Prehistory & Natural Wonders

What was the world like long ago, and how do natural wonders form? Five learning pages explore ancient animals, traces, crystals and caves step by step.

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Puschel and Flauschi visit a T. rex reconstruction in a museum; a modern bird sits at the window.

Did every dinosaur become extinct?

Not all dinosaurs died out: birds are living dinosaurs. The other dinosaur groups disappeared about 66 million years ago.

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The two admire a woolly mammoth model with thick fur and curved tusks in a grassland exhibit.

How did a woolly mammoth stay warm?

A woolly mammoth lost less heat thanks to thick fur, body fat and small ears. Think of a warm coat: it helps retain your body heat.

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Puschel and Flauschi examine three recessed footprints in a stone slab displayed at an angle.

How can a footprint become a trace fossil?

A footprint in soft ground can be quickly covered and preserved. Under suitable conditions the material hardens and retains the trace in rock.

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The two discover clusters of crystals with flat faces in a museum display case.

Why do crystals have such orderly shapes?

Crystals have ordered shapes because their tiny building blocks arrange regularly. Repeating that order during growth can create flat faces and edges.

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Puschel and Flauschi examine a cave model with a hanging formation, an upward-growing formation and a complete column.

How do stones grow from a cave ceiling?

Water picks up tiny amounts of limestone material as it passes through rock. This dissolved material can be left behind in a cave.

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Discover Natural Wonders

Camouflage, trapping leaves, Ice Age animals, storms, caves and the deep ocean: nine learning journeys with pictures, examples and explained terms.

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