Blog 20: Fourth Interview Questions

The picture above is that of a sauropod (long-neck) known as Brachiosaurus. Brachiosaurus was actually the second dinosaur to be seen by viewers of the film Jurassic Park. The expert I want to interview, Dr. Mathew Wedel, is a foremost expert in this kind of dinosaur.

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

- I plan on interviewing Dr. Mathew Wedel, who is a very well respected paleontologist that specializes in sauropod dinosaurs (long-necks). 

2.  Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.

1.) In your experience, what has helped you the most with reconstructing the appearance of sauropods?
2.) What were sauropods like in real life? How do you know all of that?
3.) When you reconstruct a sauropod's coloration, what do you normally use to justify your rendition?
4.) Did sauropods have feathers? How do you know this? 
5.) How were sauropod's able to mate? What evidence is there to support what you are saying?
6.) What does the Sauropod's phylogenetic relationship with Theropods indicate about them?
7.)  Did sauropods display to possible mates? What evidence is there to back that up?
8.) What purpose did the necks of sauropod's serve? What kind of evidence supports that view?
9.) Are there any signs of developmental change within young sauropods from fossilized remains?
10.) Are there any other paleontologists that disagree with your views on sauropods? What evidence have they used?
11.) In your experience, how valuable are fossils when trying to reconstruct the life of sauropods? 
12.) What aspects of a creature's life do fossils reveal, other than their appearance?
13.) Do specific types of fossils reveal more information than others?
14.) Is the context a fossil is found valuable? How so?
15.) What sort of information has the context of fossils you've found revealed about sauropods?
16.) What role does phylogenetic context play in your work? What kind of information does it give you?
17.) Has comparative anatomy aided you in your work with sauropods? What exactly has it revealed about them?
18.) How can phylogenetic context and comparative anatomy be used in conjunction with each other? Have you used this in your work?
19.) How effective is collaboration with other scientists in your work?
20.) How can a paleontologist best reconstruct the life of a prehistoric creature?