“During the Polish-Mongolian paleontological expedition to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, in 1971, an articulated Velociraptor mongoliensis skeleton was found with hands and feet grasping a Protoceratops andrewsi. Evidence suggests that these two dinosaurs were indeed killed simultaneously, smothered by sand, possibly during a dune collapse. The active predatory nature of Velociraptor is graphically illustrated as it grasps its prey with its forelimbs, while kicking and raking the belly and chest with its hindlimbs. Protoceratops was discovered in a semi-erect stance with the Velociraptor’s right forelimb clutched between its jaws in a desperate fight for survival. Their discovery reveals a snapshot in time, of a life and death struggle, between these ancient adversaries.”
Re-creation of the fossil by Black Hills Institute of Geological Research: “The skeleton casts we used, though more complete, are positioned in poses very similar to those of the original scene”
Illustration by Peter Schouten
Velociraptor mongoliensis and Deinonychus antirrhopus skulls.
Influenced by an outdated theory that suggested deinonychus and velociraptor were both members of the velociraptor genus, Jurassic Park’s velociraptors are based more on the larger deinonychus than the actual animal known as velociraptor.
Jurassic Park
Sega Genesis game commercial with none other than famous paleontologist Robert T. Bakker. 1993.
I love this commercial. It made me want to have Sega so bad in 1993.
Dinosaur Skull Studies (scans by crownedrose)
These are four (of many!) illustrations by Gregory S. Paul in “The Princeton Field Guide To Dinosaurs”. It’s a beautiful book to have and has some facts about each dinosaur. But really, it is just eye candy for people who like dinosaur anatomy!
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology — Museum of Geology and Paleontology
First, congratulations to
shadyufo for correctly identifying Friday’s Freak of the Week as being the pharyngeal teeth of a carp! I’m not positive on the species because I found them washed up on the beach of the Angostura Reservoir, but I’m impressed by your accuracy nonetheless. Pharyngeal teeth are located in the throats of various species of fishes that lack teeth otherwise, and assist in crushing and grinding their food for digestion. I absolutely LOVE reading everyone’s guesses and participatory comments — it really is the highlight of my week. Keep them coming!
This is a really special post for me! During my visit with my family back in South Dakota, we stopped by the SDSM&T Geology Museum where I spent many a school field trip and summer afternoon while growing up. Even though there is somewhat of a shortage of free and family-friendly entertainment in Rapid City, this museum with its collection of over 500,000 geological and paleontological artifacts is really an exception. It was very exciting to go and visit again after I have been working in our own zoological collections, which gave me a renewed respect for their specimens on exhibit and allowed me to relive some awesome nostalgic experiences.
Click on the photos for descriptions, and stay tuned for more photos of this museum once I make it back to the Big Sky State!
I went to school at SDSM&T and actually worked at the museum for a short time. I hear they are in the process of moving their collections to a new building soon. Always nice to see pics of the old place.
