The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book: The G-Rex Bones Read Online Free PDF Page B

skeleton is not a G-rex! In fact, it isn’t a fossil skeleton at all! It is a hoax! ”



Chapter 12
    King of the Giant Hoaxes
    At Actual Factual’s shocking announcement, a nervous murmur rippled through the crowd in the rotunda.
    “How do you know it’s a hoax, Professor?” shouted a reporter.
    “Because of what my brilliant nephew, Ferdy Factual, just pointed out to me,” said the professor. “I should have seen it myself, of course, but I’ve been so wrapped up in the chemical tests that I just didn’t notice it. Perhaps I was also so excited about this great discovery that I didn’t want to notice it. Ferdy, why don’t you explain it to the audience?”
    Ferdy stepped to the podium and disappeared behind it. Quickly, Actual Factual moved a chair behind the podium for Ferdy to stand on. When the cub’s face reappeared, it was beaming with pride at the chance to show off in front of the media and fellow scientists.
    “I observed the fossil bones out at Dead Bear’s Gulch,” said Ferdy, “but it didn’t occur to me then. It wasn’t until I saw the skeleton all put together that it hit me. The G-rex is twice the height of the largest T-rex ever found. But it has the same basic body shape as T-rex , which means that its weight must have been much greater than twice that of T-rex . That we know from the basic laws of physics. And yet the G-rex bones are only twice as thick as T-rex ’s.” He pointed to the towering skeleton. “Those bones could never support the weight of that body. In fact, it would be impossible for a creature with G-rex ’s body shape to reach such a height. Its bones would have to be so thick that there would be no room left for flesh or internal organs. Thus, we know that whoever planned this hoax was neither a biologist nor a physicist.”
    “An excellent observation, Ferdy,” said Actual Factual as he replaced his nephew at the microphone. “What strikes me is that the chemical makeup of the phony fossils is so accurate. There must have been a very brilliant chemist involved in this hoax …”
    The professor broke off and stared into space for a long moment. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “I know who it was!” he cried. He scanned the audience until his gaze came to rest on a bearded scientist wearing a name tag that read: DR. REX GIANT, BIG BEAR UNIVERSITY . He pointed directly at the scientist and cried, “It was he! Seize him!”

    Several scientists took hold of their colleague’s arms as Actual Factual strode to meet him. “Rex Giant!” he said. “Gigantosaurus rex , Rex Giant. Very funny, Zoltan.”
    The audience gasped as the professor reached up and ripped off the bear’s beard and mustache. Of course, they came off easily because they were as phony as he was.
    Actual Factual smiled. “Dr. Bearish, I presume! I didn’t recognize you without your silly hat and ugly coat.”
    Dr. Zoltan Bearish glared back at Actual Factual, his penetrating gaze boring into the professor’s mind like an electric drill. Quickly, Actual Factual turned away to address the crowd.
    “This is the brilliant chemist who worked for me at the Bearsonian five years ago,” he said. “He spent more time on his own private experiments than on the work I gave him. And his carelessness ruined one of my most important experiments. So I fired him. Obviously, he planned this hoax to get revenge.”
    All of a sudden, Sandcrab Jones was on his knees before Actual Factual, pleading with the professor. “Please!” he wailed. “Don’t send me to jail! I confess to everything! Ralph Ripoff paid me to ‘discover’ those phony bones at Dead Bear’s Gulch. I needed the money to fix my shack because that lousy termite insurance Ralph sold me wouldn’t pay!”

    “He’s lying!” cried Ralph as Officer Marguerite put him in an armlock. “The old coot’s feeble-minded! He doesn’t know what he’s saying!”
    “It’s true!” said Sandcrab. “Ralph paid me thirty dollars!”
    “Thirty