Kobold King Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Hello there, 17th Shard. This fine forum is a wonderful place to meet people with similar interests to oneself. Aside from the uniting fandom of Brandon Sanderson, I've seen people commute over a wide variety of shared interests. There is one interest of one that I have held since I was a wee little lad and persists to this day: the amateur study of paleontology. I am obsessed with dinosaurs and extinct life in general. The idea that marvelous beasts roamed the Earth millions of years before our species fills me with wonder. When I'm not reading about Allomancers or alien races, I can be found enthusiastically digging into all manner of dinosaur-related texts, be they Thomas Holtz's Dinosaur Encyclopedia or Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. While bragging would be wholly unlike me, I pride myself on the useless ability to list factoids about an innumerable number of extinct species. So here is my question to the forum at large: are there any other dinosaur nuts here? Are there any other lifelong fans of the Walking with Dinosaurs documentaries? Are there any others here who own and frequently consult large books searching for obscure species? If so, let us delight in discussing our favorite species and paleontological materials! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 I subscribed to the early access game The Stomping Lands, does that count? I do love dinosaurs and they were one of the things that first got me interested in science but sadly I haven't really kept up with my study of them that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatebreaker Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Finally, another Fossil Fanatic. I am an avid amateur paleontologist and have a wide variety of fossils I collected, including but not limited to a tooth from a megalodon, one from a mosasaurus, one from a spinosaur, and many other fossils of different sorts. I have visited museums and research institutes all over the nation, from Dinosaur National Monument to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. I've even found a few fossils myself, though they weren't too exciting, just some prehistoric mollusk shells. If you have the chance I reccomend visiting the Black Hills research institute in South Dakota, Which is comprised of one of the most fossil-filled museums I've seen and a world renowned Fossil Casting facillity i got to tour. I was planning on going into paleontology as a career, but opted for Herpetology instead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Finally, another Fossil Fanatic. I am an avid amateur paleontologist and have a wide variety of fossils I collected, including but not limited to a tooth from a megalodon, one from a mosasaurus, one from a spinosaur, and many other fossils of different sorts. I have visited museums and research institutes all over the nation, from Dinosaur National Monument to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. I've even found a few fossils myself, though they weren't too exciting, just some prehistoric mollusk shells. If you have the chance I reccomend visiting the Black Hills research institute in South Dakota, Which is comprised of one of the most fossil-filled museums I've seen and a world renowned Fossil Casting facillity i got to tour. I was planning on going into paleontology as a career, but opted for Herpetology instead. Wow, you actually own fossils? The only fossil I've ever seen out of a museum was a clam shell I found in the cow creek. That's awesome! What would you consider to be the pride of your collection? Is the spinosaur tooth from a Spinosaurus, or from Suchomimus or one of its other relatives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatebreaker Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Well, the Megalodon tooth is the biggest and shiniest, but I'm more aof a reptillian fellow myself, so I'd have to say my Spinosaurus tooth. Hmm. favorite dinosaur... Well I'd say it's a toss-up between Deinosuchus and Deinonychus. Runners up: Liopleurodon, Amargasaurus, Therizinosaurids, Allosaurs, Styracosaurus, the list goes on and on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Hmm. favorite dinosaur... Well I'd say it's a toss-up between Deinosuchus and Deinonychus. Runners up: Liopleurodon, Amargasaurus, Therizinosaurids, Allosaurs, Styracosaurus, the list goes on and on. You're a fan of Amargasaurus? You just became my best friend. Of course all the dromeosaurs are pretty badchull and awesome. Deinonychus and Utahraptor would be my personal favorites out of that group. Amargasaurus and Shunosaurus are two of my favorite sauropods, while Liopleurodon is the undisputed king of marine reptiles. My favorites of all time are the great auk from more Holocene times, the entire Smilodon genus, and abelisaurs like Carnotaurus and Majungasaurus. I also have a special place in my heart for giant ground sloths like Megatherium. Are there any paleontology-related materials you find particularly helpful or enjoyable? On the fictional front, I'm a big fan of Raptor Red by Robert Bakker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatebreaker Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Another Great Auk aficionado? You're all right. And I always wanted a pet megatherium, they seemed so friendly and chill. It's just like a Saint Bernard. just a little different. a little. I also forgot to mention Nothosaurus as one o' my favorites. As books go The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a classic and a great read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Another Great Auk aficionado? You're all right. And I always wanted a pet megatherium, they seemed so friendly and chill. It's just like a Saint Bernard. just a little different. a little. I also forgot to mention Nothosaurus as one o' my favorites. As books go The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a classic and a great read. Nothosaurus! If I had a time machine, the first thing I'd do is pop back into the Triassic and get me a pet nothosaur. I happen to be reading The Lost World for the third time right now. Wonderful novel; one of Doyle's best, in my opinion. "There are plenty of better men, but there is only one George Edward Challenger." I use a paraphrasing of that line all the time when people criticize me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatebreaker Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 (edited) Did you ever watch Walking with Dinosaurs on the Discovery Channel or When Dinosaurs Roamed America years ago? And did The Land Before Time play a large role in your childhood? Edited August 11, 2014 by Fatebreaker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Did you ever watch Walking with Dinosaurs on the Discovery Channel or When Dinosaurs Roamed America years ago? I own all of Walking with Dinosaurs on DVD, and I remember seeing it on TV years ago. It was back when Jurassic Park III came out, and Tea Leoni was hosting some small trivia bit in between bits of the documentary. It's been a while, so I don't remember many details about the special. I definitely remember When Dinosaurs Roamed America--I've been looking for a chance to rewatch it for years! It introduced me to Zuniceratops and Syntarsus (pardon me, Megapnosaurus ), which have since become some of my many favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 I was curious about dinosaurs when I was a kid, but it's like a lot of topics; I'd like to learn more, but don't know how or where to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tien'sPetLurg Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 All I can contribute to this thread is this: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/dinosaur-valley/dino-tracksI have yet to visit this place, but it's on my list of Things To Do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 I was curious about dinosaurs when I was a kid, but it's like a lot of topics; I'd like to learn more, but don't know how or where to start. Hmm... I'm trying to think of good resources for a relative newcomer to the field. Overall, I'd encourage anyone interested in dinosaurs to simply find a good dinosaur encyclopedia and spend some time with it. The best dinosaur encyclopedias cover a wide range of species from different time periods and regions, giving the reader a good feel for the Age of Reptiles as a whole. They can also introduce their readers to new fields of study they might not have been aware of before, thus encouraging them to find more specialized books. If you're looking for specifics, then I'd eagerly suggest Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages by Dr. Thomas R. Holtz. This book covers every group of dinosaurs known in its own chapter, describing both individual species and characteristics of the major divisions. If you're uncertain what the difference between ornithomimids and dromeosaurs is, or if the words "saurischian" and "ornithischian" make your eyes glaze over, this is the book to consult. I've read it cover-to-cover twice, which is really saying something because it is huge. Well worth any time or energy you spend with it, I assure you! Other than Holtz's masterpiece, I would recommend absolutely anything by Dougal Dixon (OK, his speculative biology works may not be what you're looking for, but they're awesome in their own right.) If you have access to the program, Walking with Dinosaurs and Walking with Prehistoric Beasts are amazing documentaries combining beautifully incorporated scientific fact and breathtaking visual effects. That's all I can think of for now--overall, I'd say that if you're interested in dinosaurs, you could do a lot worse than by simply throwing yourself into whatever source is available to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxal Posted August 17, 2014 Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 Dinosaurs are cool I used to love them as a kid and I was bummed to find my daughter was still to young to go see this live Walking with the Dinosaur live show that's currently in town (not recommended for children under 5) It looked really amazing! And my company has discount tickets http://www.dinosaurlive.com/ They better come back in a few years Last time they were here was 5 years ago I have read Micheal Crichton's Jurassic Park and the Lost World. I have spent some time on the BBC website section on dinosaurs. I am not an expert nor even a refined connoisseur, but I am looking forward to built a volcano with at least one of my kids and I did buy them a whole lot of books on dinosaurs My son has a stuffed volcano with tiny dinosaurs in it.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatebreaker Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 A mentor of mine just gave me a bag full of rocks(I think it's a kind of shale). That's exciting because somewhere within these rocks are trilobites fossils! And I get to excavate them. Yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 A mentor of mine just gave me a bag full of rocks(I think it's a kind of shale). That's exciting because somewhere within these rocks are trilobites fossils! And I get to excavate them. Yes! That's awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 My favorite Dragon would be Deinonychus. I say Dragon because Dinosaurs are dragons, and dragons only went extinct maybe 1,000 years ago. Yup, I'm being serious, and you can feel free to disagree if you want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 My favorite Dragon would be Deinonychus. I say Dragon because Dinosaurs are dragons, and dragons only went extinct maybe 1,000 years ago. Yup, I'm being serious, and you can feel free to disagree if you want Deinonychus is pretty awesome. We know of larger and potentially more ferocious raptors, but Deinonychus is the only one whose fossils are well known. Are you a creationist, or have you drawn your conclusions from other sources of evidence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Are you a creationist, or have you drawn your conclusions from other sources of evidence? Yes I don't have a ton of time at the moment to give my evidence, but here's a link to the best book I've found on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/088270477X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p74_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=14MESVVDCG1SP6MWH6PC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Yes I don't have a ton of time at the moment to give my evidence, but here's a link to the best book I've found on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/088270477X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p74_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=14MESVVDCG1SP6MWH6PC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846 I'll see about taking a look at that book--the theory of evolution has me convinced, personally, but I do try to be fair and examine both sides of the debate. To me it's not so much a theological or scientific debate so much as "which sounds cooler--calling dinosaurs dragons, or calling my chickens dinosaurs?" In all seriousness, I am interested in the creationist-evolutionist debate and am interested to see that both sides are represented on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatebreaker Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 While I generally wouldn't resurrect a fossilized thread, I just had an awesome experience. I was privileged to collect some more shale on a trip and I brought it back with me to further excavate. I saved for a day when I could show my little homies (two of my "cousins", aged 7 and 5) the process. So this sunday after church, the boys and I met in the parking lot to do Science. I brought out the tools and we set to work. Within no time at all we had found several trilobites! Both boys found at least one, and I found around 3. I was able to free one completely from the rack which was awesome! The largest was three inches long! My little homies learned Science, I excavated fossils, it was a good day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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