Which of the following species is the sole survivor of the mass extinction that took place as the previous ice age was coming to an end?
North American lion
Woolly rhinoceros
Mastodon
Muskox
Muskox
The only species on this list to have survived the drastic changes brought on by the end of the last ice age and the rise of humans is the muskox
What current armored animal’s enormous ancestor roamed the continent during the Ice Age?
Horned lizard
Armadillo
Lobster
Turtle
Armadillo
A large armored animal from the Ice Age, the glyptodon, sometimes known as the gigantic armadillo, was about the size of a small car.
Which of the following defense mechanisms is not thought to be frequent among prey dinosaurs?
Horns
Bony armor
Poisonous when eaten
Spiked tail
Poisonous when eaten
Although there isn’t concrete proof that dinosaurs were deadly when consumed, they are known to occasionally have horns, spiked tails, and bone plate-like armor.
Where were the first dinosaur bones discovered, about 4,000 years ago?
Ukraine
France
China
Philippines
China
As early as 300 AD, there is written documentation of dinosaur bones that Chinese villagers mistook for “dragon bones.”
Based on fossil evidence, which of the following is NOT thought to have lived in North America?
Woolly rhinoceros
Short-faced Bear
Giant beaver
Woolly mammoth
Woolly rhinoceros
The woolly rhinoceros has only been discovered in Europe and Asia, while relics of the big beaver, woolly mammoth, and short-faced bear have only been discovered in North America.
Mammoths had a hump on their backs behind the cranium. What use did this hump serve?
To protect against predator bites
To attract a mate
To store fat for the cold winter
To store water for the frozen winter
To store fat for the cold winter
Gene research reveals that the mammoth’s hump served as a storage area for fat reserves that were accumulated throughout the summer and utilized during the winter, similar to the camel.
What potential role may plant-eating dinosaurs have in global warming?
They gave off an excessive amount of body heat
They produced a lot of methane as a by-product of the food they ate
Their massive bodies destroyed plants and trees
They contributed to the cause of forest fires
They produced a lot of methane as a by-product of the food they ate
Large plant-eating dinosaurs are thought to have contributed about 4.2 pounds of methane per day to the atmosphere. More than carbon dioxide, methane is a major greenhouse gas that accelerates global warming.
It has long been believed that scales coated the skin of dinosaurs. Recent research indicates that at least 30 species of dinosaurs, and maybe all species, actually had THIS covering their skin.
Feathers
Fur
Lichen
Shell
Feathers
Recently discovered dinosaur body parts preserved in amber exhibit complete feathers on their skin.
How long on average did a saber-toothed tiger’s canine teeth grow?
9 inches
8 inches
20 inches
10 inches
8 inches
The canine teeth of the saber-toothed tiger were usually between 6 and 8 inches long.
Which of the following Ice Age creatures was one of the biggest terrestrial mammals ever, standing up to 20 feet tall and with 20-inch-long claws?
Giant ground sloth
Ice Age Camels
Giant beaver
Dire wolf
Giant ground sloth
Even though they typically moved on all fours, the largest massive ground sloths weighed approximately 9000 pounds and could reach heights of 20 feet.
Which dinosaur family was the largest?
Ornithopods
Thyreophora
Theropods
Sauropods
Sauropods
In terms of weight and length, sauropods were the biggest. The biggest were over 100,000 pounds and almost 90 feet long!
The word “megafauna” is frequently used to refer to Ice Age fauna. How do you define megafauna?
Large plant eaters
Big animals
Many groups of animals
Wide-winged animals
Big animals
The term “megafauna” combines the two roots “mega,” which means “great or big,” and “fauna,” which refers to animals or to a place, time, or group.
Although they don’t know for sure, scientists have a good concept of when dinosaurs became extinct. When did dinosaurs essentially become extinct?
5 years ago.
66 million years ago.
65 million years ago.
55 million years ago.
66 million years ago.
Approximately 66 million years ago, an asteroid collision likely caused the rapid extinction of dinosaurs.
The fossil remnants of this animal show a relationship between dinosaurs and birds.
Pterodactyl
Archaeopteryx
Pteradon
Rahonavis
Archaeopteryx
The name “archaeopteryx,” which means “ancient wing” in Greek, refers to the earliest bird species that has ever been discovered.
Which of the following incredible achievements may have been accomplished by the apatosaurus, a big herbivore with a long neck and long tail, according to recent research?
Wrap around tree limbs and climb up
Dig up roots
Create a sonic boom
Carry eggs that are incubating
Create a sonic boom
These magnificent dinosaurs are thought to have been able to move their tail at supersonic speeds in order to produce a sonic boom.
The teratorn is believed to be the largest bird ever to fly, about how much do scientist believe adult teratorns weighed?
160 pounds
50 pounds
100 pounds
40 pounds
160 pounds
It is estimated that adult teratorns weighed between 160 and 175 pounds.
Scientists think they have calculated the approximate top speed of a fully grown Tyrannosaurus using computer simulation. What is the top running speed of these dinosaurs?
60 MPH
18 MPH
65 MPH
3 MPH
18 MPH
Although they are sometimes portrayed as having quick feet, their top speed is currently estimated to be 18 MPH, which is lower than the top speed of many humans. Usain Bolt set a human speed record of 27.8 MPH.
Which sequence is proper for categorizing the various dinosaur time periods?
Cenozoic, Permian, Denovian
Cretaceous, Triassic, Jurassic
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous
Jurassic, Cretaceous, Triassic
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous
Between 252 and 201 million years ago, the Triassic epoch existed. From 201 to 152 million years ago, the Jurassic, and from 152 to 66 million years ago, the Cretaceous.
The first assembled entire T-Rex skeleton is on display at the Burpee Museum in Rockford, Illinois. What was the name given to this creature?
Jasper
Jane
Paula
Nina
Jane
In 2001, Jane was found in Montana. The skeleton was ultimately put on display after four years of preparation.
The dire wolf resembles the grey wolf in terms of size and shape. Which of the following statements on the comparison between dire and grey wolves is FALSE?
The dire wolf had a stronger bite
The dire wolf was more muscular
The dire wolf had a smaller brain
The dire wolf was faster
The dire wolf was faster
Due to its slower speed and shorter legs than grey wolves, dire wolves eventually went extinct.
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