 |
| Skull and neck of the sphenosuchian Dromicosuchus grallator. |
The
reception for this year's SVP was held in North Carolina Museum of NaturalSciences, and it was a belter. The assembled palaeontologists had the run of
the entire museum, the fossil prep lab was open and specimens were on display
for close inspection. There was food, beer and a cake and biccy selection that
was without parallel. We didn’t just feel looked
after, we felt loved.
 |
Gotcha! Sauropod foot making footprint. Great to see the process of trace-making being
illustrated so prominently. |
The
museum warrants a post of its own for the simple reason it is one of the best
I have ever been in. The discovery centre, which is attached to the museum is a
shining example of what can be achieved with good museum displays. There are
labs with glass walls so visitors can see actual scientists (!) at work. There
are labs where kids (and adults) can do science themselves and there are many
interactive displays dotted around to keep the kids interested. Most of all,
there is lots of stuff on display. Real stuff like fossils, skeletons and the
tool of the scientists who collected the data, from picks and shovels to the
latest technology. It’s all well-labeled,
well lit and organised beautifully.
 |
| The skull of the Acrocanthosaurus atokensis specimen. Nice mount. |
The
dinosaur exhibit is superb; a fine Acrocanthosaurus atokensis skeleton, a Pachycephalosaurus,
an Edmontosaurus but best of all is the Thescelosaurus, Willo, with it's
might-be-a-heart concretion (although I thought the ossification between the
ribs was more interesting). Mammals are well-represented with the spectacular
skeleton of a giant ground sloth (Eremotherium eomigrans) lurking unexpectedly
around a corner.
 |
| The famous Thescelosaurus Willo, with the 'heart' concretion clearly visible in the thoracic cavity. |
Also
on display the museum had an excellent live collection based in the native
fauna of North Carolina. Some of these animals were displayed in isolated
tanks, but many were housed in tanks that had been incorporated into various
full-scale dioramas of a North Carolinan forest ecosystem, with each zone of
habitation from above the canopy to the understory represented. This allowed
the visitor to see native animals that might be too shy or too well-camouflaged
in their natural environment. My personal favourite was the Hellbender, a large
salamander that lives in the clear mountain streams of the Great Smoky
Mountains. As we were there at night many of the nocturnal animals were out
from under their rocks; we ventured back the morning we flew home and many of
them were under their rocks or snoozing in the leaf litter, including the
Hellbender, who was tucked under a log. All the animals looked very healthy and
had adequate enclosures.
 |
| Amphumia means, an aquatic salamander with vestigial limbs, native to North Carolina. |
My
favourite exhibit? Tucked away in a dark corner of one the labs and against one
of the glass walls was a superb exhibit featuring a colony of dermestid beetles
cleaning a Harbour Seal skeleton - brilliant. I wonder
how they’re going on?
 |
| Two Longnosed Gar and a Pumpkinseed fish share a tank. |
If
you are in the Raleigh area I highly recommend a visit to the North Carolina
Museum of Natural Sciences, but make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to
become absorbed by this excellent museum.
 |
| A Greater siren, Siren lacertina squints through the glass at some bloke taking it's picture. |
