Northeastern Section - 42nd Annual Meeting (12–14 March 2007)

Paper No. 12
Presentation Time: 1:00 PM-4:45 PM

MARINE REPTILES OF THE MESOZOIC: A TEACHING MODULE


COLABELLA, Alicia C. and DOMACK, Cynthia R., Geoscience Department, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323, cdomack@hamilton.edu

A teaching module was developed focusing on three large predatory groups of marine reptiles from the Mesozic Era. Information for the unit was gathered from many sources, primarily from recent texts, with use of some supplementary Internet sources. Images were collected from books using an Epson 4180 Image Perfection scanner and edited for size and visibilty in Adobe Photoshop. In additon to PowerPoint visuals for all three of the groups, namely Ichthyosaurs, Mosasaurs, and Plesiosaurs, the module contains an accompanying script to the slides and a supplemental handout. The unit was designed to draw attention to the fascinating, but often neglected, reptilian life in the sea during the Mesozoic. Although implemented at Hamilton College in Professor Cynthia Domack's Geoscience 290:Paleontology course, the module is flexibile and can be used at the pre-college level as well.