Raptor Review Issue 24 Inside This Edition with the Completion of the Paleo- from the Director Item Page by Dr
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October 2011 Raptor Review Issue 24 Inside This Edition With the completion of the Paleo- From The Director Item Page by Dr. Kenneth Carpenter Indian, work is now focused on re- Lab & Quarry 2 doing the Utahraptor skeleton for Gift Shop 3 In the last issue of the Raptor Re- display. Progress has been slow Collections 4 view, I mentioned that we were as- owning to other obligations this Education and Exhibits 5 sembling a plastic replica of a mod- summer, such as field work, but we ern human skeleton, which would hope to have the skeleton in place be a stand-in for a Paleo-Indian. by the Holidays. Field work was That skeleton is now complete and greatly hampered this summer by joins the Huntington mammoth on rain (it’s not supposed to rain in Editor/Layout its base. The human skeleton is of the desert!). Nevertheless, several Christine K. Trease a robust Asian male, thus makes a promising sites were found in the good representative for a Paleo-In- Upper Cretaceous North Horn and Advisory Board dian (Native Americans are thought Upper Triassic Chinle formations. Ken Fleck-Charirman to have immigrated from Asia dur- In addition, several trips were made Tim Gwyther-Vice Chairman ing the latter part of the Ice Age). to the Lower Cretaceous Suarez Sis- Debra Dull Although there is some doubt about ters site near Green River. We hope Dave O’Brien the two projectile points allegedly to collect enough Falcarius bones to Scott Woodward found at the mammoth site, mam- mount a skeleton for the new muse- Charles Semborski moth kill sites are known from else- um. Falcarius was a medium-sized Maurine Tanner where in the U.S. So, although no plant-eater, whose closest relatives Mark Bunnell Paleo-Indian is known to have killed were meat-eaters, such as Utahrap- Andrew Urbanik the Huntington mammoth, what is tor, odd as that may seem. Falcarius Bruce Burgess shown by the poses of the skeletons was in a lineage of carnivores that Dennis Willis did happen elsewhere. became plant-eaters, something that Dr. Joe Peterson-Chancellor USU-CEU happened several different times Kenneth Carpenter PhD-Museum Director during dinosaur evolution. This, and other weird but true stories will be featured in the new museum Emeritus Board – watch for them! Don Burge-Founding Director Bill Branson Marvin Mabbutt Bruce Burgess Page 2 Lab & Quarry most abundant, however we have been finding more of the large nodosaur (unfortunately not the skull). At the museum, my time is spent removing paint and a little prep work on the stegosaur and the ca- Dem Bones, Dem Bones marasaur from Cleveland-Lloyd By John Bird Dinosaur Quarry. In the 60’s when Over the summer the field crew of we acquired these specimens, it was Dr. Carpenter-Museum Director and Paleontologist the museum with the help of a few a common practice to paint the en- volunteers has been searching the tire mount. This way all the bones Chinle formation in the San Rafael looked the same. Fortunately, today Swell. We have been looking for showing what is real and what is the remains of critters that roamed cast is more common. This mod- this area during the Triassic. The ern practice is great for us since we museum’s collections contain few have a lot of actual fossil bone on specimens from this time and we display. are determined to find some speci- mens to expand our displays at the We are continuing to expand our museum in the future. world class collection as the mu- seum enters it’s 2nd half centu- ry. I wish to remember those who have worked at the museum and the many, many volunteers who put in Yvonne Wilson Museum Volunteer so many hours to make the museum We have been successful in finding what it is today. I have had the priv- some phytosaur material but so far ilege to meet many of them. Their we have not found what we need to labors are greatly appreciated. create a display. So we keep look- ing. Phytosaurs looked a lot like Until the next news letter- crocodiles, only uglier. John We have also had some time to ex- cavate in the Suarez site near Green River. The site continues to yield more fossil bone. Bones of the Museum crew and volunteers in the field therizinosaur, Falcarius are the Page 3 Gift Shop Blubandoo Products are great! The Neckbandoo (shown below) Plush WOWS and Wild Watchers has a tie closure that can be worn make cuddly friends! Plush Tumblers come in two sizes tied around the neck or head. The and a variety of species and colors. cooling band is narrow and so it’s They make great gifts, stocking just the right size and lightweight, stuffers and are as cuddly as they yet effective. look! With weighted feet, they can be “posed” in a variety of positions. The Bandoorag (pictured below right) is for the trendier person or for those who may want a little add- Memberships ed top-of-the-head sun protection. The cooling bandana includes a two Dinosaur Ludo and Ladders Game We have revised the memberships channel, flat bandoo design for op- to include an individual member- timum forehead cooling. Bikers and Two Dinosaur Games in One! shp for $25.00, which has never young folks love this product! been offered before-and a $100.00 DINOSAUR LUDO At each step of Utahraptor, (revised Sabertooth) The Sport Capbandoo (pictured be- this exciting game of chasing and level that includes different perks. low left) is solid cotton for top-of- escaping you have to demonstrate This level includes Standard family the-head sun protection with breath- the swiftness of the wild in guiding membership benefits for two adults able polyester mesh for fashionable your dinosaurs to the safety of home, plus free admission for 10 children, look. Each Sport Capbandoo also in- protecting them from other dinos on grandchildren or guests per party cludes an adjustable hook and loop the prowl. If you can outsmart the per visit. This is exciting because it closure to fit just about everyone. other contenders, you become the seems to fill a niche that has been rightful King of the Beasts! needed for some time now. The cooling Safari Hatbandoo has the Bandoo constructed right (pic- DINOSAUR LADDERS Ride your In addition, gallery exhibit open- tured bottom center) into the hat to luck to climb the ladder of success ing swill be for members only. This create surround-the-head cooling in the Dinos & Ladders game, but gives members a sneak peek of the performance. This oversized brim remember not to make mistake of gallery event and a fun night out. meets and exceeds dermatologist’s landing on the dinosaurs, else you recommended brim size. Great for slide down their whole length till For questions about memberships outdoor activities! you drop down their tails. please contact Christine Trease by phone at (435) 613-5757 or by We hope you remember the museum email at [email protected] gift shop for your gift giving needs. or visit our website museum.ceu. Purchases from the gift shop are a edu and click on the members link great way to support the museum. for details and applications. The Holidays are just around the corner. Stop by for great gifts! Page 4 Collections we find pieces that stand out. Ob- our collection. Dave, we couldn’t jects made with true artistry for both have done it without you! If you are function and aesthetics. Maybe a interested in volunteering with us, stone tool that is made of a unique please leave a message for Archae- and colorful rock. Maybe one pot ology Collections at 435-613-5765. sherd has a wonderful painted de- sign or applied texture. For the ar- One last note: on September 22 we chaeologist, these may not be the loaned the Mickelsen Pot to the Mu- most important artifacts. Some- seum of the San Rafael. times the average or ordinary ob- jects tell more information about the lives of prehistoric people. But the beautiful ones do make great ex- What’s New in Archaeology by Yvonne Wilson hibits. They also show what people of the past thought was worthy of Good news on the museum’s ar- their significant effort and resources chaeology front-we have been given invested in making these extraordi- the okay to start the search for a new nary pieces. So in the lab we are Pot in situ archaeologist. We have missed Dr. keeping a look out for new things Renee Barlow’s expertise and pas- to show the public. Also, one other sion for research. Perhaps the next purpose of the inventory is to update newsletter will have an announce- the storage containers of items that ment of our new hire. came to us decades ago. We must protect these objects in chemically In the archaeology lab, the major stable containers. As we perform project underway is a complete col- the inventory we can change out lection inventory. This inventory is any acidic storage boxes that might not just a tallying of each object. It harm our artifacts. also will allow us to rediscover the Casey Mickelsen depth and strengths of our collection. A new batch of volunteers has ar- We moved both the artifact and the In order to plan our new museum, rived to help with our massive in- entire exhibit case to Castle Dale. we are trying to identify artifacts ventory project.