careful scientific statement.

Plan a fossil investigation

Fossil sites can hold scientific information and may also be important places for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Access and study should follow permission, law and cultural guidance.

12.A student wants to compare fossil teeth from two herbivorous dinosaur species. Write one testable research question, then give a prediction linked to a feature that could be measured or observed.

13.Your team discovers a fossil on Country. Name two responsible steps to take before disturbing or collecting anything.