Dogs discover Jurassic reptile’s fossil on beach

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Target Skills: Vocabulary, Listening, Reading, Comprehension, Conversation

 

Vocabulary

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Amateur /ˈaməCHər/ /ˈæmətʃər/

Engaging or engaged in without payment; nonprofessional.

Example: athletics, an photographer.
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Archaeologist /ˌärkēˈäləjəst/ /ˌɑrkiˈɑlədʒəst/

A person who studies human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.

Example: Chinese archaeologists uncovered life-sized terracotta statues.

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Jurassic /jəˈrasik/ /dʒəˈræsɪk/

Relating to or denoting the second period of the Mesozoic era, between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods.

Example: The meat eater is believed to have lived in the early era.

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Porpoise /ˈpôrpəs/ /ˈpɔrpəs/

A small toothed whale with a low triangular dorsal fin and a blunt rounded snout.

Example: The porpoise, when full grown, attains a length of 5 ft.

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Heritage /ˈherədij/ /ˈhɛrədɪdʒ/

Valued objects and qualities such as cultural traditions, unspoiled countryside, and historic buildings that have been passed down from previous generations.

Example: A sense of history and heritage.

Source

 

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Let’s read the article together!

1. Listen and repeat

2. Read along

 

An amateur archeologist discovered what he believes to be a 65-million-year-old Jurassic reptile’s fossil along the beach, all thanks to his two dogs that led him to the find. The dog owner immediately reported his findings to the local heritage center as well as the Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom.

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Jon Gopsill was walking his pets Poppy and Sam along the coast of Stolford, Somerset when they stumbled upon a fossil from the Jurassic period, the porpoise-like sea creature known as the ichthyosaurus, Daily Mail reported yesterday, Dec. 16. The 5-foot, 6-inch long skeleton was believed to have resurfaced after a recent storm.

Dr. Mike Day, a curator at the Natural History Museum confirmed Gopsill’s claim that the skeleton was most likely to be an ichthyosaur.

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“Looking at this specimen, based on the number of bones in the pectoral paddle, the apparent absence of a pelvic girdle, as well as the distinctive ‘hunch’ of the back, this is likely to be the remains of an ichthyosaur,” Day was as quoted saying.

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However, Day stated that it was not possible to identify the ichthyosaur fossil’s exact type based on the images taken by Gopsill alone.

Gopsill also said he always keeps an eye for preserved remains. The dog owner showed images of his findings on Facebook last Saturday, Dec. 14.

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Source: https://technology.inquirer.net/93328/dogs-discover-jurassic-reptiles-fossil-on-beach#ixzz69YXPCsmI

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