Hey David, Thanks for checking out my game! The cards are meant be left as a whole. there will be 12 Dino cards that are similar size to a standard playing card. when you draw your card each turn you will have 2 sides to choose from. rotate the card the way you want it and put it under the corresponding objective on your current planet card. (Which side your not using should be tucked underneath the planet card or the previous played Dino card so you don't see it)
I hope this makes sense and if not you can always check out the short "how to play" video. Its in the games description page.
I hope you and your wife enjoy the game and if you do I encourage you to check out my other games!