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- Gastrolith
- Rocks swallowed by certain animals, including some dinosaurs and birds, that aid digestion of food by grinding up the material so it can be processed by the body. Gastroliths are contained in a special area of the digestive tract known as the gizzard. In large dinosaurs, some gastroliths have been found that were the size of baseballs.
- Genus (plural Genera)
- see Classification
- Geologic Time
- The Earth is over 4 BILLION years old. That is an incredibly long time, almost beyond the understanding of most people. Scientists have come up with a number of divisions which they use to measure and categorize time as it passed on Earth. The three types of time categories most commonly used are Era, Period and Epoch. In the Jurassic Park Institute web site, you will find reference primarily to Eras and Periods. The four Eras of the Earth are:
Precambrian - from the very beginning to about 544 Million Years Ago (MYA) Paleozoic - 544 MYA to 250 MYA Mesozoic - 250 MYA to 65 MYA Cenozoic - 65 MYA to the present
Each Era is further divided into Periods, and each Period into Epochs. The Periods we discuss the most in the Jurassic Park Institute are the three that make up the Mesozoic Era. These are:
Triassic - 250 MYA to 205 MYA Jurassic - 205 MYA to 144 MYA Cretaceous 144 MYA to 65 MYA - Geology
- This is the study of rocks, minerals and the Earth itself. It includes understanding how the Earth works and the forces behind the interactions of different parts of the Earth. A geologist is a scientist in the field of Geology who might study volcanoes, crystals, or the various layers of the Earth's surface to determine the age of rocks and fossils. Many paleontologists are also accomplished geologists; they must have this understanding of the Earth to help them determine where to look for fossils and how to determine their age.
- Ginkgoes
- A mostly extinct type of tree, they looked like conifers but had leaves that were shed in the fall - common during much of prehistory. Only one type of ginkgo survives, and that is the Maidenhair, from which the herb ginkgo biloba is extracted.
- Gondwana
- Located in the Southern Hemisphere, Gondwana existed for many hundreds of millions of years prior to the Mesozoic Era. It then became part of Pangaea in the Permian Period and was reformed briefly when Pangaea broke up into two continents at the end of the Jurassic. The Gondwana landmass would then break up even more to eventually become Africa, South America, India, Australia and Antarctica.
- Gymnosperms
- Gymnosperms are plants that do not flower. Many prehistoric plants, including huge tree-like plants, were gymnosperms.
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