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Museum of Northern Arizona Presents Lost Dinosaur Exhibit
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A once in a lifetime find in 2000 by Museum of Northern Arizona paleontologists led to the discovery of the most complete therizinosaur skeleton ever found. See the newest and strangest dinosaur in all of North America at MNA's stunning new major exhibit THERIZINOSAUR—Mystery of the Sickle-Claw Dinosaur, running through March 29, 2009. On display are real 93-million-year-old bones excavated near Big Water, in the desert landscape of southern Utah. A freestanding skeleton, cast from the original bones of the 13-foot-tall, one-ton, sickle-clawed, and feathered dinosaur, is the first mounted interpretation of this long-lost animal's stance and posture. Therizinosaur Exhibit Guided Gallery Tours Saturdays, September 22–December 29 (except October 27.) 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 2:00–3:00 p.m. Explore the mystery of how a 93-million-year-old land-living dinosaur that came to be buried 60 miles out at sea. Tours begin from the Museum foyer and are appropriate for all ages. Gallery tours are included with Museum admission and reservations are not required. All dinosaurs lived on land, but this one was found in a location that was the bottom of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, an ancient sea that covered the middle of North America. The initial discovery, a single toe bone, led to the recovery of the nearly complete skeleton. But how did the whole animal get buried in a seafloor, 60 miles from shore? The dinosaur's identity was a mystery well into the excavation. "We weren't thinking ‘therizinosaur' at first, because at that time they were known only from Asia," said Dr. David D. Gillette, exhibit curator and MNA's Colbert Chair of Vertebrate Paleontology. "From that first toe bone, we thought maybe we had a big ‘raptor' (an agile, hunting dinosaur). But when we found peculiar bones of the massive hips, we knew we had a sickle-claw dinosaur. They were like nothing we'd ever seen." Most dinosaurs in this mysterious family are known only from partial skeletons. And the lifestyle of these lumbering, pot-bellied, sickle-clawed forms has been debated for decades; MNA's skeleton fills in some major gaps in what is known about therizinosaur anatomy and habits. "In the past two decades, new studies have regrouped therizinosaurs with carnivorous (meat-eating) dinosaurs," noted Gillette, "but there are many questions. Was this animal truly carnivorous as indicated by its shared ancestry with forms like Tyrannosaurus rex? How did it use its three slashing sickles on each hand? Did this small-headed predator actually prey on plants?" Museum Director Dr. Robert Breunig commented, "MNA is incredibly excited and proud to present this major new exhibition featuring a significant paleontological discovery by the Museum's scientists. This unique dinosaur and the information that comes from it adds greatly to our knowledge and understandings of life in the distant past. The exhibit highlights and celebrates the importance of basic research and the knowledge and insights that flow from that research." He continued, "Visitors will learn about the life and death of an amazing animal from the Cretaceous Period in the Age of Dinosaurs. We have a dinosaur new to science, related to birds, but thoroughly different from most animals known. Trying to envision how it lived and died takes us back in time and deep into the story of how the earth and life upon it evolved." The subject comes to life through scientific illustrations throughout MNA's exhibit. Artist and Guest Curator Victor Leshyk's remarkable ability to portray complicated anatomical details, prehistoric animals, and landscapes from another time gives visitors of all ages easy access to the science, as well as the dramatic life and death struggles of this ancient creature. Giant predatory reptiles called plesiosaurs terrorized the Cretaceous seas. MNA has excavated plesiosaur skeletons from the same seabeds. These ambush predators had torpedo-shaped bodies streamlined for speed and power, with paddles for limbs and strong, piercing teeth. The exhibit explores the swimming habits of these ancient marine predators through a robotic sculpture created by artists Brian and Eric Gold. The Museum of Northern Arizona is one of the great regional museums of our world, surrounded by tremendous geological, biological, and cultural resources in one of Earth's most spectacular landscapes. With a long and illustrious history, MNA evokes the very spirit of the Colorado Plateau, including the Grand Canyon and Four Corners regions, inspiring a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the area. MNA is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180 and is open daily, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is $7 adult, $6 senior (65+), $5 student, $4 child (7–17), and free to members. More information is available at www.musnaz.org and 928-774-5213. |
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Where: MNA is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180. Phone: 928-774-5213 Contact: www.musnaz.org Don't keep it to yourself. Tell everyone you know! Subscribe now! Get Sedona news and events delivered right to your email. (Your privacy is protected. No spam ever, and you can unsubscribe at any time.) |
