To complete this activity, download and print the Student Question Sheet.
In the 1800s scientists knew that many of the fossils they studied were quite different than most living organisms. In 1842 Sir Robert Owen, a British comparative anatomist, coined the name "dinosauria" meaning "fearfully great lizard". For the next 150 years or so it was generally accepted that dinosaurs were giant, cold-blooded, small-brained, green swamp dwellers that were all extinct.

This description has changed radically in recent years due to some amazing discoveries in places like Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Today paleontologists know that dinosaurs came in all sizes, lived in many different habitats, and were not all cold-blooded. Many dinosaurs were smart, agile, active, and even good parents. Some were feathered, raising a debate about whether dinosaurs are actually extinct or simply ancestors to modern day birds.

In this activity you will measure, calculate, and extrapolate data about dinosaurs to evaluate their actual size and possible metabolic requirements.

If you are using scale drawings follow Procedure A on the next page.