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Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family

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Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family Teacher resource Years 1 to 8 An exhibition at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, developed by the Australian Museum 27 September 2014 to 8 February 2015 [Logos, as per web page] 1 of 39 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Author: Scott Ogilvie Contents Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family ........................................................................................... 1 Contents ......................................................................................................................... 2 About this resource ............................................................................................................... 3 Excursion essentials .............................................................................................................. 3 Curriculum links ..................................................................................................................... 4 About the exhibition ............................................................................................................... 6 Background information ......................................................................................................... 7 Pre-visit activities ..................................................................................................................12 During your visit....................................................................................................................14 Post-visit activities ................................................................................................................15 Activity resources .................................................................................................................16 2 of 39 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Author: Scott Ogilvie About this resource This resource has been designed to complement your visit to Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family at Te Papa. Inside, you’ll find information about the exhibition, dinosaurs, and tyrannosaurs, as well as some suggested pre- and post-visit activities to help reinforce your students’ learning. Excursion essentials Before your visit – familiarise your students We recommend that you prepare your students for their Te Papa experience by completing the suggested pre-visit activities on page 12. During your visit – please take photos! Photography is allowed in the Tyrannosaurs exhibition, so encourage your students to bring a camera. Their record of the visit will help to prompt their thinking afterwards. After your visit – harness their interest After your visit, your students will be full of enthusiasm and ideas. We recommend the activities on page 15 to harness their interest. 3 of 39 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Author: Scott Ogilvie Curriculum links The exhibition and education programme are relevant to the following strands from the Science learning area of the New Zealand Curriculum. Some of the pre- and post-visit activities are also linked to the Arts, Numeracy (mathematics and statistics), Technology, and Literacy learning areas. Levels 1 & 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Understanding Understanding Understanding Understanding about science about science about science about science • Appreciate that • Appreciate that • Appreciate that • Understand that scientists ask science is a way science is a way scientists’ questions about of explaining the of explaining the investigations are our world that world and that world and that informed by lead to science science current scientific investigations and knowledge knowledge theories and aim that open- changes over changes over to collect mindedness is time. time. evidence that will important be interpreted because there through the may be more than process of logical one explanation. argument. Nature of Science Science Nature of Communicating in Communicating in Communicating in Communicating in science science science science • Build their • Begin to use a • Begin to use a • Use a wider language and range of scientific range of scientific range of science develop their symbols, symbols, vocabulary, understandings of conventions, and conventions, and symbols, and the many ways vocabulary. vocabulary. conventions. the natural world can be represented. 4 of 39 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Author: Scott Ogilvie Levels 1 & 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Evolution Evolution Evolution • • • Recognise that Begin to group Begin to group there are lots of plants, animals, plants, animals, different living and other living and other living things in the world things into things into and that they can science-based science-based be grouped in classifications. classifications. • • different ways. Explore how the Explore how the • Explain how we groups of living groups of living know that some things we have in things we have in living things from the world have the world have the past are now changed over changed over long periods of long periods of Living World World Living extinct. time. time. Life processes Life processes Life processes • Recognise that all • Recognise that • Recognise that living things have there are life there are life certain processes processes requirements so common to all common to all they can stay living things and living things and alive. that these occur that these occur in different ways. in different ways. 5 of 39 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Author: Scott Ogilvie About the exhibition Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family is an immersive multimedia experience that explores how these tyrannical dinosaurs, with their massive skulls, powerful jaws, and bone-crunching teeth, became the world’s top predators. The exhibition showcases the tyrannosaurs’ newly revised family tree. It uncovers their evolutionary history, the habitats in which they evolved, and their distribution over time. A dramatic array of fossils are on display, including more than 10 life-sized dinosaur specimens – among them the oldest yet discovered, Guanlong wucaii . Highlights • The newly revised tyrannosaur family tree • Guanlong wucaii – the recently discovered feathery relative of T rex • Recent scientific findings that confirm the links between dinosaurs and birds • Multi-touch technologies that allow you to compare your own arm strength to that of a mighty T rex • Large-scale projections of dinosaurs running through Wellington – a New Zealand first • Human evolution seen in the context of the enormous scale of geological time Sections The exhibition is divided into five sections: 1. What’s a tyrannosaur? Explore the features that define a tyrannosaur. 2. Meet the family. Explore the different families and species of tyrannosaur. 3. Explore the family. Compare and contrast members of the tyrannosaur family. 4. T. rex – the ultimate. Examine how T. rex evolved as the top predator. 5. T. rex – legacy . Track the evolution, survival, and extinction of tyrannosaurs. 6 of 39 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Author: Scott Ogilvie Background information In this section: • What’s a dinosaur? (below) • What’s a tyrannosaur? (page 8) • Tyrannosaurs featured in the exhibition (page 9) • Fossils (page 10) What’s a dinosaur? Dinosaurs are a group of animals that share the identifiable features in the diagram below. Diagram of Eoraptor skeleton showing the main physical features of dinosaurs 7 of 39 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Author: Scott Ogilvie What’s a tyrannosaur? Four main features distinguish tyrannosaurs from other dinosaurs. Four features specific to tyrannosaurs Fused nasal bones Only tyrannosaurs had fused nasal bones in their skulls. The fused bones strengthened their snouts and gave them a stronger bite. D-shaped teeth Only tyrannosaurs had D-shaped teeth at the front of their upper jaws. These were good for scraping or pulling, while other teeth could slice, tear, and crush. Special hip features Only tyrannosaurs had a ridge of bone at the top of their hips, to which their strong leg muscles were attached. Long hind legs Tyrannosaurs had relatively long hind legs compared to other theropod (two-legged, meat-eating) dinosaurs. Features shared with other dinosaurs Stood on two legs All tyrannosaurs stood on two legs, but so did many other dinosaurs. Tail All tyrannosaurs had tails, but so did every other dinosaur. Small arms Most tyrannosaurs had small arms, but so did many other dinosaurs. Ribs and torso All tyrannosaurs had ribs, but so did every other dinosaur. 8 of 39 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Author: Scott Ogilvie Tyrannosaurs featured in the exhibition Scientific name (genus and Time (millions Body Common name Time period Region species) of years ago) length Proceratosaurus Proceratosaurus bradleyi Mid Jurassic 168–166 2–3 m Europe Kileskus Kileskus aristotocus Mid Jurassic 168–166 3 m Asia Guanlong Guanlong wucaii Late Jurassic 163–158 4 m Asia Aviatyrannus Aviatyrannus jurassica Late Jurassic 157–152 1 m Europe North Stokesosaurus Stokesosaurus clevelandi Late Jurassic 152–148 3–4 m America Juratyrant Juratyrant langhami Late Jurassic 152–148 4–5 m Europe langhami Early Yutyrannus Yutyrannus huali 131–120 9 m Asia Cretaceous Early Dilong Dilong paradoxus 138–129 1.6–2 m Asia Cretaceous Early Raptorex Raptorex kriegsteini 131–113 3 m Asia Cretaceous Early Xiongguanlong Xiongguanlong baimoensis 113–100 4–5 m Asia Cretaceous Early Eotyrannus Eotyrannus lengi 131–126 4 m Europe Cretaceous Early Sinotyrannus Sinotyrannus kazuoensis 121–119 9–10 m Asia Cretaceous Appalachiosaurus North Appalachiosaurus
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