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T-rex Tooth with Root Cast. This is a cast of the tooth and tooth root of a Tyrannosaurus (pronounced: tyr-RAN-uh-SAWR-us) rex. The T-rex used its teeth for biting, ripping, and tearing prey. See the sharp edges on the tooth. The knife-like teeth could leave a three-foot hole.
T-rex Shed Tooth Cast. The T-rex changed its 60 teeth constantly. The new tooth grew inside the jaw and pushed on the old tooth until the old tooth broke off.
T-rex Claw Cast. The T-rex used this claw like a meat hook to grasp its prey.
Edmonotosaurus Toe Bone Cast. This is a toe bone from the Edmonotosaurus dinosaur. See if you can match it to the edmontosaurus foot.
Velociraptor(vel-OS-ih-RAP-tore) Claw Cast. The raptor probably used this sharp claw to slash its prey. Over 65 million years ago, the velociraptor roamed in packs hunting for prey. It was about six feet high and 11 feet long.
Velociraptor Hand. Look at the claws and bones connected to the hand. The raptor had long arms and three fingers with sharp claws.
Shark Tooth. At 40 feet long, the extinct shark, Carcharodon megalodon (car-shar-o-don meg-a-lo-don), was two times larger than our great white shark of today. This big shark's teeth were shaped like triangles and had edges like a steak knife. As the teeth wore out, they fell out, and new teeth took their place.
Or (depending on availability)
Lamna Lablique (lam-na lab-lick). More sharp shark's teeth, this time from Morocco.
Fossil Echnoid. This is a fossilized sand dollar. See the hole where its mouth was.
Fossil Ammonite. This fossilized shell once covered the soft insides of an extinct creature called an ammonite, which died over 65 million years ago. It is related to living animals such as the squid and octopus. The ammonite probably used its shell for floating in the ocean.
Fossil Cephalopod. This 400 million-year-old cephalopod looked like a squid, except the cephalopod had a straight, pointed body.
Fossil Trilobite. The extinct trilobite is related to modern bugs, spiders, and crabs. It had three parts to its body: head, tail, and chest. The trilobite could roll up like a potato bug. It was the first animal to have eyes and see the world around it.
Fossil fish. This 58 million-year-old fish came from Green River, Wyoming. When the fish died, its body fell to the bottom of a lake where its bones, skin, and scales were replaced by minerals.
Polished(#20a) and unpolished amber(#20b). Amber is a very special, rare kind of fossil. There are only about 20 places in the world that have enough amber to be mined. The amber was once sticky tree sap. Ask the students what happens when insects get caught in sticky material. Describe how the tree sap hardened and the creatures inside it were preserved. Ask the children what we can tell about the creatures trapped inside (i.e., body structure and size). Be careful with the polished amber because it is expensive!
Polished Petrified Wood. As it soaks into the wood, water leaves minerals that replace the original wood or fill in around the tiny spaces between the wood cells. The wood becomes petrified or "turned to stone." The wood may be a bright color, such as orange, because the minerals contain iron or other colorful elements.
Petrified Wood Pieces. Note how the petrified branches and wood pieces still have details like growth rings, cracks, and scars. Some of the petrified twigs have blue mineral replacements and are called "blue wood".
Dinosaur Footprint Cast. This is a cast of a dinosaur footprint found on a roof of a Utah coal mine.
Edmonotosaurus Foot Cast. This is a cast of the foot of the huge Edmonotosaurus dinosaur, who once roamed Montana. See the poster to learn more about this dinosaur.
Bird with Feathers. Can you see the outline of this bird and its feathers? Can you find the bird's head?
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