Dino Dig: Virtual Lab
Name:_____________________Period:___
Question – How are dinosaur fossils dated and identified?
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs/BL_17/BL_17.html
Dinosaur Fossil Data
Fossils
Dinosaur species
Absolute dating of
rock layer below
Absolute dating of
rock layer above
Geologic time
period
1. Describe the steps you took to estimate the age of one of the fossils.
2. Describe the steps you took to identify one of the dinosaurs from the fossil.
3. How could you determine that two species of dinosaurs lived in the same time period?
4. What evidence supports the hypothesis that birds evolved from dinosaurs?
5. Describe some features that dinosaurs share with modern living reptiles.
6. What information would an artist use to reconstruct a model of a dinosaur?
7. How could a paleontologist determine that a dinosaur was a plant eater or a carnivore?
8. What other evidence besides fossil bones might be useful in describing the behavior of a dinosaur?