The immense size of the largest dinosaurs has been a source of popular fascination—and a scientific puzzle—since the earliest discoveries. In recent years paleontologists have continued to unearth fossils of record-breaking animals, and at the same time they have started to answer the questions of how and why some dinosaurs got huge.
Paleontologist Matt Wedel has been working on giant dinosaurs for the last 15 years. In this talk he explains why some dinosaurs stopped chewing their food, got pregnant as teenagers, and abandoned their babies in order to go big. Air-filled bones, buried eggs, elephant poop, and sheep that eat seaweed are all part of the scientific quest to understand the largest land animals of all time.
Mathew J. Wedel, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona. He frequently appears in documentaries on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and the History Channel.
This program is part of a series of guest lectures offered at no charge by the museum. Upcoming guest lectures scheduled are David Earle on “Mission Baskets” (April 27), Mark Springer on “Tooth Loss and Molecular Cavities in Placental Mammals” (May 25), and Anthony Metcalf on “Processes That Affect Genetic Diversity (June 22).
The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is 909-307-2669 ext. 229 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.