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NEWS & UPDATES

Paleontology Newsflash: Paraxenisaurus normalensis and Stellasaurus ancellae

Paleontology Newsflash: Paraxenisaurus normalensis and Stellasaurus ancellae

There's a starsaur waiting in the ground/ He'd like to come and meet us/ But he thinks he'd blow our minds. The great 2020 saurischian streak has broken! Finally we get a new bird-hipped dinosaur, and it's a ceratopsian. I'm including this new horned dinosaur, Stellasaurus, along with another recently discovered and also fragmentary new taxon from Mexico: Paraxenisaurus. Without further fuss and ado . . . . Paraxenisaurus We know this animal only from partial remains of the h

Chronoscope: What Is Paleoart?

Chronoscope: What Is Paleoart?

It's a skeleton, yes, but is it art? Image by J. Cotton. Google a dinosaur, any dinosaur, and look through the pictures the search engine scrolls up. If you were to trace that image back to the hands that drew it, chances are you've found a unique breed of artist, one that walks the hinterlands between two sometimes antagonistic worlds. This is the realm of paleoart. The question is: what have you gotten yourself into? Sometimes we look at art and science as polar opposites w

Paleontology Newsflash: Analong chuanjieensis and Kholumolumo ellenbergerorum

Paleontology Newsflash: Analong chuanjieensis and Kholumolumo ellenbergerorum

Do you prefer the clarity of Chuanjiesaurus, or the warmer sound of Analong? Analong is the skeleton on the right, in blue. 2020 has started off as the year of saurischia: all the new dinosaurs described and published this year have either belonged to theropoda or sauropodomorpha. April has added two more members of the sauropod line to the burgeoning list of dinosaur diversity. Since both papers remain behind pay walls for the moment and their details aren't generally access

Paleontology 101: How to Recognize a Fossil

Paleontology 101: How to Recognize a Fossil

One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just isn't the same . . . . One of the more frequently asked questions at any paleontological institution is, “How do you know what’s a fossil, and what’s not?” Though it makes sense to question something so fundamentally important to a study as recognizing its subject, some people ask it in an almost embarrassed way, as if the answer should therefore be obvious. Well, it's a good question, and it's always good to

Exhibit Spotlight: Albertosaurus sarcophagus

Exhibit Spotlight: Albertosaurus sarcophagus

You should see one of these guys perform a Tombstone Pildriver with those tiny arms. Quite the spectacle! Albertosaurus: a name so dignified and proper it almost sounds silly. Then you read its species name, sarcophagus, and things quickly get METAL!!! That's sort of how the general population reacts to this dinosaur. Yeah, yeah, smaller cousin of T. rex, so it's not as scary, kinda white bread, yada yada. Even a quick glance at the details, though, makes this animal look muc

Exhibit Spotlight: Pteranodon longiceps

Exhibit Spotlight: Pteranodon longiceps

Look Ma! NO TEETH! A staple of the Mesozoic in the popular imagination, no picture-book illustration succeeds without at least one of these animals (or a recognizable facsimile) occupying the skies. Unfortunately, its popularity leads to a number of misconceptions about it, which means it’s time to set the record straight on a few things! We have five representations here at the park. The four next to the gold sluice are the only animals in the park whose sizes are exaggerate

Exhibit Spotlight: Amargasaurus cazaui

Exhibit Spotlight: Amargasaurus cazaui

Why do theropods get all the attention? I'm not just some vanilla sauropod! Sheesh, I grow these neck spines and no one pays me any attention, same as ever. What's a saurian gotta do to catch a break, huh? I need a new paint job. The sun's too bright. Grumble, grumble, grumble. 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: This animal’s name refers to th

Exhibit Spotlight: Hesperornis regalis

Exhibit Spotlight: Hesperornis regalis

Since the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many restaurants to temporarily shut down, Hesperornis has resorted to getting a sashimi fix the old-fashioned way. What has teeth and couldn't fly? Probably not a bird, unless it happened to be Hesperornis. This Late Cretaceous sea bird retained many features from its dinosaur heritage, and developed some crazy specialized features seen in no other bird lineage, yet among fossil birds its family remains the closest to anatomically moder

Paleontology Newsflash: Elessaurus gondwanoccidens

Paleontology Newsflash: Elessaurus gondwanoccidens

Let him go or I'll fossilize you, Longshanks! 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! Perhaps the most important thing to know up front about this new discovery is that it consists of a leg and an incomplete hip. That limits what we can know about this taxon, but it does tell us some helpful things about Elessaurus and its closes

Exhibit Spotlight: Microraptor zhaoianus

Exhibit Spotlight: Microraptor zhaoianus

The only thing that could make this more awesome is if it were riding a shark and wielding a machine gun. Picture by Fred Wierum, used under Creative Commons. 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! L

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