Speaking of a species going extinct, do you remember Leonardo the Dinosaur Mummy? I got to visit him this past Fall. Here are the pics from my trip.
(For the full story on the Leo exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, click here.)
Me and Leo like he would have been in real life.
Bone Structure
Leo's Head (He's looking to the right.)
Leo and the smoking gun. Whodunnit?
My challenge for you is this: If you could interview Leo, what would you ask and what do you think his answer would be? For extra credit, post your question and Leo's answer in a comment. If it's a really good - and I mean really good as in scientifically relevant to something you've learned in class - I'll give you a bonus point on your next test (Ch. 15 for Biology, Ch. 14 for Chemistry).
Well first I would ask him what really happened when he died. The program on the Discovery channel said that he was attacked by a predator and then drowned in flood and was miraculously covered in sediment or something that preserved him. How did it fossilize all of his organs and skin before they rotted? I believe his answer would be that it's a complex form of science that I don't understand yet. I also want to know why this didn't happen to any of the other duckbills if they died in the flood as well. I guess Leonardo was just a lucky dinosaur. :)
ReplyDeleteGood questions! And part of the "complex form of science" that you "don't understand" is actually something you do understand - you know that when a dead animal is exposed to the elements, and oxygen is present, that bacteria and scavengers can move in to finish the carcass off. But in the case of a flood, there is a very, very, very small chance that the carcass gets covered up and packed into sediment. That means that there's no oxygen around and so there's no scavengers and few bacteria that can get to the carcass. If it stays packed in and put under the right kinds of pressure and temperature and doesn't get moved, then this allows chemical reactions to take place and turn some of those tissues into something harder that lasts longer. Skin and soft tissues can rot very quickly though, so the animal has to be covered up super fast. As you may have noticed, there are a lot of "ifs" in this recipe for making fossils. That's why fossils are so rare, and fossils with soft tissues preserved are even rarer. So that makes Leo very lucky, indeed! Congrats - you get bonus points!
ReplyDeleteI would ask him what life was like before the flood and what actually killed him. No one knows exactly why he died so it would be awesome to find out. I think his answer would be that he had a good life and that only he knows what killed him and know one else would understand.
ReplyDeleteI asked Leo straight out, WHO DONE IT? And he told me that good ole' grass was the culprit. I was shocked and amazed, but after much explanation, it makes perfectly good sense. As we all know, back in the day the weather started to do crazy things, and drastically changed. Not only did this affect the animals, but the grass they ate, too. So, since Ms. Beck's grandfather taught me, I know that drastic temp. changes, and too much rain, or too little rain can change the chemical make-up of plants and cause them to become toxic. So, after extended exposure to the harsh conditions, the grass, that Leo had ALWAYS eaten, became toxic. So, after a typical day of Leo eating grass for lunch, he became very gassy, and started to bloat, which ultimately killed him. Leo continued to tell me that science still gives us many examples for why this theory can be held true. For example, hay grazer that has suffered from drought like weather can cause poisionous gasses to form and bloat and kill cattle. Johnson grass and mesquite beans can also drop a 1000 lbs. animal. So, I told Leo that I did believe him, but why is he perserved, and why did no other animal feast upon him. Once again, Leo snapped back. He said that all bad things usually have a silver lining, and this is the good thing about him dying the way he did. Since he was filled with poisonous gasses, they created something like a formaldehyde agent inside him, which preserved him inside and out. As for other animals not eating him, well that is kinda gross. He was "sampled" by some predator, but due to the toxic gasses inside of him, he had an awful taste and smell, so it protected him against being lunch for someone else. So, he just has the bite mark, where someone sampled. Then the flood came and he was covered up with water and debris and kept safe and sound until enough erosion occured to expose him, again. Tell me Ms. Beck, could this happen?
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Ms. Stroebel! I'm no expert, but I totally buy your story and I like it! Not to mention all the extra science you put in there -how does ten extra points on your next test sound? :) Thanks so much for commenting!
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