Speakers Program - Dinosaurs Matter

Dinosaurs Matter! Ever held a real dinosaur bone? Ever examined a T-Rex toe? Have you handled a fossilized dinosaur egg or compared Triceratop’s teeth with your own? Now you CAN! Join Fountain Hills resident and dinosaur enthusiast Darla Roberts for a fascinating look at some common and more uncommon dinosaur facts and figures. Darla has collected dinosaur fossils for a number of years and will bring some of her collection to the presentation to explain and show to audience members. Darla has a life-long interest in dinosaurs and has participated in three different dinosaur digs in the badlands of the United States, a past haven for dinosaurs from the Cretaceous and Jurassic eras. Darla has worked side by side with paleontologists as they find and remove dinosaur bones. The fossilized bones and teeth you’ll see and hold at this presentation are estimated to be between 66 and 145 million years old, part of the Cretaceous era of dinosaurs. This is the period right before most dinosaurs disappeared from planet Earth. Darla will pass the fossils to the audience members to examine while she addresses why dinosaurs matter to us today. Did you know that if the majority of dinosaurs hadn’t died out, homosapiens (we human beings) would likely not exist? Did you know that paleontologists estimate that only 5% of dinosaurs have been discovered and new ones are being discovered monthly? This presentation will allow you to see dinosaur fossils “close up and personal” while learning why dinosaurs are important to us in terms of understanding our world today and how our planet has evolved. Three lucky audience members will take home small samples of dinosaur bones that Darla has collected over the years. You won’t want to miss this presentation!