Jump to content

Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient Cultures


RyanDye

Recommended Posts

Last year, I took a trip to a newly opened museum, the story of the museum goes back about 5 years. Originally the building was a dinosaur shop called the dinosaur store, they still sell fossils that are very high in quality and just stuff you normally don't see on the market. But in last 5 years the owner Steve Cayer has been accumulating an incredible amount of artifacts and fossils to make an even more incredible array of valuables in the form of a museum. The museum opened on earth day 2017, I hadn't had the time to post this, but I really want to share the incredible exhibits with you all, and that's what I'm doing today.

:dinosmile::ighappy::dinothumb: Lets get started!20170721_173504.thumb.jpg.f53d1f426afde61c19268d3fa7d182ff.jpg

This was at the foot of the entrance, right when you get off the elevator an amazing set of fossils was awaiting me. The sight of the psittacosaurus caught my surprise, as I had gone to the dinosaur store so many times to buy fossils that I didn't know what to expect.

 

  • I found this Informative 6

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_173116.thumb.jpg.000783e11aa70ded4e71bede3cc166bc.jpg

This is a cast of a Giganotosaurus, at this point I went into full nerd mode, reading every little sign, I was enthralled as I was only expecting a rustic; museum like building. Boy, was I surprised!  

  • I found this Informative 2

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5a923fef10c55_20170721_172911-min(1).thumb.jpg.5052a150ca4583d1f42e7ccd1ad9bdf8.jpg

Another incredible exhibit! This ceratopsian is mounted in a beautiful paleo-habitat surrounding it.

Edited by RyanDye
Unsure of accuracy
  • I found this Informative 1

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_171421.thumb.jpg.ad7e45e81935a127b2cd257d94cdcbf8.jpg

A beautifully mounted Edmontosaurus arm, it's weird seeing something so valuable next to a cheap plastic model of the entire animal. It just shows how creative Mr. Cayer was being when creating the museum. 

  • I found this Informative 2

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_170951.thumb.jpg.ce6530c09d3286b36c5a1ccf12e722d3.jpg

I had to gasp when I saw these two articulated skeletons, these are not casts, but real fossils. I've never seen a mounted Oviraptor skeleton nor did I ever expect to see one in Cocoa beach Florida! 

  • I found this Informative 4

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

Nice museum and great pics, thanks for posting.

Got plenty more, so many more that's the reason I delayed this post :P

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_164705-min.thumb.jpg.a729a97af37640609def1f0e4400600a.jpg

Here's the recently extinct elephant bird, I recognised this from a documentary, another exhibit I didn't plan on seeing in my lifetime.

  • I found this Informative 1

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_165212-min.thumb.jpg.0b80cc2731312df78c9cf34d62c943ce.jpg

Here's a high quality dodo bird replica skeleton, unfortunately we don't have any fossils of the dodo bird like this as of now; but it's nice to dream of what one would look like. 

  • I found this Informative 3

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_165844-min.thumb.jpg.a6ec10406805b1dcb28377323ffba905.jpg

This is one of my favorite pieces, this is a Tarbosaurus bataar, I personally asked a museum staff member if this was a genuine fossil, he replied to me that most everything in the glass cases were in fact genuine; including this amazing tyrannosaurid. I had to look at this for awhile, it was hard to walk away from.   

  • I found this Informative 3

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_162716-min.thumb.jpg.f3b239a60e6b48cbfb9d3af490125497.jpg

An incredible fossil, still in the matrix, if you look closely it appears the sabre toothed feline was about to enjoy a tasty hyaenodon as a snack. A rare fossil like this is incredibly rare, this was another fossil on the tops of my lists, probably 3rd favorite, my second being the Tarbosaurus.

  • I found this Informative 2

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_172528-min.thumb.jpg.8de8bad5f96ba0b0d05ec013fc7b0724.jpg

To be honest, I said the sabre toothed cat fossil was my 3rd favorite but it's so hard to choose! This is a genuine articulated Utahraptor skeleton, I didn't even know these existed! I actually drew this as a project in my art class, it was such a beautiful picture I wanted to draw it. It really is a treat to go to the museum, the fossils on sale are about as close to museum collections as you can get, making this completely underrated facility well worth your time! As for those who are too far, or cannot afford to make a trip, I hope these pictures will provide you as close to a real visit as possible. :dinosmile: 

  • I found this Informative 4

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_171336-min.thumb.jpg.f9bc9e816fe5e16ec2943c7a58f88db1.jpg

A very nice juvenile maiasaura, the display around it really compliments it, the habitat paintings around exhibits at the royal tyrrell museum were very old and outdated, since this museum is new if you go and visit you'll be surprised how accurate they tried to make the depiction of dinosaurs.   

  • I found this Informative 2

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_172107-min.thumb.jpg.63969500d7679580c2ad7d38aed2d36a.jpg

Here are the fossils below the giant snake model I showed earlier, not quite sure the significance of these fossils, but I'm sure any reptile fossil enthusiast knows much more about it than me.

  • I found this Informative 1

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_172426-min.thumb.jpg.d27a07efa56b92fd01bd2cdcde2a4a8a.jpg20170721_172630-min.thumb.jpg.c2cd2a9b970e24b0ef93e392a75f8179.jpg

Here are some photos of the large 'wall of skulls', there are some pretty rare specimens here, the large one on the left is a replica of the largest tyrannosaurus "Sue" specimen. 

  • I found this Informative 2

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_171127-min.thumb.jpg.a0b8a2bc2e3699efdfcc5d900f1f49de.jpg

Two allosaurus hunting a giant diplodocus, only one word can summarize this photo, and that word is magnificent. 20170721_171038-min.thumb.jpg.8b5ae80a77274be3b5a7ec04269af944.jpg

Here's a better view of the first allosaur in all of its glory. definitely an eye widener.  :blink:

  • I found this Informative 2

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_171145-min.thumb.jpg.b88bb54cedea2506dcdfad7fd5a1bc4a.jpg

This display shows the tyrannosaur reaching for a flying ramphorycus, it just shows the imagination of the museum owner at it's finest. 

  • I found this Informative 1

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the final exhibit hall, by far my favorite area in the museum. I think these fossils are beautiful and something we can... all relate too. ;)

20170721_171736-min.thumb.jpg.7c2c579d822657d87ff40614fd0f4857.jpg

The skulls are replicas, excluding the modern ones which are real, this is truly a beautiful array of human history.

20170721_171614-min.thumb.jpg.cf17930ca888cda44890f426d1202e61.jpg

This is a truly incredible piece, a genuine Homo erectus vertebra from the Leakey's African excavations, truly a practically impossible piece. It's just not something you would normally see at any average museum.

20170721_171809-min.thumb.jpg.4a65a4cbee3cb62404da4092181b3225.jpg

This is a reconstruction of an ancient human, likely of the clovis people crossing into North America, defending from the large canid, Canis dirus with only but a wooden spear and his own courage. 

All of these are incredible, but the final fossil is the most captivating of all. 

  • I found this Informative 2

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20170721_172040-min.thumb.jpg.f8ffbe853beaf6c60b54de6812850ec7.jpg

Lastly, a genuine Homo neanderthalensis next to Homo sapiens, for comparison. I never dreamed to see this anywhere, but the Louvre or Germany. 

20170721_171900-min.thumb.jpg.a3afd7556ffd1a45d1e92bb31e7f4825.jpg

The incredible detail put into the display of these fossils is no less than perfection, this is something I thought would only be in reference papers, drawing models comparing the two. Its as if I were standing thousands of years ago when the first modern humans met neanderthals, it was like a time warp, words can't describe the intense nostalgia felt in the corridor, like the tarbosaurus it was incredibly hard for me to walk out of this room. The image will never leave my mind, truly amazing! 

20170721_171916-min.thumb.jpg.adb3bc97e10f38ba8f2e424c48407302.jpg 

All I can say is, if I had the choice to put my remains anywhere in the world, I would not pick the smithsonian, or Harvard, but here would be the most meaningful, quite literally being buried with my ancestors. 

 

I hope you enjoyed this post, while it was a delight to share it with everyone, this will also be really useful because I never have to upload these photos again if I wanted to use them on a post, so its a win-win. :ighappy: 

I had a chat with one of the curators there, as well as the actual owner of the museum, there all incredibly kind people. If you ever get the chance I encourage you to stop by there, as it is not a cheap 'half-museum' most would expect for sure, along with fossils there's also many artifacts in the museum I didn't show, along with modern taxidermy. 

 

Thanks for reading! 

  • I found this Informative 3

rydysig.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely amazing and stunning pictures. :dinothumb:

The museum is fantastic and for a guy that owned a rock and fossil shop to assemble such an amazing collection is wonderful.

Kuddos and two thumbs up for him. :dinothumb::dinothumb:

Thanks for the great pictures, write up and taking us along with you.

  • I found this Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...