Dino Diane's Blog - Dino Diane's Adventures

Part I: How I Earned the Nickname Dino Diane

Sun, 25 Sep 2022 08:19:00 GMT

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Part II: Dinosaur Secrets Revealed

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 08:14:00 GMT

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Part III: Maiasaura – Good Mother Lizard

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:06:00 GMT

The Maiasaura is the only female-named dinosaur to date. The name means “good mother lizard,” as she exhibited maternal instincts, like making nests and caring for her young. How does Horner know this? From the tiny eggshell fragments found in the FIRST dinosaur nests ever discovered containing fossilized baby dinosaurs, up to a month or two in age, telling us that the hatchlings stayed in the nest, being fed by their mother.

Other dinosaur nests were discovered at the nearby Egg Mountain site . Here, under Montana’s blue sky, with an ice pick and whisk broom in hand, I thrilled at the discovery of a portion of a dinosaur egg, along with numerous eggshell fragments. It was, at times, tedious, tiresome work, but I felt like I was on top of the world with dinosaur delirium.

As I stood on Egg Mountain, looking down over the badlands, I couldn’t help but wonder: how did so many dinosaurs come to die here? This was a great dinosaur mystery. After years of studying not only the black crumbly fossils, but the geology in the area as well, Horner and his crew of scientists finally proposed a theory. Imagine a large volcano in the Rockies suddenly erupts, spewing poisonous gases and hot volcanic ash into the air, turning the grazing grounds of the herd of unsuspecting Maiasaura into a choking, killing field.

Over time, the stench, millions of flies, and beetles would disappear from the rotting corpses, leaving only the sun-bleached bones, some partially fossilized, to be swept away by a muddy flood so catastrophic that it picked up and carried the bones in a slurry of ash fossil soup to a new location, settling, now beneath my feet.

Jack Horner, his dinosaur discoveries, theories, and adventures were a profound influence on my life, inspiring me to become an award-winning teacher. Now, it is my hope to have a similar positive impact on today’s youth, inspiring a love for learning science through adventures in nature.

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Part IV: Where’s the Chickenosaurus?

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 08:19:00 GMT

Since then, I check in on Jack Horner from time to time to see what he’s up to in the dinosaur world. Jack is now in his mid-seventies and still quite active. I learned that he’s been investigating the real possibility of bringing dinosaurs back to Earth, as suggested in the movie.

But, after many attempts, he’s discovered that you can’t clone dinosaurs with DNA from the blood of a mosquito preserved in amber. Apparently, he says, “All you get is a swarm of mosquitoes and maybe a few trees.” But you may be able to genetically engineer a chicken into a chickenosaurus. Imagine a chicken with teeth, a long tail, and three-fingered hands instead of wings, like a velociraptor or archaeopteryx. Now, that’s a chickenosaurus.

Chickens are dinosaurs. Did you know that? All birds are actually dinosaurs. Today, they are scientifically classified as avian dinosaurs. It’s the non-avian dinosaurs, the T. Rexes, Maiasaura, and stegosaurus-type dinosaurs, that went extinct sixty-five million years ago. So, next time you order chicken McNuggets, know that you are actually eating Dinosaur McNuggets.

My dinosaur digging experien ce inspired a new way of teaching , which I call “Learning through Adventure.” I recreated a dinosaur dig in my classroom with copy paper boxes, digging tools, and wooden dinosaur skeletons. With slides of my actual dig flashing on the classroom wall, I created an exciting atmosphere that engaged my students’ imagination and made learning an adventure.

So, come along with me now on a magical adventure, and together, let’s encourage our youth to strap on their hiking boots and inspire a JOY for learning through adventures in nature.

DOWNLOAD THREE FREE CHAPTERS

The exciting fantasized version of how my character, Diane, earns her nickname Dino Diane in a lost world of living dinosaurs. Your adventure awaits on the Home Page!

Get a free copy of “Digging Dinosaurs” – a Discovery Activity created by D. J. Kristoff at DinoDianesAdventures.com

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How I Held a Thermometer in a Wild Bear’s Rectum

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 08:16:00 GMT

So, I was just out of college teaching science in Arizona when a fellow teacher asked me if I would you like to go on a black bear research expedition with him that weekend. My eyes flew open and I took a big gulp of air. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be asked to go on a bear expedition. But I loved the idea of the adventure, so with some hesitation I said, “OK.”

Early that Saturday morning we meandered through the White Mountains looking for Al’s campsite. Now, Al was the bear expert with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The mountain air was so cool and sweet. It smelled like butterscotch and there was a light mist that hung low over the ground. Did you know that Ponderosa pine trees smell like butterscotch? Well, we finally saw Al’s truck parked in front of a pine tree that looked like it had been shredded. All the bark and branches were ripped off by the trapped bear trying to escape the wire loop around its leg.

We found Al bent over a tranquilized black bear. “You’re just in time,” he yelled. “Little lady, come over here and hold his head. I don’t want a stick to puncture his eye.” I was frozen in my tracks. I’d never seen a bear in the wild before and he seemed huge. But I swallowed my fear, hesitantly nodded “OK” and stripped off my jacket as I slowly sank to the ground next to the bear. I laid my jacket over my crossed legs as Al gently placed the bear’s head in my lap. He was completely motionless, but his dark eyes were open, staring right into mine.

I noticed that his tongue was hanging out the side of his mouth, and I could see the faint glimmer of his white canine. I was so filled with wonder that I couldn’t resist, so I slowly lifted his dark lip and tapped my fingernail on his sharp tooth while I gently rubbed his ear like I would to sooth a puppy.

My initial fears had turned to awe. So, I didn’t hear Al approach from behind, until he startled me with his command, “Diane, hold this!” I turned my head to see that he was holding a thermometer in the bear’s rectum. I gulped and almost burst out laughing. “Sure,” I said, “Why not?”

You know what I learned from this experience, is to always be open to new adventures, even if you have to swallow your fear to muster up the courage. It’s worth it!

Needless to say, this bear experience inspired a similar adventure in my story, without the thermometer, of course!

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