Montana

Museum of the Rockies

Bozeman, Montana has dinosaurs. The museum of the Rockies is where you find them. Compare T. rex skulls and the transition between an adolescent Triceratops to an adult. See paleontology in action at the show lab where paleontologists are absorbed in cleaning, preparing, and analyzing new fossil discoveries. My favorite curatorial flourish is the partial sculptures where half is a fully fleshed dinosaur with the other side being the bones in situ.

Skeletons of terrible beasts on display. As frightening as the T-Rex is and as dominant as it has been displayed in popular media, scientists think that the prevalence of T-rex bones is inconsistent with it being an apex predator. There are so many of them that they were more likely lower level predators. Which makes you wonder: what dinosaur was above the T-Rex?

Dinosaurs were all over the United States. Where there was land during the Jurassic, there were dinosaurs. What makes Montana special is that the modern deposits of dinosaur bones are near the surface. A rain storm can be all it takes to expose the first hints of new dinosaur bones by weathering away the host rock. Then it’s up to the professionals to remove and preserve the bones before the weather finishes the job.

Pick a time period and start hunting. This map represents the time period of the rock exposed in different regions of Montana. Interested in the Devonian? There's a map for that. — Pick a time period and start hunting. This map represents the time period of the rock exposed in different regions of Montana. Interested in the Devonian? There’s a map for that.

Museum of the Rockies was not always the treasure trove of dinosaur bones that it is today. It was established in 1957. Yet, dinosaur bones discovered in the region often found their way to more prestigious museums until 1990. Museum of the Rockies established itself as a paleontological powerhouse with the acquisition of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Today, the collection has grown to 13 Tyrannosaurus rex specimens including one of only two complete skeletons currently known to exist. It is the largest collection of dinosaur remains in the United States including the largest Tyrannosaurus skull.

The museum displays an extensive collection of T-Rex skulls. One fan forget how massive the heads were when they are suspended high above you.

Curator Jack Horner may also be rather familiar. He consulted in the making of a little known arthouse film series called Jurassic Park and partially inspiration for one of the main characters, Dr. Alan Grant. His research in dinosaur development has changed the way we understand their social groups and consolidated many juvenile dinosaurs that had been considered separate species within their adult genus. He was also among the team that discovered soft tissue remains in the thigh bone of an Tyrannosaurus. Not only did this allow for partial analysis of Tyrannosaurus DNA but it also overthrew commonly accepted understanding of how fossils are created as it was incompatible with such a discovery. All this and he never completed college!*

The museum also sports a collection of Triceratops skulls. Here you can compare an adolescent triceratops with the skull of a fully grown adult. Notice how holes develop in the mature triceratops. It is understandable why earlier paleontologists thought had classified juvenile Triceratops as a completely different species.

I have to believe that some hollywood effects artist took inspiration from the Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis when designing their take on the dragon. And certainly, dragons were on the minds of the paleontologists who named this growth state "Dracorex hogwartsia." This is only the juvenile skull. If it had lived to full maturity, the skull crown would become larger and more bulbous. — I have to believe that some hollywood effects artist took inspiration from the *Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis* when designing their take on the dragon. certainly, dragons were on the minds of the paleontologists who named this growth state “Dracorex hogwartsia.” This is only the juvenile skull. If it had lived to full maturity, the skull crown would become larger and more bulbous.

*He spent 7 years at University of Montana studying geology and zoology but never finished his bachelors degree due to severe dyslexia. He did receive an honorary Doctorate in 1986, though, and given his huge contributions to the field, I would say that he has certainly earned it.