REX'S EMAIL about DINOSAURS |
In a message dated 7/9/98 03:32:12, you wrote:<< Hi REX, My name is Heather France. I am 9 years old and live in Port Richmond and I go to St,Adalbert's School. Right now I am using my Cioci Connie's computer to write to you. While doing my dinosaur project for school last semester, I came across a story of Dinosaurs in Poland and I think it was even the one that i did my project about. I can't remember the name but it was the one with the horn head. Could you write me more about this dinosaur and I could read about it the next time I come over Cioci Connie's house and use her computer. Thank You, Heather A. France>>
Hello Heather,
WOW, you are from the neighborhood that Sonny was born in, and his Father went to the same school!! Small Beanie world, this one!!
The most famous horned dinosaur is Triceratops, the one with the 3 horns on his head shield. BUT I think he only comes from North America. Maybe some of his cousins were found in Poland??
Try a net search for that dinosaur and see if its the one you are looking for. And whenever you do any report for school, keep a photocopy for yourself if the teacher does not return them. Then you would always have all that information that you spent so much time getting, on file somewhere.
REX
In a message dated 2/6/98 19:35:09, you wrote:<<Rex, hello! I am 11 yrs. old. All of my friends think that i am immature since i am still interested in dinosaurs. All of the boys tease me too, because i'm a girl and i'm supposed to be interested in dolls and barbies. I don't care though, becuase dinosaurs are a interesting topic and i want to learn more about them. My question for this month is: If dinosaurs were alive today...do you think the world would be the same as it is right now? Because these animals are so big...do you think that we wouldn't be able to have small stores that dinosaurs could stomp on? or do you think that the would be trained pets now? kaily P.S. I am from Wasilla, Alaska >>
Hello Kaily,
The dinosaurs lived at a time when the climate was a lot different than it is now, more tropical. You must be thinking of that Godzilla type monster that trampled everything in sight??
I really doubt that they would even want to live around "civilization" and they were not really all that big to be able to trample stores and topple sky scrapers and such.
Would you want one as a "pet"?? It would be like having an elephant as a pet wanting to sit on your lap as you watch TV!
Don't ever worry about what anybody teases you about. Always be yourself and study what you really like. You will be much happier years from now than those who teased you !!
REX
In a message dated 1/6/98 11:52:11, you wrote: <<Hi Rex, I am Jesse and this is my last weekof school for this year. We will go to Disneyland again and see the wild animal park. I wondered what real dinosaurs used to live in Florida a long time ago and what were they like? Are there stil some dinosaurs living there now,or their relatives? I really like dinosaurs and geology and want to study them when I go to college. I am going to get good grades so I can go to college and Grandma says if I get all A's, she will save her red convertible for me as a graduation from high school present for studying so hard. I am helping take care of (our) convertible and not spill and help keep it clean with no scratches so it will still be nice for me to drive. I am seven and can read and write but I need help to type this question. I love beanies and hope to someday have a dinosaur beanie. It is fun entering a contest . I am reading all your answers about the ecology and history of our planet. You know a lot of things. Thank you Rex. Love from Jesse from Ohio .>>
Hello Jesse,
WOW, I am glad to hear that you like Earth science and fossils. It is really a very kewl subject. School is not really that dificult IF you do work every day and not always put if off till later. Then you get so far behind that you would never catch up!! You seem like you do keep at it though, which is great.
You better take very good care of Grandma's car-- it sounds like a real gem!! That's a lot of years to keep it spic and span!
Although there are rocks from the Mesozoic Era in Florida, which is when we dinosaurs lived, I don't know of any which were actually found there. Maybe some just went there to retire?
REX
In a message dated 30/5/98 02:06:13, you wrote: <<Dearest Rex, My name is Jonathan and i am 16 years old. My question for you is a very serious one and i would be very impresses if you can answer it. My question is why is feces brown and why does it smell. I would also like to know what color dinosaur feces is and if it smells. sincerely, Jonathan>>
Hello Jonathan,
WOW, what a question! Peace said it's a shame you didn't include the place you live because your question would have been included in the list for judging!!
When anything "decomposes" it begins to smell. Whatever you eat enters into the chemical laboratory which is your stomach, and enzymes and other stuff as well as bacteria begin breaking the food into its simpler component compounds which are then used by every single cell of your body as a form of energy producing nutrient.
The actual color of feces varies according to what you eat and your health. Chinese doctors can look at a person's stools and tell something about the condition of the person's body.
Dinosaur feces, when it was fresh and steaming did have an aroma. BUT the fossil dung, known technically as COPROLITES, are petrified, meaning that the original material was replaced by minerals over many millions of years. Thus they are much heavier and the minerals can have all the colours of the rainbow.
They come in all shapes and sizes, from some nice artistic spiral ones, to simple blobs ranging in size from about an inch across to globs a couple feet in diameter!!
If the coprolite is cut and polished, the slabs are beautifully colored and are often found in Sterling silver or gold settings as very creative pendants and other jewelry. A larger one could be halved and used as bookends.
There is a mammal coprolite listed on my friend, Sonny's, page of Vertebrate fossils.
REX
In a message dated 15/4/98 09:47:41, you wrote: <<Hi Rex, I was just wondering since all the scientist are researching ways to bring back things from your time, do you think there will be a chance in my life time to see a real live dinasore? I really like them and collect all kinds of stuff like that. I saw on a movie where they made a park of Dinasores from a old egg or something. I think that it would be neat if you could see creatures from your time and age. I bet it would be the best family reunion ever. My name is Kody Koelling and I live in Washingtion state.. Take care Rex I will send you mail to say hi. >>
Hello Kody,
WOW, wouldn't that be fun!! In the movies they can do absolutely anything, but a real-life scientist has a few more technical problems to deal with.
The prehistoric animal must be so well preserved that complete DNA could be obtained. So far only bits and pieces are able to be found. Of course they could always do some gene splicing and add what they think is missing.
Maybe the easiest one to clone might be a Mastodon or Mammoth from the Ice Age since their bodies have been discovered frozen and so fresh that they ere able to cook the steaks and eat them!!
YES, I think that we shall all see some cloned prehistoric critters in the near future.
REX
In a message dated 13/4/98 13:20:32, you wrote: <<My name is Courtney, and I live in N.J. I have a question about dinosaurs. Why were the dinosaurs so big? thank you >>
Hello Courtney,
The first dinosaurs were NOT much larger than a dog, and through millions of years of change, they became bigger because the larger ones were more successful at surviving.
Even the first whales were a lot smaller than the largest ones living today.
REX
In a message dated 8/4/98 00:58:51, you wrote:<<Dear Rex, My Beanie Baby, Steg ( a good friend of yours) told me that the dinosaurs became extinct because of a giant meteorite that crashed into our planet and destroyed all the dinosaurs. Then, I visited my aunt and her Beanie dinosaur, Bronty (also one of your buddies) argued with my Steg that a comet hit the Earth instead of a meteorite. I asked my science teacher the very next day, and she said that there wasn't enough food for all the dinosaurs to live. So I tried to ask my know-it-all friend, Sheila. Her answer was basically the same thing as my teacher's, only in a longer, nerdier way. She explained that the carnivores (does this include you, Rex?) ate all the Triceratops', and since the Triceratops' ate T-rex's, (Rex!) there were too many of you guys running around, so there wasn't enough food for them and they all died. (Except you, of course!) After that, I tried Dad. He said that the weather got very hot, and the air was so dry that all the plants died. Good-bye, hervibores! (Not Bronty and Steg!) THEN, I asked my mom. She told me the exact opposite of my dad's explaination, which was the weather became too COLD instead of hot, and the dinos all froze to death. (You guys, however, were lucky enough to thaw out.) AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!! I don't know who to believe!!!! You're the only one I know who was around at the pre-historic times, so could you tell me what REALLY happened to the dinosaurs? I really wanna know!! Please E-mail me ASAP!! Thanks, Allison Leonard Pennsylvania>>
Hello Allison,
Nobody really knows why not only the dinosaurs became extinct, but also why many other forms of life disappeared at certain times in the past.
If the environment got much hotter or colder, the plants would change and so would the plant eaters. Then the favorite meals of the meat eaters wouldn't be around anymore.
I personally do not know what happened because my Dad took us all to Illinois when all those things from outer space were whizzing by, and we were in the cave until Father Ty found us.
REX
In a message dated 6/4/98 01:38:08, you wrote: <<Hi Rex! My name is Andrew and I'm nine years old! My best friends and I have a problem. We don't know which dinosaur was more dangerous if we really met them, the T-rex or the Raptor. Two of my friends think it's the T-Rex because he is big and mean. Me and my other friend thinks its the Raptor because he is smaller so it can chase us better than the T-rex. Also I have read in my science books that the raptor has a big brain and is very smart! Can you tell me which dinosaur is more dangerous is a person really met them Rex?? Andrew>>
Hi Andrew,
Well, Freckles helped me on this one!
He said that if you were in front of a Spike and a Blizzard, which do you think would be the most dangerous? The rhino is much larger than the leopard, BUT the leopard can run much faster. Plus, the rhino is sort of slow to figure out where you are-- if you move off to one side, it will take the poor animal a while to figure out where you got to!
The Velociraptor would probably be more dangerous, so if you ever meet one (where ever you live -- HINT!) be very careful! Unless, of course, he happens to be a Beanie-- then just hug him and he will love you to pieces!!
REX
In a message dated 2/4/98 20:14:52, you wrote: <<What color are dinosaurs? I know that you are red, but was the dinosaurs living a long time ago a different color? What about Steg and Bronty? I want to know what color T-rex's, stegosaurus's, and brontosaurus's are. Can you help me? Andrew from New York.>>
Hello Andrew,
The one thing that scientists can't figure out is what color the dinosaurs were. If only bones, some skin, eggs and teeth are discovered, it is impossible to tell color from any of these things.
So they try to use their imagination and color them sort of similar to some living reptiles.
REX
In a message dated 27/3/98 21:06:01, you wrote: <<Hi Rex! My name is Nicki. I think your Homepage is awesome.(Say hi to Sonny for me!) I have a BIG question for you. I thought you were the right dino to ask. Well here it is How did MOST dinosaurs become extinct and beanies begin? Oh Nanook just said hi! He looks up to you (he wants to be a writer and a web-page)Well, must be off bye! Nicki>>
Hello Nicki,
Thanks for your compliment about my web site. Nanook likes to sit and watch me work at the computer. He said hi to his brother.
MOST dinosaurs that ever lived simply died and didn't have enough baby dinos to keep up the line. At the end of their evolution something worldwide must have happened to change the climate and it got too cold for them. Plus the colder climate meant that their food also disappeared. Nobody knows exactly what caused this.
Millions of years later Father Ty decided it was time to clone Beanies because he thought that they would make really good playmates. He is a great innovator and an even shrewder business man.
REX
In a message dated 27/3/98 18:50:12, you wrote: <<Hello Rex, Hi! I'm from Alaska. I was wondering if dinosaurs have ever been to Alaska. Would it be too cold for them? Where would they live? Have you ever been to Alaska? Why are all of the dino's from TY different colored material? Kaily>>
Hello Kaily,
Since there are a lot of rocks from the Cretaceous Period, the Great Age of Dinosaurs, in your State it means that there are also the remains of some of my relatives. I personally have not been there and my friend Sonny has always wanted to visit your State because he is interested in Ice Age fossils and there are many to find there.
Edmontosaurus, named after Edmonton, Canada, was also discovered in Alaska. Check a local museum to see if they have any field guides to fossils in Alaska and they will probably have info on the latest discoveries.
When my relatives lived the climate was a lot warmer than it is now. Dinosaurs have even been found in the Antarctic. In their time there were a lot of weird looking trees and many other forms of life. Things were much different then.
Since nobody knows what color they were, Tye died dinosaurs are kewl, don't you think so?
REX
In a message dated 20/3/98 23:23:21, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, Hi! I'm eight and want to be an archeologist when I grow up. I would like to know what is the tallest dinosaur? I'm pretty sure that I know the answer, but I wanted to check with an expert. Thank you, Christopher>>
Hi Christopher,
Remember that an "archaeologist" studies ancient human cultures, not dinosaurs. A "vertebrate palaeontologist" is someone who studies fossils from animals having a backbone.
Brachiosaurus was one of the tallest of my cousins, reaching a height of some 52 feet and weighing up to about 50 tons. Mamenchisaurus had the longest neck, about 49 feet long, and maybe if he stood with his neck straight up, he would be taller than the first one.
REX
In a message dated 16/3/98 22:55:15, you wrote: <<Hi, My question is a question about fossils. When scientists find a new kind of dinosaur how do they find out how to start assembling the fossils? Thanks, Christine Pennsylvania>>
Hello Christine,
When you study vertebrate palaeontology, the science of fossil animals with backbones, you learn that all animals have basically the same basic structure and bones. Dinosaurs has heads, eyes, neckbones and legs that are very similar to reptiles and other animals living today. That is the science called "Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy".
Once a student knows all about the bones of living animal types, he or she can then look for similar ones in the fossil dinosaurs and reconstruct where they belong, giving us an idea of what the dinosaur looked like.
REX
In a message dated 16/3/98 00:44:33, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, I really love dinosaurs! And I really want to adopt one of you! But I can't afford it.I am a kid and this is supposed to be a toy!I guess I'll have to save up my money for a really long time(100 thousand years=1,000$) Any suggestions? Sincerely, Stephanie>>
Hi Stephanie,
Well, although my friends Bronty, Steg and I are retired, this year you will be able to adopt one of the new prehistoric animals that will appear, so be on the lookout!
100,000 years is not really that long to wait-- I have been around for much longer!
REX
In a message dated 3/3/98 17:47:39, you wrote: << Hello Mr. Rex, How are you? I am fine. We have new restaraunt opening across from my house. It is called the "The Dinasaur Bar-B-Q Pit", and it is really cool! My dad says that they have one in Syracuse where my friend Keith lives. Anyway, my dad and I met a owner yesterday and he was real nice and gave us free coupons. I want to pay him back by giving him a Dinasaur Beanie so that he can display it in the restaurnt. That would be so cool! My question for you is: What dinasaur Beanies do they have? and are any cheap enough to buy so that I don't have to empty my piggy- bank? My father said he would give me five dollars because he said he thought that it was nice of me to want to give something back. Well, if you could let me know what dinasaur Beanies exist, that would be great. Do they make a Tyranasores Rex? Jeremy from Rochester, New York >>
Hello Jeremy,
There are only 2 other dinosaur playmates that I have right now, Steg and Bronty. Sonny, my human friend, has predicted that at least another new one will appear this year, which would be good for you because his adoption fee would not be more than the normal $5-6.
So I guess that you will have to wait a while before you can do the restaurant owner a favor for being nice to you.
REX
In a message dated 2/3/98 17:02:28, you wrote: <<My name is Ryan. I am 10 yrs old and from Florida. I just did a report in school about dinosaurs, mostly the plated ones. My question is this. Because my friends and i were fighting about it. They say that the shows that have cave men and dinsosaurs are right and i am wrong. I think that people were not living when dinos were. They say they were. Who is right? My mom wanted to know if you really have koi like we do. i sure hope you dont have a pond in your house like we do.. they are too loud. >>
Hello Ryan,
You are the intelligent one-- my dinosaur cousins were all extinct way before even the more primitive cave men appeared.
The movies and cartoons that have people and dinosaurs together are cute and all that, but are not meant to be taken so seriously. That's one of the reasons why an education is important, so we can distinguish between what is fact and what is untrue.
YES, my human friend, Sonny, has 3 koi ponds but they are in the garden. Since he feeds them cat food because it is a lot less expensive than fish food, they do sometimes meow loudly at night! And when he pets them they even purr!
REX
In a message dated 2/3/98 01:13:18, you wrote: <<Hi Rex! I'm a 10 year old girl name Stephanie from California at AwsomePup@aol.com.I was wondering how long dino's were on earth before they were extict and how many types of Dino'd there are. Thanz Love, Stephanie >>
Hello Stephanie,
My dinosaur relatives lived from about 230 million years ago and stayed around for close to 165 million years. Gosh that's way longer than humans have been here!
There are over 500 different kinds of dinosaurs known today, and many new ones are discovered each year.
REX
In a message dated 21/2/98 08:36:20, you wrote: <<Hi Rex, My name is Elizabeth and I am in the seventh grade. We have studied dinosaurs some in school and I would like to know why you think the dinosaurs became extinct. I hope you will be able to answer my question soon. Thank you and I love my beanie babies very much. >>
Hello Elizabeth,
Any animal or plant becomes "extinct" when conditions for living become very different, making it difficult to survive. Some changes can happen much faster than the organism is able to "adapt" or "evolve" to the new conditions.
It could mean some catastrophe, such as a large meteorite or Comet that landed on Earth, changing the climate for many years.
That could mean a big temperature difference when the normal food supply isn't there anymore.
Perhaps other animals came into the picture that ate the dinosaur eggs or were better at changing with the new warmer or much colder climate.
Scientists really do not know why all of my relatives became extinct.
Steggy says that when you Love your Beanies that they are sure to Love you very much too!
REX
In a message dated 13/2/98 06:43:29, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, (King of the Dinosaurs) Hi! How are you? I live in Phoenix, Arizona and it is very, very hot in the summertime!! I don't think any of your relatives lived here but I'm not 100% sure. My question is: How can the scientists tell how old you dinosaurs are? I know how to tell how old I am, but how can anyone tell how old something or somebody was before any history books were written?? I am in the 4th grade and maybe I can do something abouth this on my next research project. Maybe you could get me started? Thank you very much. Have a nice day. Rachael Pettee>>
Hi Rachael,
YES, some of my relatives lived in Arizona. If you go to the museum at Flagstaff you can meet some of them.
Scientists can tell how old dinosaurs and even older fossils are by studying the rocks they found the petrified animals or plants in. They can make tests on some of the the minerals in the rocks to figure out more or less their age in millions of years. If you look at some of my other answers to similar questions you will find more details.
Now days you can find all kinds of information about any project you might like to do by going to net or web SEARCH. Type in the word you are looking for, like FOSSIL, and you will get thousands of web sites with loads of informmation for your science project. Then all you have to do is pick a couple and find the information on DATING FOSSILS and print the stuff so you can use it as a reference in your project.
Remember that ANY science project needs to have some references listed at the end of the report. This helps other students who might read the report to find more information about the subject, PLUS it shows the teacher that you did a lot of research for your project.
It can be a lot easier than going out to the library and loking for books! But I still love to read books even though my human friend, Sonny, lets me use his computer when ever I want.
REX
In a message dated 6/2/98 22:19:34, you wrote: << Hello Mr. Rex, This is Jeremy, and I was just wondering if I didn't follow the rules for your contest? Was I supposed to give you my address before a certain time? It is OK and all but I just wanted to make sure that I didn't do something wrong where you might have picked my question as a winner but gave it away because you did not have my address. Oh well, I am not upset that I didn't win. It is not the reason I sent the question. I just wanted an answer (and by the way, thank you). I do have another question that is related to my first one: How soon before Adam and Eve did the Dinasaurs die. Where there ANY still walking around when they were living. Didn't there have to be because my teacher told me that crocodiles and aligators are related to Dinasaurs. can I ask more? Were the dead dinasaur bones all over the place or were they buried deep in the ground like they are now. I would think that way back in Adam and Eve time the bones had not yet been buried deep into the earth. What do you think? It must have looked like one of those Elephant burial sites I saw last month on the Discovery channel -- but the bones would have been MUCH bigger! Thank you for listening, Jeremy >>
Hello again this month Jeremy,
Nice to hear from you again. You did not have to include your "address", just the State you live in, and you forgot again this time!
The dinosaurs disappeared millions of years before Adam and Eve. YES, your teacher is right, crocodiles and alligators are related to dinosaurs, but then again so are birds! BUT they are not the same thing as us dinosaurs, just distant relatives.
When Adam and Eve lived, the dinosaur bones would have been buried already, and if you ever visit Dinosaur National Park you will see that the bones are all piled up sort of like in an elephant burial ground-- and YES, they are larger, most of the time.
Thanks for asking a new question this month. Bronty says hello!
REX
In a message dated 31/1/98 06:39:49, you wrote: <<Rex, You have two other dino friends Bronty and Steg. Which one is you'r BEST friend? Love, Brittany >>
Hi Brittany,
That is an easy question. I really like them both the same. All of my Beanie pals are my "best" friends. They both help me with my emails and all. They said to tell you hello.
REX
In a message dated 27/1/98 01:55:21, you wrote: <<Hi REX my name is Joshua Scheele!!!! I live in oswego,IL!!!! I would love to be your new friend!!!! What was the first dinosaur ever descovered by scientists? Also what was the first dinosaur ever to rome the earth? Is the tarodacto the only dinosaur that cam fly? Those are my questions REX!!!! So please e-mail me a response. It's ok if you can't answere all or any of them. Rex my time is running short so I will talk to you later ok bye!!!!!! <3-------------ya later REX>>
Hi Josh,
Probably the first dinosaur ever discovered by a human was found by prehistoric man, only he didn't know what he was looking at.
The first dinosaur ever described was Megalosaurus, named by an English geologist, William Buckland, in 1824. Then in 1825 Gideon Mantell, a British doctor and amateur fossil hunter named Iguanodon-- which the famous French palaeontologist Cuvier thought was a mammal! Can you believe that my friend Sonny has books by all of these early scientists in his research library. My Beanie pals love to read his books because they always learn something new.
Scientists will probably never know which was the absolute "first" dinosaur-- mainly because fossils are so VERY rare. Not every plant and animal that ever lived gets fossilized. It might be like 1 in 10,000 or even way less!
Pterodactyls were a whole group of flying reptiles known as Pterosaurs, not exactly dinosaurs. They were the first animals with backbones that were able to fly. NONE of the dinosaurs ever flew, except my pal Steggy and I when we went once with Sonny to the Canary Islands. That was kewl!
Seven fossils of Archaeopteryx, another flying reptile that some scientists think is a link between birds and reptiles, have been discovered up till now. They lived about 150 million years ago and are more closely related to dinosaurs than were the Pterosaurs.
REX
In a message dated 26/1/98 23:59:37, you wrote: <<Hi Rex! I love your name! I'm glad the paleontologists named you Rex.Well, I have a question, what happened really to the dinosaurs? And what color where they? Well, I'm sure we'll never know what color they were.Thanks for reading my E-Mail, have a nice day. From, Gex ( Ronny Masse ) i'm 12 years old and live in Florida>>
Hello Ronny,
Sorry to tell you that noone will ever know exactly why all the dinosaurs became extinct. There are lots of theories though, and I wrote about some of them in other emails below this one.
Scientists can not tell what color the dinosaurs were just from their fossils, so that is another mystery. I like my colors!
REX
In a message dated 24/1/98 16:23:27, you wrote: <<IS THERE ANY WHERE IN MASSACHUSETTS THAT THEY HAVE FOUND FOSSILS OF REX? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, I WOULD LOVE TO VISIT SUCH A PLACE.I WOULD TELL MY TEACHER, REX RULES TJ >>
Hello TJ,
WOW, your State has a long history of dinosaur discoveries. The first dinosaur footprints in the U.S. were discoovered there, in South Hadley in 1802, and are now on display at the Pratt Museum at Amherst College.
Some of the first dinosaur bones were found way back in 1855 in Springfield. The really first ones came from your neighbooring State, Connecticut, in 1818!
My REX family never got to your State, but a bunch of my other relatives did. Sonny, my human friend, even has a kewl pic of some dinosaur footprints from Massachussets on the fossil section of this website, under "vertebrates". Check it out.
Rainbow said that if you visit a local museum you will probably find loads of books about fossils in your State and maybe they even have a geology club that you could join. Most clubs take fieldtrips looking for fossils and minerals.
If you write to the State Geological Survey they will send you a list of inexpensive publications about fossils. Tell them you are a student working on a science project.
REX
In a message dated 19/1/98 06:28:00, you wrote: <<HI REX,HERE IS MY QUESTION HOW MANY DINOSAURES HAVE THEY FOUND JUST LIKE YOU ,AND ALSO WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIEND DINOSAURES MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS MoMu THANKS ALOT REX AND HAVE A GOOD DAY>>
Hi Mo,
I think you are asking me how many fossils have they found of my rex family and the other dinosaurs??
The bones of thousands of dinosaurs have been found all over the Earth, and many more are discovered each year somewhere in the world, including new ones. But MOST of the skeletons are not complete.
REX
In a message dated 19/1/98 21:12:53, you wrote: <<How do the scientists that study dinosaurs know all that they know about dinos? I mean, like, how do they know what they ate, what they looked like, how big, what color, and how they acted? Thanks a lot! Mary>>
Hi Mary,
WOW, that's a lot of questions for one email! Let's start with what they looked like.
When scientists have enough bones from an almost complete skeleton, they can study the bones and figure out where the muscles were attached and how big they were. Then, like a sculptor, they use modelling clay to attach the muscles where they go. Probably they have come up with a computer program that does it all a lot easier and faster! Once all the muscles are in place, they know what the dinosaur looked like and how big they were.. They can not tell what color they were just from the bones. That is all guesswork.
What they ate depends on what kind of teeth they had. Long sharp pointed teeth usually mean that they ate meat. Flatter, more rounded teeth suggests that they munched on plants. Compare the teeth of a dog or cat with those of a horse, for example, and think what they eat. Do you know that birds "eat" small sand and stones to grind up their plant food-- the parakeet is an example. Well some dinosaur skeletons also have rounded stones in their stomachs called GASTROLITHS that they probably used to grind their plant food !
How they acted is a little more difficult to figure out. Meat eaters were probably somewhat agressive, sort of like a lion in the wild. Since many dinosaur "nests" have been found, complete with eggs, scientists now know that some dinosaurs made them and cared for their young. So they were not at all like those nasty dinosaurs in the horror movies that you might see. Like any good parent they cared for their young and they hunted for food to feed their family.
REX
In a message dated 15/1/98 02:28:16, you wrote: <<Hi Rex, I was just wondering... Are dinosaur fossils the same material as Human bones? I think that would be neat, if they weren't. And, also, give a Big hug to all the Beanies in the nursury and tell them I love them all!!! Thanks!! ~*~*~*~Kaylee~*~*~*~* >>
Hi Kaylee,
The actual dinosaur fossils, the bones, skin impressions, teeth and all are "petrified" meaning that they are not now the same material they were made of when my cousins were alive.
Petrified means that the original skeleton material, which was like our own bones and all, was changed over millions of years by minerals which made the bones and stuff much harder, and in some cases a lot more colorful than the originals.
All my Beanie friends have gathered around and send you a big Beanie hug and they all love you too.
REX
In a message dated 13/1/98 19:55:45, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, I'm a 12 year old girl and I'm BEANIE CRAZY. I am curious to know, What was the first dinosaur ever to live and was it male of female???>>
HI Beanie Crazy,
Is that your real name?
Scientists are also very curious BUT do not know "exactly" which one was the absolutely first dinosaur. They tell me that maybe he has not been discovered yet. They do know that that were smaller than I am, more or less chicken sized! WOW, a big difference!!
The first pre-dinosaur mommy had several FIRST dinosaur babies, and there were both girls and boys, although the male was born first. Steggy says that he never thought of that type of question before! He says hello to you.
REX
In a message dated 13/1/98 01:15:40, you wrote: << Dear Rex, I'm a 10 year old girl and I have one question, Have scientists found every different kind of dinosaur there is [ fossil or bones ], or do scientists think they're are still other dinosaurs yet to be discovered? >>
Hi Noma,
Scientists still find at least one new dinosaur kind every month! So there are still a whole lot to find. Maybe you could study fossils and discover a couple.
My human friend Sonny even discovered a new Ice Age walrus a couple years ago!
REX
In a message dated 12/1/98 05:17:22, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, is there ever going to be a Ankylosauras please cause i think u and that dinosaur RULE really never knew what BB are when u were out but im very sad cause i REALLY wanted u once i fpoound out i'm depressed when people give him out for about $432 and ect. but i was just going to ask u that question well i guess later i can get it for about $324 without the tag. Your Friend, Moe >>
Moe,
I see you like Anky too. He is a younger relative of Steggy and has a "club" on the end of his tail.
Barnum Brown, the same guy who discovered the first REX bones was the first scientist to name Ankylosaurus! Isn't it a small world?
YES, there will be more prehistoric Beanies BUT you will have to wait to see which ones.You will be very surprised! Make sure you get some this time around!
REX
In a message dated 10/1/98 03:03:52, you wrote: <<i am 7 yrs old .i am in the first grade,i do not know if this is a good ? or not but which dinosaur has the most bones i would like to know for my show and tell tomorrow thanks alot.>>
Hello,
Dinosaur bones are the most common fossils that scientists find from my relatives. If you study the bones of different animals you will discover that they are all basically the same kinds and have mostly the same names.
The exact number of bones that all the different kinds of dinosaurs had is not known because totally complete skeletons are very rare. And the biggest and longest dinosaurs did not always have the most bones. Their bones were simply larger!
Do you think that you or a giraffe have the most neck bones? Look that up and you might be surprised.
The dinosaur with the most neck bones was my great, great uncle, Mamenchisaurus, who had 19 what they call cervical vertebrae. And Diplodocus had about 80 bones in his tail. These bones are called caudal vertebrae.
Well, at least you know which dinosaurs had some of the longest necks and tails!
REX
In a message dated 9/1/98 22:23:45, you wrote: <<I wondered how did the dinosaurs become extinct?>>
Hi,
Scientists do not know exactly why all my cousins became extinct. Some say that the climate got too cold because the Sun became less active and had less sunspots than it does now. Others think that is got a lot colder because of volcanos or a comet causing a lot of clouds and the Sun couldn't heat the Earth for many years.
That would be a good topic for a report in your science class.
REX
In a message dated 8/1/98 22:51:28, you wrote: <<i'm also wondering about dinos, but being half asleep, I forgot to type my question, and instead put the next question. Here is my second question- How many different types of dinosaurs are there? Thanx! >>
Hi,
It seems as if you like to write when you are sleepy. So do I, but Steggy usually keeps me awake telling me dinosaur jokes and all.
Right now there are over 450 different main kinds (scientists call them GENERA) of us known. And there are a lot of different types of most of the genera.. So that would make the total number of all types and kinds of dinosaurs like in the thousands! And every year more new dinosaurs are discovered somewhere in the world.
WOW, I never thought about how many of us there were. It's a good thing they are not all alive today because we would all have computers and would spend 24 hours a day emailing each other!
REX
In a message dated 8/1/98 22:14:44, you wrote: <<Hi Rex! I am a 5 year old boy so my mom is writing this for me. My question is this.....I overheard from a grownup that Lizards keep growing until they die. If this is true and the people in the Bible days lived a long time, then is that where dinosaurs come from, just large lizards? Goodbye! Love, Blake >>
Hi Blake,
First, I am glad you signed your letter. A lot of kids don't and then I have to say just "Hi". I like to call my friends by their first names, don't you?
Well, the grownups were right, in most cases. Did you know that plants and trees also keep growing until they die ? That's why there are some really big trees around. Aren't you glad that your dog or cat doesn't always get bigger? WOW, imagine!
If you look in the books about animals you will find that most animal types always got bigger and bigger, but it always took a long time, millions of years. Take for example the small fossil whales and the modern extra big ones.
YES, the first reptiles were a lot smaller than the dinosaurs. And did you know that the oldest dinosaurs were about the size of a dog. It took a very long time for them to change, and scientists call this EVOLUTION.
With Beanies it is totally different though. For example the bigger Seamore evolved into his smaller relative Teenie Seamore, and it only took a couple years!
REX
In a message dated 7/1/98 23:54:49, you wrote: <<Dear Rex- I was wondering about dinosaurs!!!! Can you tell me ALL about your fave Archeologist??? I am thinking about being one when I grow up, so I would like to know more about them, and how their jobs work. THANKS! Can you please put me on your Jan. REX questions page? >>
Hi Mir,
An archaeologist is a person who studies old civilizations, like ancient Egypt and American Indian sites that are hundreds of years old and all. That is not the same as a palaeontologist, somebody who studies about dinosaurs and other animals and plants that lived on the Earth millions of years ago.
I guess my favorite archaeologist would be Howard Carter, the one who discovered King Tut's tomb in Egypt. He is Batty's favorite too.
And the palaeontologist who I like most is Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. He studied fossil man who came way after us dinosaurs. de Chardin worked with some other well-known palaeoanthropologists (WOW, how is that for a long word! You could do a science report about it.) who discovered the famous Peking Man many years ago. I even have a bronze bust of Teilhard sitting in the nursery and all the Beanies always ask about him.
REX
In a message dated 7/1/98 17:38:20, you wrote: <<Hello Mr. Rex, My Name is Jeremy , I am 12 years old and want to know something. I love Dinasaurs, but I learn in school about Adam and Eve, and in Sunday School about Cain and Abel and Lot, but when do my teachers talk about T-Rex and other Dinasaurs? Did the Dinasaurs come after Adam and Eve? or before? I am very confused. Thank you Mr. Rex>>
Hi Jeremy,
WOW, what a great question! You see, God wrote a book called the Bible and all the people you mention are in it. It has a lot of pages and I think it has been a best seller for ages. Have you read part of it in Sunday School? In the Bible God tells us lots of things, just like Jesus did when he was on Earth, and he tried to show people how to be good and to love everybody else.
All my Beanie friends read the Bible and other religious books such as the Koran and the Talmud (Do you know what they are? If you do a "Net Search" you will find loads of references that you can learn all kinds of great stuff in. I just searched for "Holy Bible" and there were 20,530 items listed!) but we don't see anything about us dinosaurs in them, except that we must have been created with all the other land animals on the 6th Day, just BEFORE the Creator made Adam and Eve.
Have you asked your science teacher about us dinosaurs? There are a lot of childrens' books about dinosaurs and other fossils. Maybe you could go to your Public Library and look for a couple.
According to the Bible, God created animals BEFORE Adam and Eve, so check out the Book of Genesis, (Chapter 1, verses 24-27) the very first part of the Bible, and you will find it all in there.
REX
In a message dated 1/1/98 20:39:05, you wrote: <<Hi Rex! I love science! And Beanie Babies!I have a couple questions for you I hope they will keep you buisy!(Is that spelling right?)You said that you had lived in a lot of places! What was your favorite place to live? (Becides here at TY!) Was Mr.TY Warner suprised when he saw you in that cave?(I would be!) How are Bronty and Steg? I think you all are soooo cute. Id do almost anything to have one of you! I would have 54 other beanies to be your friends! Just guess what we did in school.We made molds and casts of fossils! Now i am doing an essay on a dinosaur.It is on the Velociraptor.Did you happen to know any Velociraptors 65 million years ago? Oh how stupid of me i forgot to introduce myself!Im Nicki.Im 11years old and in the 6th grade. Well i guess thats it for now.Bye Rex! Nicki >>
Nicki,
Your spelling is not bad. Mine is sometimes worse because my claws keep ketting stuck in the keyboard.
My all time favoritist place to live is right here in New Jersey. I have loads of Beanies to play with all day and it is kewl fun.
Mr. Warner was VERY surprised to see the gang of us in that cave! He didn't even know there was a cave under his place. Incidently, his geraniums are doing fine!
Bronty and Steg are sitting beside the keyboard watching me write to you. They said to say "hello" from them.
WOW, you made casts of fossils at school! Sonny, my friend, likes to do that too. Then he puts little wires in them when the plaster is still wet so he can hang the really kewl ones on the wall in his workroom. And he paints them too. The whole wall is covered with his casts. Even has some really kewl footprints made by some of my cousins.
Of course I knew a couple Velociraptors where I used to live. They were from Russia, visiting my Dad for a couple months. One was named Boris, and he used to run so fast I could never catch up to him!
Hope you do well in your essay on Boris. That would make him very happy, wherever he is now-- haven't heard from him in Ages.
REX
In a message dated 1/1/98 22:43:52, you wrote: <<Hi Rex!
Thanks for repling to my letter I appreciate it a lot. Oh,i forgot to
tell you! I was just talking to my beanies and said i had heard from you. They were so excited i also told them that I may win a beanie! Can you guess how excited they were! They all wanted to know who will be reciving a knew home."Who is it!" exclamed Quackers." Is he retired? I hope so I may have I new Retired buddy!" said Lefty. Please respond soon the beanies are starting to get roudy! Im afraid they are going to burst with excitment!
Nicki
In a message dated 2/1/98 05:02:38, you wrote:<<How do dinosaur fossils get into rocks that are so deep underground? How many questions can I ask, because I have other questions?>>
Hi Kaley,
The real dinosaurs that had the bones that they find today did not live "in" the rocks. They lived like you and I and all my Beanie friends, usually on the Earth's surface.
But when they die, their bodies got covered with sand and mud and all, and over millions of years more sand and mud was deposited on top of their bones and it all hardened into rock. And that is where scientists find them today.
Did you ever look after a heavy rainstorm how the soil gets washed into piles on a low section of the yard? Or look at a mountain and see how there are very large triangles of loose stones and all at the bottom? That is how it all starts.
Then over millions of years the layers get very thick, and all the pressure and other things sort of cements the pieces together forming a hard rock.
You could do a science fair project about how rocks form. Check out the internet and look for "sedimentary rock", "metamorphic rock" and "fossil"-- you will get zillions of sites with more info.
You can ask all the questions you want, but not every day! I want to have some time to just hang out with Peace and my other Beanie friends. And we all go to school too, so we can be real intelligent.
REX
In a message dated 2/1/98 06:21:42, you wrote:<< Is there a dinosaur bigger than you and if there is, what is his name? Will he be a Beanie Babie? >>
Hi Beau,
There were loads of dinosaurs much taller and longer and heavier and smarter than I am. I remember I always had to look way up to see their faces.
One of the biggest that I can remember is my ole buddy Ultrasaurus, a.k.a Brachiosaurus. He is a bit older than I am. WOW, even my ole Beanie buddy Bronty is about twice as long as I am. How the ground thunders when we run and play!
I have been bugging Ty to make me some more fossil friends to hang out with and he always tells me he is working on it!
REX