Exhibit Spotlight: Amargasaurus cazaui
An easy fan favorite among dinosaur enthusiasts, Amargasaurus adds some variety to the sauropod group with its odd neck spines. It’s more than just a spiny neck, though:
Paleontology Newsflash: Elessaurus gondwanoccidens
This newly discovered Triassic reptile fossil doesn’t come from a dinosaur, but it does foreshadow a new addition that will be joining the park in the near future. Say hello to Elessaurus!
Exhibit Spotlight: Microraptor zhaoianus
Let’s scope out an indoors exhibit this time. Our Microraptor sculpture has been removed for refurbishing, but its nominal display poses it preparing to leap from the tree next to its North American cousin, distant in both relationship and geography, Hagryphus. Prepare yourself for the tiny awesomeness of Microraptor!
Exhibit Spotlight: Brachiosaurus altithorax
Steven Spielberg did well in using this iconic giant to make the first full appearance of a dinosaur in Jurassic Park one of the most memorable scenes in cinema. It might no longer count as the largest dinosaur ever found, but its distinctive profile and still impressive size never fail to impress. Stand next to the Brachiosaurus sculpture in our park and you’ll see what I mean. As arresting as this animal can be physically, the science and stories behind it prove just as fascinating:
Paleontology Newsflash: Dineobellator hesperonotus
Science has added another beast to the ‘raptor clan, and by “beast” I do mean BEAST. Enter Dineobellator hesperonotus, the “Navajo Warrior of the Southwest,” a seven foot long member of the velociraptorine family that lived in New Mexico during the latest Cretaceous. Though the skeleton consists of just a few badly broken pieces, these fossils reveal enough features to tell us a few interesting things about the species.
Exhibit Spotlight: Carnotaurus sastrei
With Carnotaurus featuring so prominently in the recent Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom trailer, it seems apropos to review the science on this genuinely bizarre dinosaur. Buckle up: this one’s gonna get weird.
Exhibit Spotlight: Baryonyx walkeri
The new trailer to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom appears to include Baryonyx as a new (to audiences) addition to the Jurassic Park fauna. Given that opportunity, let’s check it out in some detail.
Exhibit Spotlight: Spinosaurus aegypticus
A unique physical profile gave Spinosaurus an early edge in the popular imagination despite the fact that for nearly a century we knew very little about it. Discoveries during the past 32 years have slowly clarified our understanding of this bizarre animal, and every little bit that we learn serves to deepen its mystique.
Exhibit Spotlight: Smilodon
As an icon of prehistory, the Sabertooth Tiger looms large in the popular imagination. Sometimes this leads to misinterpretations of fossil evidence, leading to legends often mistaken for science. Then again, this spectacular creature often lives up to its own legendary status.
Scales, Fuzz, and Feathers
Scales, Fuzz, and Feathers With all the buzz about Jurassic World floating about the internet, you’ve probably wondered whether dinosaurs were scaly or feathery. The lack of feathery dinosaurs forms one of the more common complaints about the film coming from both armchair and professional paleontologists. Unfortunately, the tendency of the media to generalize and oversimplify muddles the issue into an either/or proposition. In fact, dinosaurs had a wide variety of skin textures and degrees of apparent featheriness or scaliness, much like the birds and reptiles of today.