In the World of Paleontology

Have you ever thought about how it would feel to dig up the remains of an ancient creature that lived millions of years ago? Paleontology is the digging, uncovering, and studying of the fossils of ancient species, typically dinosaurs, aquatic species, and avian creatures. I have liked dinosaurs since I was a little kid, and I think that to be able to connect with these ancient species would be really cool.

This essay will help a beginner to learn about the profession by giving a bit of detail that includes further information about paleontology, information about the dig sites/how the operate, and the schools that allow the study in paleontology. In order to be more interested in paleontology, first one would have to understand what paleontology is. A paleontologist will uncover and study the fossils that they retrieve, they also travel the world to find these fossils. A paleontologists expenses are typically paid for by the contractor. Most people always want to associate paleontology with dinosaurs, but that is only part of it. Paleontologist also uncover ancient aquatic species, including mosasaurus, kronosaurus, plesiosaurus, megalodon, and several more.

They also uncover aviant species including quetzalcoatl, dimorphodon, tapejara, pteranodon, and many more. Paleontologists study in finding certain details in a fossil to identify a species. If someone is interested in paleontology, then they may want to know more about the dig sites. There are several dig sites all around the world that are rich with ancient fossils. Many of them are in Northern America, Africa (towards the Nile River), Europe, and China. The digs sites in these areas have made some incredible discoveries, even the discovery of the massive tyrannosaurus-rex in Northern America, it’s movie rival, the spinosaurus, around the Nile River, and the infamous velociraptor in Mongolia.

There are thousands upon thousands of species of dinosaurs to uncover, and scientists believe that there are thousands more to discover. There aren’t too many colleges that allow the study in paleontology because it is honestly a dying profession. But, if someone became a successful paleontologist, with a doctorate, and are signed on by a contractor, then they can expect to be able to make up to $100,000 a year. Some of the universities that allow the study in paleontology are Yale, Chicago, Berkeley California, Harvard, Ann Arbor Michigan, Cincinnati, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and a few more.

These colleges are great for studying paleontology, and who knows, doing good in school, may aid in a scholarship that will fund the studying. I’m glad I got to share my further knowledge on paleontology, information about the digs sites and how they operate, and the colleges and potential salary involved in the profession. If someone is interested in joining the profession, then they can hopefully take these three points and apply them later on in life.