Let’s check out Utah’s state fossil, Allosaurus. We have a bunch of these guys in the park, so it’s an important one to know at any time. Allosaurus fossils have taught us more about dinosaurs in general than almost any other dinosaur. These fossils represent a nearly complete set of growth stages from possible egg-bound embryos to full adulthood. The great number of fossils from a wide variety of circumstances helps scientists study these animals as both individuals (Big Al,

Extinction Theories We’re going to take a brief break from exhibit spotlights, then cover our Argentine dinosaurs during the month of September. This week we cover one of the most frequently asked questions about dinosaurs: how did they all die? Science does not yet have a definitive answer, but plenty of theories have been suggested—some much more plausible than others. Asteroid Impact: Most people seem familiar with the basics of this one. As a hypothesis it predicted evid

Exhibit Spotlight: Dilophosaurus wetherilli Another dinosaur catapulted to popular fame by Hollywood, its real-life persona also differs the most from its stint in Jurassic Park. It’s an eye-catching dinosaur, and it has one of the most striking positions in the park, so questions about it come up surprisingly frequently. Dilophosaurus had wanderlust: its footprints, sometimes called Eubrontes, have been found from St.George to Dinosaur State Park, Connecticut. They are the

With over a century of study and a fair amount of fossil data to go on, scientists have a lot to discuss about T. rex; thanks to its dramatic frame and name, so does everyone else. By far the most popular dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus has attained the status of a legendary icon, for better and worse. So without further ado, enjoy these tidbits: The name "Tyrannosaurus rex"roughly translates to “King of the Tyrant Reptiles.” You may have heard of a “controversy” about whether Tyran

So, What’s the Deal with Brontosaurus? After being relegated to the dustbin of science and pop culture for a few decades, Brontosaurus has come roaring back to validity thanks to a recent study of sauropod anatomy. First named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1879, Brontosaurus later turned out to include two different skeletons, Apatosaurus and Camarasaurus, mistaken for one new species. Marsh’s mistake came about in part because of his rivalry with fellow paleontologist Edward D

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 text

Factoid of the Week February 9 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. First off, it’s not a tiger. Modern cats and the sabertooths diverged from a common ancestor roughly 14 million years ago. The epithet “saber