Search the Community

I was in Milwaukee for a concert last weekend and I decided that I should revisit the local natural history museum while I was there. The Milwaukee Public Museum was a childhood favorite of mine- it honestly left a stronger impression on me than the Field Museum, and there is one main reason for that: their incredible life-size reconstructions of prehistoric life. So that is where my focus for this report will be. The fossils on display were mostly casts, and nothing stood out to me as particularly notable. Near the entrance, the museum had a diorama showing paleontologists at work, along with some featherless dromaeosaurs. Nearby, though, they had a reconstruction of one with some plumage on: The first ancient ecosystem you encounter when entering the hall of prehistoric life is the Silurian seas that covered the area. This is an incredible display, teeming with trilobites, crinoids, brachiopods and the enormous orthoconic cephalopods. Up next is a small display of tetrapod evolution- this one spans multiple periods, featuring Ichthyostega in the water and Seymouria on the land. Across from this was the Pennsylvanian coal swamp display case. This one unfortunately was very slightly run-down, with some animals from the accompanying identification key missing. But I still greatly appreciate the detail and care that must have gone into creating it. I especially like the attention to detail in the display, and the inclusion of some smaller animals like the coelacanths in the water. I have to pause here, but I will return with my dramatic and enduring core memory of the museum later, the Mesozoic display!

I've been working on an apparently novel concept with planted terrariums incorporating diorama features to recreate ancient environments. This setup in a 65-gallon glass enclosure is the best developed so far. It combines plants more or less representative of a Late Cretaceous Sequoia Redwood forest with a proposed Hesperonychus elizabethae replica nest with eggs. This dromaeosaurid is known from a few fossils in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Southern Alberta and is apparently the smallest known non-avian dinosaur from North America.

finally got to work on an extinct animal from the Cambrian like it was resurrected from its grave is nectocaris made a 3D Print for it Nectocaris Model on thingiverse

Hi all I been playing around with the idea of a mini museum. When I see a really cool mounted skelton I always like it when the museum adds a little model or diorama next to it to give your an idea of the animals look and their landscape. I thought I would like to add this idea to a stand for a fossil. I choose my tip of a tusk from a straight tusk elephant. It is not the best looking fossil but really rare in the uk. I made the base out of a tea light holders that I made, some copper wire and modelling material. I will add the photos in order of making it. Now the fun stuff I add as a place holder this little lion until I get a 00 gouge elephant that I will purchase when I can find one. I think it is cool and works with some of my other display pieces.

For those that don't live and breathe fossils like we do, horn corals are often mistaken for horns, claws, etc. I knew someone who even swore the horn coral he had found was a fossil carrot, despite my insistence to the contrary. So after finding my best horn coral specimen ever (the largest one in this trio is about 9 inches long), I decided to make a cast of the specimen and "reconstruct" it to show people what they may have looked like when living. I know @caldigger will be very happy that there is now a horn coral action figure - complete with bioluminescence! Fossil next to "reconstruction" "Bioluminescent tips" @Bobby Rico, @Tidgy's Dad, @Nimravis

I am currently working on a diorama/sculpture featuring a Pinacosaurus, some Protoceratops, and maybe a Velociraptor or alvarezsaur. From what I understand from the papers I have read, the Djadokhta formation was a semi-arid to arid biome, but I can't find any information on what kind of vegetation would have been present at that time. Does anyone have any insight on what kind of plant life you would expect to see in a Cretaceous desert? Thanks in advance. Progress pics coming soon.

Hi everyone, I am starting my first dinosaur model. A 1.40 scale scene of an Albertosaurus taking down a Parasaurolophus. Here is the sketch I have made before starting the sculpt and a first picture of the armature as well. After a quick trip to the oven it should be ready for the next layer of clay ! I have also made the separate Albertosaurus armature, but will sculpt it when I'll be done with the Parasaurolophus.

I recently purchased 2 Hadrosaur eggs, they were once joined but the matrix joining them has split (they can still be positioned as they were together, just with a visible crack where the split is). As they are heavy, fragile, and already split I want to display them and keep them safe, here's what I'm thinking: I have a plexiglas tray (thick) that they fit in nicely. I want to create a ground-cover like base that they can sit in, which will have some indentations to keep them from moving, and wanted to make this look like sand or riverbank mud as they would be found in their original natural state. Essentially making a nest or backdrop of their natural surroundings. Then I would place a plex cover to keep dust out. Rather than just fill the tray with sand (which would be messy, likely not too accurate, and wouldn't keep them in place), I want to pour in a wet material that I can sculpt and will dry to a nice base. Any suggestions on what to use? I could use plaster but that will add weight to an already heavy display. Ideally the material could have integral color (redish brown like the muddy matrix these eggs are found in), and some sort of a silty-sandy texture. I'm curious as to what others have used, done, or could suggest for my project. Thanks!