Paleontologists are people who find and study fossils.

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1 Paleontologists are people who find and study fossils. They learn about prehistoric creatures that used to live on Earth. Just like dinosaurs, paleontologists come in all shapes and sizes! 88 curiositymachine.org/challenges/65/

2 Build a Dinosaur Shadow Box... that can create a full dinosaur silhouette from lots of little pieces! Here s what you need to know: Paleontologists usually only find a few parts of a dinosaur they almost never find a whole skeleton! So, paleontologists look at animals like birds and reptiles to get a better idea of what dinosaurs might have looked like. Then they put together the pieces they have and fill in the rest with research and imagination! When paleontologists aren t able to find all the fossils from one individual dinosaur, sometimes they use fossils from other dinosaurs. For example, the Triceratops at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has Each color in this picture shows parts used from 4 parts from four different different Triceratops! The grey-colored bones are what Triceratops put paleontologists filled in with their research and imagination. together as one! Putting together a dinosaur skeleton is like solving a really big puzzle with no picture to guide you! Paleontologist 89

3 It must be so cool to be a paleontologist! Paleontologists go all over the world to find fossils preserved parts of really old plants and animals that have been turned to stone, which can take millions of years! Once the fossils are dug out, they go to museums to be cleaned and studied. Paleontologists don t only study extinct animals, though! To put dinosaur skeletons together, they need to understand animals living today, too! Birds and reptiles are likely living relatives of dinosaurs, and have clues for paleontologists to understand how dinosaurs looked and lived. This paleontologist is making a cast of a fossil. Casts copy the shape and texture of something for example, if you press your hand into a lump of clay, you can make a cast of your hand! 90 curiositymachine.org/challenges/65/

4 Imagine how dinos might have lived! Think of your favorite dinosaur! Was it fast, slow, big or small? Can you think of an animal living today that might have moved the same way? Now you re thinking like a paleontologist! Here s an example: Dimetrodon was a mammal-like reptile, not a dinosaur, even though it might look like one! Dimetrodon might have had a body a lot like an anole lizard, but much bigger! Sailfish have dorsal sails like Dimetrodon! Draw where and how you think your favorite dino might have lived! Paleontologist 91

5 Plan how to build your dino shadow box! List all the materials you plan to use. There s a few here to get started. You should look for other things to use, and add them too! tape string flashlight cardboard 92 curiositymachine.org/challenges/65/

6 Dinosaur cutouts! You can use a few of these dinosaur pieces for your shadow box! (There are bones for 2 different dinos mixed together here! Choose the pieces you think will fit together.) Paleontologist 93

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8 Draw your plan for a dino shadow box design here. Label all the parts so that everyone else can understand your amazing plan! (If you need help getting started, you can use the dinosaur pieces cutout!) Paleontologist 95

9 Start building! If you have trouble getting started, here s one way to build a dino shadow box that creates a full dinosaur silhouette: step 1: Make three boxes that are open on two sides, like square tubes. step 2: Find your dinosaur! Use the cutouts, or make your own dino pieces! Tape each piece onto the middle of a string. 96 curiositymachine.org/challenges/65/

10 step 3:: Attach the strings to the boxes, so the dino parts hang inside. step 4:: Start arranging the boxes so they create a tunnel that you can see all the dino parts through. You might need to move or turn some of the boxes so the dino pieces are in the right spot. Step 5: Shine a light through the open side of the box in a dark room. You should see the shadow of your dinosaur! Paleontologist 97

11 How does it work? Sometimes it takes a few tries to make something work like you want it to! Does your dino box make the shape of a whole dinosaur? Do you need to use your imagination to fill in any areas of the dinosaur s body? Take notes here! 98 curiositymachine.org/challenges/65/

12 Draw or take a picture of the shadow your finished dino shadow box makes here! Paleontologist 99

13 Put on your thinking cap! Reflect on what you ve made! What can you change to make it work better? Did you learn how to do something new? Here s one question to get you started: Sometimes dinosaur bones can be hard to recognize! Can you make a dinosaur shadow out of rocks and sticks you find outside? Is it harder to make a dinosaur shadow with these unusual shapes? 100 curiositymachine.org/challenges/65/

14 Paleontologists can find microfossils, or tiny fossils, in the rocks and dirt around a bigger fossil. These are usually bones from smaller animals, pieces of plants, or shells. Microfossils can tell us more about what the environment was like when ancient animals lived. Paleontologist 101