All topics beginning with A: 1-7 of 7 First | ‹‹ Prev | Next ›› | Last
- Algae
- Algae (pronounced Al - gee) is a very primitive, simple form of plant life. It was one of the first types of life on Earth, and still exists today. One type of fossil algae is called stromatolites. These are colonies of algae that trap minerals and then fossilize. Some stromatolites are billions of years old.
- Ammonites
- Ammonites are the final form of the prehistoric branch of a family of animals called Cephalopods (which means head foot). Modern examples of Cephalopods are the squid and octopus. Ammonites resembled these creatures except for one difference, they had shells that were often curved into fantastical shapes. Some ammonite shells were over six feet across. Their eyes, mouth and tentacles would project from the shell, which they could close up if attacked.
- Amphibians
- These are a group of creatures that live in both the water and on land. Although amphibians breathe air, many of them can hold their breath for a very long time - over an hour. Amphibians are born in the water and begin life breathing under water with gills. Salamanders and frogs are modern amphibians
- Anapsid
- Anapsids were primitive reptiles whose skull has no opening behind the orbit (the opening in the skull for the eye).
- Andrews, Roy Chapman
- You may not recognize his name, but Roy Chapman Andrews was the inspiration for a much more well-known movie hero, Indiana Jones. Andrews was hired by the American Museum of Natural History back in 1919 to go to and study the animals, birds and geology of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. He was told that if he saw any fossils, to bring them back as well. What he discovered in a series of expeditions between 1919 and 1930 were some of the most famous and spectacular fossil discoveries ever made. Along the way, Andrews had adventures that seem astounding even by Hollywood standards. He braved sandstorms, fought off bandits, and crossed barren deserts. His expeditions finds include Protoceratops (which bears his name - andrewsii) and other creatures such as the strange mammal Andrewsarchus and the giant mammal Paraceratherium.
- Articulated Skeleton
- When a skeleton is articulated it means that all the bones are in place as they would have been in life.
- Atmosphere
- This is what we refer to as air. It is what scientists refer to as a thin layer of gases surrounding the Earth. This layer is what makes life on Earth possible, and it has changed many times throughout its history. The oxygen content in particular has changed dramatically as the amount of plant life has increased on the land and in the sea. It is believed by some scientists that a higher oxygen content in the Jurassic period made it easier for the larger dinosaurs to get very large. At present, humans are altering the atmosphere by adding unnatural amounts of gases such as carbon dioxide and freon, which destroys ozone and creates a greenhouse effect, increasing the overall temperature of the Earth's surface.
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