Giant Predators of The Ancient Seas by Ginny Johnston and Judy Cutchins
Giant Predators of The Ancient Seas by Ginny Johnston and Judy Cutchins
Giant Predators of The Ancient Seas by Ginny Johnston and Judy Cutchins
discoveries vol.2
Predators of the
Ancient Seas
seum
State Mu
Giant
lina
oot-
ize, 43-f
This life-s
uth Caro
at
el of a gre
long mod
Predators
s
rk amaze
tooth sha
rham/So
th
t the Sou
visitors a um.
ro lina State M se
u
Ca
a
Joanne B
W
s
r ig in a l painting
and o
o r photos of the
of the
ay o f c o l edators
ary ar r ian t P r t the
h a n e x traordin in f o r m ation, G
e s t o le arn abou
it ng new il clu
l l a s fascinati e n ti s t s use foss a t ever li
ved.
as w e ow s c i a l s t h
res h anim
Ancient Seas
n
ie n t S e as explo s t e x c it ing sea in th e Souther
Anc e mo e firs t
d h a bit ats of th f th e S outh, th S eas give
s
liv es a n a n ts o c ie n t
e Gi e An
o n to Ice Ag d ators of th ures
A com p a n i
r ie s , G ian t P r e
th e g ia nt creat
ss e ok at
iscoverie rward lo
Fossil D , st r a ig h t f o
e r s a n in-depth r ehistory
.
rea d rs o f p
wate
h at p r o wled the
t
Cutchins
Praise for ICE AGE GIANTS OF THE SOUTH, Volume 1 in the Southern Fossil
Discoveries series, from the National Teachers Association:
“The narrative provides questions and answers along with focused information . . .
the photos are great. . . . I recommend Ice Age Giants of the South for middle school students. . . .
Its focus on fossils and the stories they tell should be very interesting to these students.” and
Johnston
Pineapple Press, Inc. • Sarasota, Florida Judy Cutchins and Ginny Johnston
Southern FOS-
discoveries vol.2
Giant
Predators
of the
Ancient
Seas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
www.pineapplepress.com
Cutchins, Judy.
Giant predators of the ancient seas / Judy Cutchins and Ginny Johnston.— 1st ed.
p. cm. — (Southern fossil discoveries)
Includes index.
ISBN 1-56164-237-1 (alk. paper)
1. Marine animals, Fossil—Juvenile literature. [1. Marine animals, Fossil. 2. Prehistoric animals.
3. Paleontology.] I. Johnston, Ginny. II. Title.
First Edition
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
3. Strange Plesiosaurs 24
4. Awesome Fish 32
Glossary 61
Pronunciation Key 62
Index 63
o ne
Fossils
from Ancient
Seas
H ow do we know what kinds of giant
predators swam in prehistoric seas? People
find fossils of these extinct animals, and
were washed in from the shore were buried
by the sediment. Some hard parts, such
as teeth and bones, became fossils. Over
scientists use these clues to identify creatures time, sediment layers grew hundreds or
that lived in the oceans long ago. even thousands of feet thick. The weight
The sea bottom provided ideal conditions of top layers packed deeper layers into a
for fossil formation. Countless microscopic sedimentary rock called limestone.
and larger shelled animals lived in the sea.
When they died, their empty shells settled
on the seafloor, building up over time as
layers of sediment. Mud, clay, and sand Forming
were deposited in the sea by rivers. Fossils
W hen th
Larger animals that died in the water or e skeleto
ns and s
animals hells of
are burie
d for ma
under th ny years
e right c
ondition
minerals s, certain
graduall
y replac
materia e the
l in the b
ones, tee
T his is o th, and s
ne way f hells.
ossils ar
e forme
d.
6
Change has always been part
of the earth’s history. Mountains
have been uplifted and climates
have warmed and cooled. Sea
level has been high at times
and low at others. Over millions
of years, huge numbers of
species of plants and animals
have lived and died out.
7
8
Parts of the southeastern United States
that were covered with seawater in pre-
historic times are today known as the
southern Coastal Plain. This part of North
America is now dry, sandy land. But it was
underwater for millions of years when the
earth’s sea level was higher than it is
today. When sea level is high, more land is
underwater. When sea level falls, there is
more dry land. Scientists search for fossils
in the Coastal Plain to learn what kinds of
animals inhabited the prehistoric sea.