This week has been a very Science focused week. We have had a go at being ‘Junior Palaeontologists’ using ‘Dig It Out’ kits. We also had the opportunity to look at, feel, smell and touch real fossils that Mrs Hanigan brought in for us. As well as these activities we created flow charts into how fossils were actually formed, using key details and diagrams. Our final task was to create a fact file about one of the newest Dinosaurs that has been discovered – the Dracoraptor Hanigani! The discovery of this new dinosaur was made as recently as 2014 by the husband of our very own Mrs Hanigan.

 

Here are some key facts about the Dracoraptor that were gathered by Gabriel this week.

  • Dracoraptor was a biped, much like its relatives. The fossil discovered is a Wales 7 foot long(2.1 metre) juvenille with a hip height of seventy centimetres; adults may have been ten feet (three meters) long.
  •  In front of the snout each praemaxilla embraces the front of a very large nostril. The skull bears three premaxillary teeth per side and at least seven maxillary teeth. The teeth are recruved or Dagger shaped. The edges tooth crown are serrated with six to eight denticles per millimetre.
  • The Dracoraptor fossils were discovered in 2014 and 2015 near Welsh Town of Penarth. In March 2014, brothers and amateur Paleontologists Nick And Rob Hanigan while searching for icthyousaur remains at Lavernock Point, the large cape of Cardiff found stone plates containin dinosaur fossils had fallen off the seven metres high cliff face.

 

A big well done to all the class, to Gabriel for allowing us to share his research and to Mrs Hanigan for all her help in bringing in fossils and talking to the class about the Dracoraptor Hanigani