Dinosaur Periods!

Directions In this activity you will be given a menu of Dinosaur periods to learn about by clicking on a star next to the period. Some of the periods will also have an activity, but at the end of each section there will be a quiz to assess your knowledge. Good luck and have fun!

Get excited for the journey you are about to embark on! After the completion of this activity you will be one step closer to becoming a dinosaur expert! In order to learn how we came about, we must first learn about our history and it starts right here with the Prehistoric World.

Main Menu Dinosaur Periods: Cambrian and Ordovician Silurian and Devonian Carboniferous and Permian Triassic and Jurassic Cretaceous

Cambrian Period Ordovician Period Quiz Main Menu

Cambrian Period  Life emerged and exploded in this period.  Many of the animal groups from this period are still alive today! (For example: chordates which include animals with backbones, like humans)

Cambrian Period (Cont.)  The most fossils left behind during this period comes from the trilobites, which had flattened, plated bodies to protect them from predators.

Ordovician Period  Consisted vastly of marine life  The first primitive plants appeared during this period

Ordovician Period (Cont.)  Squidlike nautiloids, a tentacle mollusk, was a main creature during this period. Not only were they fast swimmers, but they had tentacles that made them effective predators

Word Scramble ClueWord to unscramble These are found by archeologists SOFSLI A dinosaur that only eats meat NEACIROV Nautiloids are found hereCNOEA The hunterDAERTPO

Answers to the Word Scramble ClueWord to unscramble These are found by archeologists SOFSLI  FOSSIL A dinosaur that only eats meat NEACIROV  CARNIVORE Nautiloids are found hereCNOEA  OCEAN The hunterDAERTPOR  PREDATOR

Quiz What is the Ordovician Period known for? a) Marine Life Marine Life b) First plants appearing First plants appearing c) Both a & b Both a & b d) None of the above None of the above

Incorrect, try again! Click on the periods to review the information. Cambrian Period Ordovician Period

Correct! Good job, you have mastered the Cambrian and Ordovician Periods. You can move on to another period! Main Menu

Devonian Period Silurian Period Quiz Main Menu

Silurian Period  Plants and animals finally emerge on land  Large reef systems thrived and this is seen in many limestone rock formations today  Creatures within the sea include acanthodians (spiny sharks) and eurypterids (sea scorpions) Eurypterid vs. Human

Silurian Period (Cont.)  Creatures on land were small, no more than a few centimeters long and include primitive centipedes and arachnids  The climate remained warm and stable throughout this period

Devonian Period  The planet began to change during this period, forming a second supercontinent known as Euramerica  Known as the Age of Fishes since it spawned a vast amount of fish among them includes armored placoderms. They had powerful jaws lined with plates

Devonian Period (Cont.)  Other fish include the lobefins which are credited with the evolutionary stride to amphibians, some are actually still around today.

Quiz During the Silurian Period, the creatures on land were a) Ladybugs and mosquitos Ladybugs and mosquitos b) Centipedes and arachnids Centipedes and arachnids c) There were no creatures on land during this period There were no creatures on land during this period

Incorrect, try again! Click on the periods to review the information. Silurian Period Devonian Period

Correct! Good job, you have mastered the Silurian and Devonian Periods. You can move on to another period! Main Menu

Main Menu Quiz Carboniferous Period Permian Period

Carboniferous Period  Name comes from large coal deposits that date to it, which was produced by trees that grew in lowland swamp forests  These forests also provided a large amount of oxygen which removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere leading to an excess of oxygen

Carboniferous Period (Cont.)  Because of this excess oxygen, insects grew much larger, for example there were dragonflies that grew to the size of seagulls with a wingspan of 2.5 feet

Permian Period  This period ended the largest mass extinction on Earth  Big period for reptiles

Permian Period (Cont.)  Swampland were replaced by conifers, seed ferns, and other drought –resistant plants  The climate was extremely hot during the day and extremely cold at night, much like our modern day deserts

Quiz Why did insects grow much larger during the Carboniferous Period? a) There was a mutation occurring in the insects There was a mutation occurring in the insects b) It was part of survival of the fittest It was part of survival of the fittest c) Because of an increase in trees, the oxygen also increased Because of an increase in trees, the oxygen also increased

Incorrect, try again! Click on the periods to review the information. Carboniferous Period Permian Period

Correct! Good job, you have mastered the Carboniferous and Permian Periods. You can move on to another period! Main Menu

Triassic Period Jurassic Period Quiz Main Menu

Triassic Period  Rodent-sized mammals appeared as well as the first dinosaurs during this period  The supercontinent Pangaea was formed, but by the end of the period tectonic forces began to split it in two (Laurasia and Gondwana)

Triassic Period (Cont.)  Eozostrodon was one of the earliest mammals, grew up to 9 feet tall and weighed up to 100 pounds

Jurassic Period  Due to mountains rising on the seafloor, the sea levels were pushed high and the climate became humid  Larger-sized dinosaurs became prevalent such as the Brachiosaurus which was up to 52 feet tall and weighed more than 80 tons  Earliest known bird was the Archaeopteryx

Jurassic Period (Cont.) Brachiosaurus Archaeopteryx

Activity After watching this video please answer the question on the next slide.

Submission for Activity  In the box below please answer the question: Being a T-Rex, how else would you catch your prey since you have short arms? 

Discussion Over Activity Although the T-Rex has short arms, they were incredibly fast dinosaurs with sharp teeth and an extremely long tail. Using these to their advantage, they were able to catch their prey despite having disproportionate arms compared to the rest of their body.

Quiz What was one of the earliest mammals in the Triassic Period? a) Pangaea Pangaea b) Gondwana Gondwana c) Eozostrodon Eozostrodon

Incorrect, try again! Click on the periods to review the information. Triassic Period Jurassic Period

Correct! Good job, you have mastered the Triassic and Jurassic Periods. You can move on to another period! Main Menu

Main Menu Cretaceous Period Quiz

Cretaceous Period  Dinosaurs ruled during this period  Many of the species evolved quite a bit during this period

Cretaceous Period (Cont.)  Growth in the sea included sea urchins and starfish prospered as well as the growth of coral reef  Although the in the beginning of this period dinosaurs ruled, this was the source of mass extinction

Application If you were an Ankylosaurus (herbivores), what would be your ideal meal? (type your answer below) a) Plants b) Dinosaur Friends c) A bit of both

Discussion over Application If you thought Plants was the correct answer, then you were right! Animals are said to be herbivores when the only eat plants. Humans who are herbivores are known as vegetarians.

Quiz The Cretaceous Period was a source of vast growth, but also resulted in extinction of nearly all species. a) True True b) False False

Incorrect, try again! Click on the period to review the information. Cretaceous Period

Correct! Good job, you have mastered the Cretaceous Period. You can move on to another period! Main Menu