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Lecture notes:
 
I. Morrison Formation (globally the best source of dinosaur material)
    A. Includes the Dakotas, Wyoming, Utah, etc.
    B. There are flood plain deposits there
    C. Age in formation is approximately 145 million years ago
    D. Rocks deposited there came form just at the end of the Jurassic time period

II. Dinosaurs
    A. Two (2) main groups of dinosaurs (refers to "pods" or feet)
            1. Saurapods--means lizard feet; four footed plant eaters
                    ex. Brontosaurous

            2.  Therapods-two-footed meat eaters
                    ex. Tyranosaurous Rex

    B. Dinosaurs lived in the Mesozoic time period; approximately 250 to 65 million years ago

    C. Dinosaurs were apparently "good mothers" therefore they are much more similar to mammals
    in this respect

    D. Modern thinking is that dinosaurs were warm blooded or possibly a mixture of both

    E. Why did the dinosaurs go extinct? (this happened approximately 65 million years ago)
            1. Solid evidence shows that there was a meteorite impact that caused the extinction of the\
            dinosaurs; this is the most widely accepted theory

            2. The majority of paleontologists (especially Americans) believe that it wasn't just a
            meteorite impact but also could have been caused by climate/temperature change due
            to volcanic events (Sulfur)

III. Florrisant Fossil Beds
    A. 34 million years old; part of the Eocene time period which is part of the Cenozoic time
    period which means "new life"

    B. This area gives paleontologists a good indicator of climate change

    C. Fossils here include over 140 species of trees and plants
                ex. cedar trees, pine trees, oaks, maples, hickory, mixed redwoods; ferns, etc.

    D. Florrisant Fossil Beds have the best collection of insects anyon'es ever been exposed to
    anywhere; there are over 1,100 insect species
                ex. butterflies, moths, ants, wasps, flies, tse tse flies

    E. Fewer animal species
            1. Mesohippus (old horse)
            2. Oreodant (ancient pig)
            3. Fish, birds
            4. Opossum

IV. Who has evolved, gradullay, through time?
    A. Mammals ---> why survived K-T boundary
            1. Mammals are fully warm-blooded

            2. Smaller in size (easier to maintain body weight)

            3. Probably a bit smaller