About Amy Expertise I love understanding how things work, especially when it comes to living
things. I`ve spent most of my life studying science and love passing on
this knowledge to kids. I currently work in a children`s science museum
where I`ve designed science exhibits on all sorts of topics; including
predators, music, weather, water, technology and much, much more! I`m
happy to answer questions about anything you have problems with at
school or help you with science projects. Also, I can help teachers
with ideas for classroom activities. Please note that I don`t answer
homework questions.
Experience I have an honours degree in Biochemistry and work as a science communicator for the National Science and Technology Centre in Australia.
Question Oscar is my student, but he has to use my email since students don't have access to one. As part of an Independent Study Project he is required to do an interview. If you can, please respond briefly to his questions. Thanks very much.
Interview Questions
1.Why do you think dinosaurs became extinct?
2.Where did a struthiomimus live?
3. What's your favorite dinosaur?
4.Do you know how much the largest one weighed?
5.Can you imagine how dinosaurs looked by looking at the bones?
6. Why are you interested in them?
7. What's your favorite plant-eater?
8. What's your favorite meat-eater?
9. Why do you like those dinosaurs?
10. When did you get interested in dinosaurs?
Oscar Salinas
Answer Hi Oscar,
I'm not much of a dinosaur person, but a friend of mine, David, is. He helped out with your questions.
Thanks,
Amy
Interview Questions
1.Why do you think dinosaurs became extinct?
From a purely selfish viewpoint - the dinosaurs died out so the mammals could have a go at being the dominant animals on earth, and so we could evolve. However, if the dinosaurs did not die out they probably would have achieved human-like intelligence. Maybe.
But as to why they actually did die out, that's a toughie, scientists do not agree, there are many theories. Climate changes, oxygen levels, the birth of flowering plants, the dropping of sea levels, mass volcanoes all could have had an effect on the dinos (remember though it wasn't just the dinos that died out 65 million years ago but 75% of all species on the planet. There was a big asteroid impact at this time as well that had to have some effect, possibly a final nail in the coffin effect. This asteroid was 10-15km wide and hit off the coast of mexico. It would have caused Tsunamis, earthquakes, bushfires, volcanoes and most likely, some sort of nuclear winter.
2.Where did a struthiomimus live?
South western Canada (Alberta) and North Western USA. It is the largest of the ornithomimids (bird-mimics) in North America, and has a similar sized cousin called Gallimus in China.
3. What's your favorite dinosaur?
Megaraptor namunhuaiquii was the largest of the raptors or droemeosaurids (running dinosaurs) it stood possibly 12-15ft tall and had a claw 40cm long on its foot.
4.Do you know how much the largest one weighed?
Sauroposeidon or Argentinosaurus were both hefty. They both copuld have reached over a hundred tonnes. They were both long necked sauropods. Sauroposeidon was like a larger brachiosaur, argentinosaurus like a longer and bigger apatosaur
5.Can you imagine how dinosaurs looked by looking at the bones?
You can, bones tell us a lot about how dinosaurs looked, lived and fought. Sometimes we need more imagination with things like colour though, we have no idea what colour dinosaurs were, skin does not fossilise readily. A lot of scientists now think the majority of the smaller dinosaurs were covered in fur and feathers.
6. Why are you interested in them?
Am I interested in bones or dinosaurs? Bones are great cos they tell us so much about dinosaurs, we can re-construct worlds as they once were. I like dinosaurs cos they are cool, big and do huge poos
7. What's your favorite plant-eater?
Always had a soft spot for pachycephalosaurus, they had very hard bony heads and would bang them together when they fought
8. What's your favorite meat-eater?
Megaraptor, as stated
9. Why do you like those dinosaurs?
They send me christmas cards. Apart from that they intrigue me, and I wonder exactly how they survived.
10. When did you get interested in dinosaurs?
Just after the Jurassic Park first film came out I was working in a scientific institution, and I had to do a weeks work with a group that was looking at producing a dinosaur exhibition. I started reading everything that they had and became the lab expert on dinosaur related stuff. I then worked at the National dinosaur museum for three years and since then have been writing dinosaur puppet shows and doing dinosaur education programs.
