Reptile Jigsaws
Dinosaurs were reptiles, the same type of animals as snakes, lizards, and turtles. They came in all shapes and sizes. Some were tall, and some were small. Some had sharp teeth and claws. Their bones help us find out about these reptiles that lived in the past.
After scientists dig up the bones, they must set them together like a jigsaw puzzle. This isn’t an easy job because many bones may be missing or broken. At times, there may be just one or two bones, like an arm bone or a jaw fragment.
Scientists study the parts they find. They check the teeth to see how the dinosaur chewed its food. They study the leg bones to see how it walked. Then they work in teams to make the jigsaw puzzle. Artists draw what the reptile may have looked like. They craft the missing bones from glass and install bolts to join all the parts. The finished puzzle is a model of what the real dinosaur looked like.
The puzzle may end up with flaws because no one has seen a real dinosaur. But if you pause and study a display about them, there is still so much you can learn.
We may never find out what these extinct reptiles looked like, but the jigsaw puzzles show us a lot. We can tell which ones glided like hawks or were as harmless as fawns. It’s interesting and fun to learn as much as we can about the past.