Use This Map to Find Out Which Dinosaurs Lived in Your Area
Like many children, I survived the dinosaur phase. The thought of these giant monster lizards roaming the earth instead of humans was both frightening and intriguing to me. Therefore, when my teacher told us that dinosaurs also live in our area, I needed to learn more. This was primarily associated with digging holes in the forest in search of dinosaur bones, and then, after a few weeks, finding the indicated holes and trying to convince ourselves that these were actually dinosaur footprints. (Deep down, I knew the truth.)
But that was all before the Internet. Today, kids have access to all kinds of dinosaurs and other information with just a few clicks, including this map that shows which dinosaurs lived in your area. Here’s how to use it.
How to use the dinosaur card
First of all, the credit for this map belongs to the Californian paleontologist Ian Webster , who is also behind a number of other interesting technological projects . Using the map is pretty straightforward. Enter your hometown (or whatever area you want to explore) and get ready to learn some facts. By default, the map dates back 240 million years ago, but you can change this from the dropdown menu at the top of the page. You can also select a specific period from the drop-down menu on the right, from “first multicellular life” to “extinction of the dinosaurs.”
Directly below the box where you entered the name of the place, you will find several examples of dinosaurs and other early creatures that lived in the area, based on the fossils found in the region. Another great feature is to go back 750 million years ago and see where on earth your city was geographically located. Then, if you change the dates to be more recent, you can see how continental drift worked and how we ended up in our current locations on the planet.
In addition to being a useful study tool, Webster also designed a map for entertainment, he told CNN :
“This is intended to inspire admiration and hopefully respect for the scientists who work every day to better understand our world and its past,” he said. “It also contains funny surprises, such as how the US used to be divided by a shallow sea, the Appalachians were very high mountains comparable to the Himalayas, and Florida was flooded.”
Consider this your new online distraction. You are welcome.