GEOLOGY 208

The Age of Dinosaurs

                            FALL SESSION                                                            SPRING SESSION

This is an introductory class about the life during the age of dinosaurs.  Dinosaurs themselves are a fascinating subject of study and will occupy most of the class time.  Besides the dinosaurs, other reptiles, both aquatic and aerial existed, as well as the ancestors of crocodiles and turtles.  Mammals were present and split off from their reptilian ancestors at about the same time as the dinosaurs did.  Of course there were birds, a descendant of dinosaurs by most accounts.  And we must not forget the insects and other invertebrates and plants.  In all, it was a most interesting period of time, a period of major continental upheavals, the creation of a new ocean basin.

In order to focus on the differences between dinosaur groups and other reptiles we will learn about anatomy.  Fortunately most of the bones in the human skeleton are homologous with those of the dinosaur skeleton and have the same name.  Our understanding of dinosaurs is changing rapidly, and therefore textbooks are somewhat out of date.  Consequently we will be doing outside readings.

There are two required field trips for this class.  They may be short trips to local museums or longer trips to field locations.  We will discuss in class which type we will be taking.