Why did the dinosaurs disappear?

About 65 million years ago--long before humans began their rise to leadership of this planet--dinosaurs ruled the Earth. One major theory suggests that the dinosaurs met their demise when a large comet or asteroid hit Earth.

The following entries include web sites, books, articles, dinosaur parks, and other resources for those who are interested in finding out more. There are some really interesting resources here -- from CompuServe's Dinosaur Forum...to America Online's "Kids Only" page where kids can submit their questions about dinosaurs, comets, or other science topics...to PALEOWORLD on The Learning Channel...and a kit for kids that provides a replica of a dinosaur fossil buried in soft rock for them to excavate and assemble. Enjoy...

DINOSAUR WEB SITES

CRASHING COMETS AND DEAD DINOSAURS
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/011comets/crashes2.html
"Is Earth nothing but a cosmic punching bag? Two New York University planetary scientists suggest that a comet or asteroid string--like the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact on Jupiter--stitched a straight line of eight craters across what is now Illinois, Missouri and Kansas -- just 320 million years ago. That impact event, these scientists say, was not big enough to trigger a global catastrophe such as the one that doomed the dinosaurs, but it would have cause plenty of trouble on a regional scale."

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY/SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
http://nmnhgoph.si.edu
Click on Museum Directory, then Paleobiology. Toward the end of the Department of Paleobiology's page, you can click on an interesting and informative list of the "Top 10 Main Misconceptions" people have about dinosaurs.

NEWTON'S APPLE TELEVISION PROGRAMMING ON DINOSAURS
http://www.mnonline.org/ktca/newtons/index.html
From the first page, click on "Great Science Stuff!" which will give you Educational Resources. Click on "Teacher's Guides" which will provide an alphabet. Point to "D" and click. This will give you educational materials for the following Newton's Apple programs: Dinosaurs 1--Finding and Dating Fossils; Dinosaurs 2--Assembling a Dinosaur Skeleton; and Movie Dinosaurs--Behind the Scenes at Jurassic Park. Under "E" is Extinction, Dinosaur--Where did the Dinosaurs Go? Information on their videos, CD-ROMs and videodiscs is also provided.

POSSIBLE COLLISIONS ON EARTH DUE TO ASTEROIDS AND COMETS DEBATE
http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/NEAR/Education/lessonHazards/acthazards.html
DEBATE ACTIVITY: This site provides students with the background information they need to debate and defend their position on the issue that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an asteroid hitting the Earth.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY
http://ucmp1.berkeley.edu/
"Their three-part tour is one of the Web's best." For dinosaurs: Under "What is UCMP?," click on "First-time Visitor Information." In third paragraph, you can click on either Tyrannosaurus or Pteranodon.

BISHOP MUSEUM IN HONOLULU, HAWAII
http://www.bishop.hawaii.org/
At this site, click on "Past Exhibits" and go to "Dinosaurs!" In addition to their dinosaur exhibit, the Bishop Museum developed a planetarium show on paleontology. The page also sports a portrait of a dinosaur wearing a Hawaiian lei.

THE CHICXULUB IMPACT CRATER
http://www.op.dlr.de/ne-hf.SRL-1/p44423-chicxulub.html
NASA radar image of the impact crater in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, that scientists believe was formed by an asteroid or comet which slammed into Earth more than 65 million years ago. This crater has been linked to a major biological catastrophe when more than 50 percent of the Earth's species, including the dinosaurs, became extinct.

USE A "SEARCH ENGINE" TO FIND MORE DINOSAUR SITES ON THE INTERNET
You can also use a "search engine" provided through NETSCAPE software, or other Internet access software, to locate additional sites on the World Wide Web. Typing in dinosaur, comets, or any topic, will usually bring you a long list of related web sites.

DINOSAUR SEARCH THROUGH THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S WEB SITE
http://www.discovery.com
In addition to the great resources and information on The Discovery Channel's web site, they also provide search capabilities. From the main menu, click on "Tools/Navigational Aids," then "Search." Type in "dinosaurs" or any other search word. If you enter "dinosaur extinction," a list of sites appears that includes

RESEARCH IN PROGRESS where you can click on "Grad Student's Research Challenges Theory on Dinosaur Extinction."

ON COMPUSERVE
If you have Compuserve as your Internet service provider, you can type in "GO DINOFORUM" to go to the Dinosaur Forum. "For many young members, this forum is the next best thing to visiting the tar pits. A DinoKids section caters especially to them, with message threads focusing on their favorite extinct creatures, the latest dino movies, and weekly contests that challenge them to identify mystery and guest dinosaurs."

For teens considering paleontology as a career: Sections on "Paleobiology" and "Paleotechniques" offer information and inspiration. Forum libraries display original images by young artists of allosaurus, stegosaurus, and friends.

ON AMERICA ONLINE

AMERICA ONLINE (AOL) also provides access to the World Wide Web--like the other Internet providers--where you can use their "search engine" to find additional related sites.

KIDS ONLY ON AMERICA ONLINE: To read other kids questions about dinosaurs, comets, and other science topics -- or to ask your own: From AOL's Main Menu, click on KIDS ONLY, then HOMEWORK HELP, then EXPLORE, then SCIENCE QUESTIONS. From there you can scroll through the list of questions submitted by other kids, or click on "Send us your science questions" and submit a question.

Educational Toys With Books

PRESENTING...TYRANNOSAURUS REX Also...BRACHIOSAURUS, STEGOSAURUS and LEPTOCERATOPS --
Book, Bones, Egg & Poster. Small book and small poster comes with plastic dinosaur egg containing pop-together dinosaur skeleton. Somerville House Books, Andrews & McMeel, Universal Press Syndicate Company $10.95 each

THE DINOSAUR HUNTER'S KIT
"Discover the traces of a lost world -- 5" x 7" replica of an Apatosaurus fossil buried in soft rock, ready for you to excavate and assemble -- plus fact-filled handbook on dinosaurs with space to record you own discoveries."Running Press $18.95 (with CD-ROM for IBM or MAC - $29.95)

DINOSAUR DISCOVERY KIT: THE ULTIMATE FACT-PACKED, FUN-FILLED LEARNING KIT
Contains Dinosaur Fact Book, 15 rubber stamps, ink pad, and create-your-own prehistoric panorama. Cobblehill Books $21.95

Curriculum Guides

ASTEROID!
By Dr. Russell G. Wright
Event-Based Science Project series about the possibility of an asteroid impact with Earth.
Activities on extinction theory and astronomy
Teacher's guide with video - $15.00; Student edition - $6.35;
Classroom package (Teacher's Guide, video, 15 units) - $92.00
Innovative Learning Publications/Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
1-800-552-2259
Web site -- http://mcps.k12.md.us/departments/eventscience

VIDEOS

THE DINOSAURS!
Consists of four one-hour videos: The Monsters Emerge, Flesh on the Bones, The Nature of the Beast, and The Death of the Dinosaurs. "The new facts about dinosaurs, featuring the real life paleontologists who helped create the movie Jurassic Park."
$14.95 per video A PBS Home Video by Turner Home Entertainment

THE THIRD PLANET
An episode in "The Miracle Planet" TV series that focuses on the asteroid/comet collision hypothesis for the demise of the dinosaurs. From Ambrose Video or Astronomical Society of the Pacific. (see SOURCES)

METEORITES
"Weaving a captivating story of science, legend, and myth, METEORITES explores man's fascination with these messengers from outer space. Follow their history, from the meteorite that may have caused the dinosaurs' extinction to present day scientists who are learning about the formation of stars and solar systems from these otherworldly envoys." 2 tapes, 84 minutes, 1993. For middle school and up.
(VT 131) $39.95 From Astronomical Society of the Pacific. (see SOURCES)

On Television

PALEOWORLD
Experts put together piece from dinosaur days.
Weekly on The Learning Channel
Mondays, 8:30 pm (Eastern time)

SLIDE SETS

TERRESTRIAL IMPACT CRATERS
This unique set of 26 slides, compiled by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, shows orbital and aerial views of 16 proven or suspected terrestrial impact structures, as well as examples of well-preserved craters on our planetary neighbors. For high school and up. (AS 217) $34.95 Available from Astronomical Society of the Pacific. (see SOURCES)

POSTERS

COSMIC CATASTROPHES
This colorful poster details how significant disruptions of our Earth's delicate balance could result in large-scale environmental changes. Mass extinctions, extraterrestrial impacts, and ozone destruction are just a few of the catastrophic events described on this 22.5" x 29" poster. AP 365 $9.95 Available from Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP). (see SOURCES)

COMET (AP 360) and METEORITE (AP 390) posters are also from ASP in the same size and price.

DESTINATION: DINOSAURS
Full-color 25" x 38" wall chart
Hammond $3.95

EDUCATIONAL COMPUTER GAMES AND CD-ROMS

3-D DINOSAUR ADVENTURE
"They're big. They're bad. And for the first time ever, they're under your control! An educational feast for children, rich in excitement and information." Drive through the gates of the first-ever virtual dinosaur theme park. Explore the Dinosaur Encyclopedia to find out about the death of the dinosaurs. For PC or Mac, ages 3-10.
Check local computer software stores, or contact Knowledge Adventure, 4502 Dyer Street, La Crescenta, CA, 91214.
Phone: (818) 542-4200

THE IMPACT CATASTROPHE THAT ENDED THE MESOZOIC ERA
Displays the paintings of astronomer/artist Dr. William Hartmann, capturing the effects of an asteroid believed to have hit the Earth 65 millions years ago. From the Exploration in Education (ExInEd) Program of the Space Telescope Science Institute. One of a series of "Electronic PictureBooks" multimedia publications authored by space scientists, engineers, and astronauts. (1 disk) QX 407
$9.95 Available from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (see SOURCES)

SOURCES

ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC,
390 Ashton Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94112
Phone: (415) 337-2624 9 am to 3 pm (PT), M-F
Fax: (415) 337-5205 (Ask for catalog)
ASP web site -- http://www.astrosociety.org/

DINOSAUR PARKS

BOOK ON DINOSAUR PARKS: DINO-TREKKING: THE ULTIMATE DINOSAUR LOVER'S TRAVEL GUIDE
By Kelly Milner Halls
The 300 best Dino-sites in the U.S. and Canada, includes a complete Dino-shopping guide and detailed Dino-identifier
$14.95

DINOSAUR VALLEY
Grand Junction, Colorado
In addition to displays of dinosaur bones and other fossils from the surrounding region, the museum features animated dinosaurs and a working paleontology lab.
Phone: (970) 241-9210

DINOSAUR STATE PARK
Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
A geodesic dome exhibit center covers a sandstone layer in which more than 500 dinosaur footprints have been preserved. Outside, casts can be made from actual dinosaur tracks. Bring 10 pounds of plaster of Paris, a quarter-cup of cooking oil, a 5-gallon bucket and rags!
Phone: (203) 529-8423

DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT
Dinosaur, Colorado
In northeast corner of Utah & northwest corner of Colorado Fossilized bones of brontosaurs and other prehistoric creatures have been removed from a single sandstone cliff, one of the world's largest concentrations of fossilized dinosaur bones. Nearby Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center features enclosed dinosaur bones uncovered and left in place.
Phone: (303) 374-3000

DINOSAUR GARDEN & UTAH FIELD HOUSE OF NATURAL HISTORY
Vernal, Utah (near Dinosaur National Monument)
Dinosaur Garden features 14 life-size replicas of our prehistoric past in an outdoor dino-habitat. Dinosaur fossils are on display at the museum. For a Dinosaur Hunting License & information packet.
Phone: 1-800-477-5558

DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK
Patricia, Alberta, Canada

A FEW OF THE MUSEUMS WITH DINOSAUR EXHIBITS

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
New York, New York

PREHISTORIC MUSEUM
Price, Utah

TYRELL MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY
Drumheller, Alberta, Canada

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
London, England



If you know of other resources on dinosaurs and comets or asteroids that we
should add, please let us know.

Last updated November 26, 2003