Dinosaurs I - The Triassic Period

This is the first in a trilogy of courses focusing on the most successful creatures to have ever existed.

Week One – What events lead to the rise of the dinosaurs? Why do these ecological events don’t happen today? Are there any creatures today living in the ocean depths today that help us understand these early fishes and amphibians? Pangea – the mega-continent – plays a role in migration of dinosaurs to various parts of the world.

Week Two – The Plant Eaters – This class will look at the major plant eaters for the Triassic Period – Colordisasaurus, Sellosaurs and Agrosaurus – and what adaptions these early herbivores achieved in 246 – 206 million years ago.

Week Three – The Predators – Carnivores – This class will look at the dinosaurs that preyed on both the herbivores and omnivores – Ceratorsaurus, Artcosaurus and Euparkeria – This class will look at the adaptions that were developed during the Triassic period – three toed claws, smaller arms and so on.

Week Four – The Omnivores and the Fall of the Triassic Dinosaurs – This class will examine the much smaller group of omnivores during the Triassic period. Attention will be given on the leading theories for the mass extinction for the Triassic dinosaurs and the slow continental shift (breaking up of the super-continent)

This class will be in a live lecture format with additional learning materials provided by Drop Box.