Dinosaurs on the Web. (CyberHunt).

Take a cyberjourney back to the Mesozoic Era and learn fascinating facts about the dinosaurs that populated the Earth for many millions of years. Dinosaurs were just one of several kinds of prehistoric reptiles that lived during the Age of Reptiles. The largest dinosaurs, such as the Seismosaurus, were over 100-fret long and up to 50-feet tall. The smallest was no larger than a chicken! Most dinosaurs were somewhere in between.

To learn more about dinosaurs, follow the tracks to a series of fascinating Dino sites. See the cyber reproducible, page 103. You can also find the Cyberhunt On-line at www.scholastic.com/instructor

DIGGING FOR DINOSAURS

DIRECTIONS: Let's go back to the Mesozoic era, or the "Age of Reptiles," to find out more about dinosaurs. Write your answers in the spaces below, or on a separate sheet.

1. For how long did dinosaurs live on the Earth? When did they become extinct? www.cbv.ns.ca/marigold/history/dinosaurs/dinosaurs.html

2. One way scientists learn about dinosaurs is by finding and studying fossils. What are fossils? teacher.scholastic.com/researchtools/articlearchives/dinos/digfos.htm

3. When was the most recent dinosaur discovery? What was it named? Describe this newly discovered dinosaur. news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1017000/1017229.stm

4. Assemble the dinosaur skeleton at Fossilzone. What kind of dinosaur did you build? www.discovery.com/exp/fossilzone/bonesgame.html

5. Which dinosaur was the largest? What was its size? What did it eat? www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs

6. Name three dinosaurs that existed 65 million years ago, at the end of the age of dinosaurs. www.bbc.co.uk/dinosaurs/chronology/65

7. There are many theories about what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. What are two possible reasons? www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/dinosaur.html

8. Match each dinosaur with a corresponding fact. (Hint: scroll down and click on each dinosaur.) www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs

1. Pentaceratops A. This huge plant-eater had a tiny head and brain.

2. Apatosaurus B. This 10-foot tall dinosaur could run really fast.

3. Dryosaurus C. This rhinoceros-like dinosaur had five horns.

9. Go to the Dinosaur Encyclopedia and pick a dinosaur from the list on the left. Draw a picture of it on the back of your paper and write its name underneath. members.tripod.com/~Dinosauria/DinoList.html (Hint: Some dinosaurs on the list include roars and other dinosaur sounds!)

Answers:

1. Dinosaurs lived on Earth for about 165 million years. They became extinct around 65 million years ago.

2. A fossil--often a bone, a shell, or the imprint of a leaf--is the remains of an animal or plant that lived long ago. Over many years, the bone or other remains harden into rock.

3. Discovered in November 2000, the Saltriosaur was a meat-eating dinosaur, 28-feet long, weighing over a ton.

4. You built a Deinonychus!

5. Argentinosaurus huinculensis was the largest dinosaur; it was between 115- and 130-feet long, and ate plants.

6. Three of the following: Tyrannosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Anatotitan, Torosaurus, Didelphodon, or Quetzalcoatlus.

7. Here are five possible reasons for the extinction of dinosaurs: giant asteroid impact, supernova, orbital changes, volcanic eruption, or disease.

8. 1C, 2A, 3B

9. Answers will vary. Display your students' work on a "Dinosaur Encyclopedia wall" in your classroom!

RELATED ARTICLE: WIN A COMPAQ COMPUTER!

Enter the CyberHunt Compaq Computer Giveaway for a chance to win a Compaq iPAQ Internet Device with Monitor for your class!

To enter, send a postcard to Instructor, Compaq Giveaway, 555 Broadway, NY, NY 10012. Include your name, phone number, e-mail address, school name and address, and the grade(s) you teach. One winner will be selected in a random drawing. Entries must be postmarked by June 30, 2001.