Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Encyclopedia
The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is located in Thermopolis, Wyoming
and is one of the few dinosaur
museum
s in the world to have its own excavation within driving distance. Recently the museum made headlines when it acquired the Thermopolis Specimen of Archaeopteryx
, which was in private hands for decades before an anonymous donor gave it to the museum.
Another notable discovery is the "SI" site, which is a rare occurrence of both footprints and skeletal fossils located in the same context . Recent research by Debra Jennings has demonstrated that the site records evidence of a shallow alkaline lake. There are actually multiple layers with bones and trackway
s that were created as the lake expanded and shrank as the environment changed over tens of thousands of years.
Other active dig sites include "FS", which contains at least one juvenile diplodocid
with articulated hands and feet, and "TYA", which contains the remains of multiple allosaurs. Several Camarasaurus
have been found at the "BS" site.
The museum gallery has 28 mounted dinosaur
s, including the recent addition of a full mount of Supersaurus
. The skeleton is 106 feet long, and is the first mount based on new data from the more complete "Jimbo" specimen (WDC DMJ-001). There is also an impressive display of pre-Mesozoic
fossils on display, including numerous Devonian
fish
.
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
and is one of the few dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s in the world to have its own excavation within driving distance. Recently the museum made headlines when it acquired the Thermopolis Specimen of Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx , sometimes referred to by its German name Urvogel , is a genus of theropod dinosaur that is closely related to birds. The name derives from the Ancient Greek meaning "ancient", and , meaning "feather" or "wing"...
, which was in private hands for decades before an anonymous donor gave it to the museum.
Another notable discovery is the "SI" site, which is a rare occurrence of both footprints and skeletal fossils located in the same context . Recent research by Debra Jennings has demonstrated that the site records evidence of a shallow alkaline lake. There are actually multiple layers with bones and trackway
Fossil trackway
A fossil trackway is a type of trace fossil, a trackway made by an organism. Many fossil trackways were made by dinosaurs, early tetrapods, and other quadrupeds and bipeds on land...
s that were created as the lake expanded and shrank as the environment changed over tens of thousands of years.
Other active dig sites include "FS", which contains at least one juvenile diplodocid
Diplodocid
Diplodocids, or members of the family Diplodocidae , are a group of sauropod dinosaurs. The family includes some of the longest creatures ever to walk the earth, including Diplodocus and Supersaurus, which may have reached lengths of up to .-Description:While still massive, when compared to the...
with articulated hands and feet, and "TYA", which contains the remains of multiple allosaurs. Several Camarasaurus
Camarasaurus
Camarasaurus meaning 'chambered lizard', referring to the hollow chambers in its vertebrae was a genus of quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs. It was the most common of the giant sauropods to be found in North America...
have been found at the "BS" site.
The museum gallery has 28 mounted dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, including the recent addition of a full mount of Supersaurus
Supersaurus
Supersaurus is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur discovered by Vivian Jones of Delta, Colorado, in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1972. The fossil remains came from the Brushy Basin Member of the formation, dating to about 153 million years ago...
. The skeleton is 106 feet long, and is the first mount based on new data from the more complete "Jimbo" specimen (WDC DMJ-001). There is also an impressive display of pre-Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
fossils on display, including numerous Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
.