abctriplets Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 So while we are upset that the main fossil area (the National Fossil Hall) of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is closed for a multi-year renovation until 2019 (though I'll admit that it did need it...I remembered a lot of the exhibits from my childhood), we were thrilled that there's a new temporary exhibit titled "The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World," which focused on the Hell Creek Formation - where my family will be doing a few dino digs this summer! https://naturalhistory.si.edu/fossil-hall/last-american-dinosaurs/ This exhibit featured fossils from the museum's 2013 expedition. They also had the requisite paleonotologist-on-display: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abctriplets Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 The exhibit gave a nice overview about what fossils are, and what dinosaurs were living in the region. One of the two centerpieces was the giant Triceratops at the entrance to the exhibit. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abctriplets Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 The other centerpiece was the giant T. rex skeleton. The original/large T. rex at the Smithsonian is still being prepared for placing back into the main exhibit once it opens, but this was still impressive. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abctriplets Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 There were also some nicely displayed presentations of the various fossils/animals found in the formation: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abctriplets Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 And there were some other displays: This display was accompanied by a cool short video showing the unique jaw movement/chewing pattern of the Edmontosaurus. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abctriplets Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 They then had a neat section about the demise of the dinosaurs: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abctriplets Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 As for digital/interactive displays, there was a brief video about the ecosystem of the Hell Creek Formation, and a little 8-bit game about choosing to be an invertebrate or vertebrate, and seeing if you became a fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abctriplets Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 All-in-all we were quite pleased with the exhibit, and it definitely made us excited to explore the Hell Creek Formation on our own! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Nice report, thanks for sharing. Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Phenomenal report. This is right down the street from me, and yes it is a very impressive display. Nice photos @abctriplets Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Thank you! Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barerootbonsai Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Great report Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan from PA Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Awesome report! Thanks for sharing! Can't wait to see the new exhibit with the Wankel T.rex in 2019! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamptonsDoc Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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