January/February 2014

Miner als • Dinosaur s • F ossils
Tate Geological Museum
Geological Times
Jan-Feb 2014 • Vol 19, No. 10
casp er co l l ege. ed u/ t a t e 3 0 7 - 2 6 8 - 2 4 47
Fossil
of
the
Month
–
Jurassic Fossils from the Claw Site at Como Bluff
By J.P. Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum Collections Specialist
collected from Claw, and now they await
curation. Here is a photo gallery of some
of what we found. (The scale bar on all of
these is in milimeters).
To your left is a very small lizard jaw
with three teeth found by Steve in the lab
and a group of crocodilian teeth collected
by Mary Anne Wentink.
Below are two different lungfish teeth.
These are not common. The one on the left
is missing a “finger” on the left side where
the edge is rough. The one on the right is
complete and was found by Lesley Elliott.
©Drawing by Zack Pullen.
This month
instead of
featuring one
single fossil, I
am featuring a
whole bunch
of them. Just
like I was Time’s Man of the Year in 1966,
along with countless others, this month’s
fossils share the spotlight with each other.
This past summer we started working on
the eastern edge of Como Bluff again. The
Tate Geological Museum had collected
there decades
ago, and it was
about time
we started up
again. One
of the sites
we worked
the most
this summer
was a site
called “Claw.”
This is a
microsite ... an
accumulation
of mostly small bones of all sorts of
animals from the Jurassic period.
The vertebra above, found by Dwaine
Wagoner, is one of the few large bones
we found at this site. It is possibly from
an Allosaurus. The top end got crushed
before it was fossilized.
To your right is a photo of the site
with a small flock of volunteers working
the productive layer, which is about 8 to 10
inches thick and runs horizontally for a fair
ways. We spent quite a few days there on
several trips with our field dig folks and our
volunteers.
Turtle pieces are by far the most
common fossils here, and crocodile teeth
come in a close second, but there is a great
variety of bones to be found. Steve Pfaff
spent a month or so cleaning the fossils we
Below on the left is a well-preserved
vertebra found by Melissa Connely. We
have no idea what this one is from. On the
right are four Allosaur teeth found by Steve
Pfaff, Dwaine Wagoner, me, and Jane
Berry.
(Countinued on page 2)
Fossil of the Month Page 1-2
Director’s Note
Page 3
What’s inside
Holiday Open HousePage 4
Werner Art Show Page 5
Exhibits Update
? and Answers
Page 6
Page 7
2
(Countinued from page 1)
Below are two sets of photos of three
little toes bones (same bones, different
angle). Notice the crushing on the bottom
one. These were found by Bruce Thiel,
Ginny Hager, and Jane Berry and probably
come from small dinosaurs or crocodiles.
V
alentines
from the
Tate Geological Museum
Below is one of the finest finds ... a
complete tibia of a small dinosaur found by
Bruce Thiel.
A
By Dominique Maestes
ll one needs is love, but a little surprise on
Valentine’s Day wouldn’t hurt. Forget about the
chocolates and roses. After your tour of the
museum, find the perfect gift for that special someone
in our gift shop. To please a fashionista wife, we have
an assortment of beautiful jewelry. For the adventurous
husband numerous books to spark an interest. As
a couple, you could always enjoy a romantic movie
night with one of our DVDs. To relax your hard-working
spouse, we carry Soap Rocks and Relaxation Salt
Rocks. The possibilities are endless, just like the love
you have for one another. Stop by the Tate Geological
Museum Gift Shop and you will have one happy
sweetheart.
Jewlery • Books • DVD’s • Soap
Rocks • Relaxation Salt Rocks
• Much more
Tate Museum
Geological Times
3
Director’s Note ©Drawing by Zak Pullen.
Happy New
Year – changes
at the Tate –
moving and
remodeling
Our neighbors
in the building,
the University
of Wyoming/Casper College Center
faculty, will be moving to new offices
elsewhere on campus over the holiday
break. This will free up three offices and
two classrooms for use by the Casper
College Geology Department and the Tate
Geological Museum. We are planning
on a little remodeling to provide a break
room that is not in the prep lab and an
alternative meeting room. We will also
create space for exhibit design and
development, a museum classroom,
another geology classroom, and private
offices for some of our staff. This will
allow us a little extra space in the museum
itself, which will be quickly absorbed by
the gift shop.
Tater Travels (Also known as J.P.’s
travels – the rest of us are staying
home)
J.P. Cavigelli will be traveling to
Fairbanks, Alaska at the end of January
to do prep work on the Triassic marine
reptile that was found in southeast Alaska,
and is being studied by Pat Druckenmiller
from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
During the week of February 17, he will be
traveling to Gainesville, Fla. for the North
American Paleontological Conference
where he will give a presentation
regarding the museum’s use of volunteers
to assist in excavating both Dee the
mammoth, and Lee the T. rex.
History of Paleontology – travel
to Europe
Imagine earning one to four credits
by traveling to Europe. Visit famous
museums, in London, Paris, Frankfurt,
Tate Museum
Geological Times
by Deanna Schaff
and numerous smaller local museums
along the way. The participants will get
a chance to do some fossil collecting
as well. This trip will last for two weeks
leaving Denver on May 17 and returning
May 30, 2014. If you are interested in
further information please contact one of
the instructors J.P. Cavigelli or Melissa
Connely at jpcavigelli@caspercollege.
edu (307-268-3008) or mconnely@
caspercollege.edu (307-268-2017).
Museum Lecture Series
The Tate Geological Museum staff is
planning another lecture series for the
spring semester. The topic we have
chosen is “Evolution and Extinction.” The
talks will be held at 7 p.m. on Mondays,
Feb. 10, Mar. 17, Apr.14 and May 12
(alternate date). We will be posting
information about the individual topics and
speaker information on our website and
Facebook as planning is solidified.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters Event
Russell Hawley, education specalist,
and Dominique Maestes, gift shop
manager, spent some quality time at the
Winter Wonderland sponsored by Big
Brothers/Big Sisters on December 7.
They report that there was a tremendous
turnout in spite of the cold weather. The
Casper College museums sponsored a
table and Russell made origami dinosaurs
for the kids and the Tate provided a dig
box for their enjoyment. Both Russell and
Dominique commented on the enthusiasm
exhibited by everyone involved.
Dates set for summer pay-to-dig
adventures:
Two pay-to-dig trips are being planned
for summer 2014. The first to Como Bluff
will be June 16 through 20. On September
15 through 19 a second group will visit
the Lusk area to continue work on Merle,
the hadrosaur. This lucky group will
also have an opportunity to come early
to attend the Denver Rock and Mineral
Show the weekend of September 13 and
stay an extra day and attend our biennial
fundraiser on September 20.
Judith Johnston received Werner
Wildlife Museum Volunteer of
the Year.
A retired geologist who also loves
birds was selected as the Werner Wildlife
Museum Volunteer of the Year for 2013.
Judith Johnston was presented the plaque
at the open house held at the Werner
on November 15, 2013. Judith started
volunteering at the museum in January
2012 and has spent many days learning
how to inspect, clean, and write condition
reports for the Werner bird collection. In
addition, she helped clean and catalog the
Utzinger big horn sheep collection.
Tater Talks to continue
The museum staff selected dates for
future Tater Talks for our volunteers. The
dates are January 23, February 13, March
20, April 17, and May 15. If you are a Tate
volunteer and have a question you’d like
addressed or a topic of interest, please let
J.P. know. Pizza will be provided on these
evening talks, which begin at 6 p.m. The
initial meeting on January 23 will include a
planning session for the spring semester.
Deanna Schaff and Judith Johnston
4
Holiday Open House – by Deanna Schaff
About 450 people enjoyed the Holiday
Open House and we were very pleased
by the turnout. Excitement was in the
air as children had their faces painted,
hunted for shark teeth, made gifts for
their parents and grandparents, threw
balls through the holes in the cast of a T.
rex skull, and made dinosaur Christmas
ornaments. Many people took advantage
of the photo-op with Santasaurus, took
time to look at museum exhibits, ask
questions, and go on special tours of the
prep lab and Lee Rex Barn.
None of this would have been
possible without the help of numerous
volunteers. Don Stagg was on hand to
greet everyone at the front door and
Dwaine Wagoner documented the fun
on his camera. Santasaurus was played
by Kristin Taylor and Con Trumbull
answered questions and told stories
about the museum exhibits. Steve Pfaff
took groups on tours of the prep lab
while our work study student, Steve
Bennett (Fluffy), guided people through
their tour of the Lee Rex Barn. The
kids kept four face painters, Maryann
Budenske, Melissa Stahley-Cummings,
Lexi Brooks, and Sara Carr very busy.
Lynne Swank was on hand to make
sure everything ran smoothly in Room
121 as kids waited to have their faces
painted, colored, and searched for shark
teeth. The T. rex toss was managed by
Lexie Finkle and Jeremiah Taylor. Becky
Rothenberg helped Linsey Grant with our
parent gift corner, and Nancy Doelger
wrapped presents. I want to give many
thanks to all of our volunteers.
Many thanks also go to my hard
working museum staff for helping me
plan this event. They amaze me with their
creative ideas and willingness to put forth
that extra effort to turn the museum into
a winter wonderland. Last, but not least,
thanks to Kent Sundell for furnishing our
16’ to 18’ live Christmas tree. The smell
of a fresh tree always pervades the lobby
and compleats the holiday spirit.
“Essence of Rex” by Chris Navarro
Santasaurous (Kristin Taylor) with Tate
volunteer Dwaine Wagoner.
Raffle winners
The winner of the silicified coral
specimen was Jackie Ellis and the
children’s basket was won by Kelton
English. Congratulations.
Geology Club Bake Sale
Open house participants listen to a discussion on
the progress of the Lee Rex T. rex project.
CC art student face
painting young
dinosaur fan.
Annette Hein, president of the
student Geology Club at Casper
College, wishes to thank everyone
who purchased baked goods at their
bake sale. The proceeds will help pay
for their spring trip to Moab, Utah.
Steve “Fluffy”
Bennett talks
to visitors.
Tate Museum
Geological Times
5
Werner Wildlife Museum Art Show Results from the open house
Werner Wildlife Museum
One hundred fourteen people arrived at the Werner Wildlife Museum
on Nov 15, 2013 to view the “NATURE” art show and enjoy our open
house. Art created by Casper College students, faculty, and staff is
still on display among the museum exhibits. The art will be kept in the
Werner Wildlife Museum until Wednesday, March 19 so if you haven’t
seen it yet, make sure you stop by.
Tate Museum
Geological Times
6
Exhibits Update:
By Patti Wood Finkle, Exhibit Specialist
©Drawing by Zak Pullen.
I am happy
to announce
that we have
finished the
Taxidermy
Shop Exhibit
at the Werner
Wildlife
Museum! Visitors now have
a chance to step into a “real”
taxidermy shop and find out
what’s inside. Hopefully, the
exhibit will answer any basic
questions that our visitors have
about taxidermy. It definitely
answers one of the most often
asked questions, “What’s inside
the animals?”
The exhibit starts with the
history of taxidermy and
introduces some of the more
interesting pieces of historical
taxidermy through the “Taxidermy
Tails” pieces (kittens having
tea, anyone?). Then the text
covers the process of modern
taxidermy and which steps to
take in the field to putting the
final touches on the finished
product. Additionally, the 1930’s
mounting of the great Australian
racehorse Phar Lap, who was
said “lives again through the
marvels of modern taxidermy,”
is covered in both text and with
historic photos. The exhibit
features tools and hides, eyes and
mouths, and noses and forms.
Several historical texts, modern
catalogues, and posters were
donated by Wyoming Taxidermy,
and Van Dykes Taxidermy Supply,
explaining the processes involved
are also included. Our thanks to
both of these organizations for
their donations!
Two views of the new taxidermy exhibit on display at the Werner Wildlife Museum.
Tate Museum
Geological Times
7
? and Answers
©Drawing by Zak Pullen.
Q:
By Russell J. Hawley, Tate Geological Museum Education Specialist
This dinosaur question is a first for me, from one of my volunteers:
Which dinosaur had the greatest number of teeth? [I suspect a close
tie between the hadrosaurs and ceratopsians].
– Judy Molnar, education associate
Virginia Living Museum, Newport News
A:
You are correct – ceratopsians (horned dinosaurs) and
hadrosaurs (duckbill dinosaurs) were the toothiest known
dinosaurs. In both groups there were several columnar
‘tooth families’ lined up in the jaws, with a functional
tooth at the crown of each column and a battery of
replacement teeth stacked up below to replace the functioning
tooth when it became too worn down to be useful. In general the
hadrosaurs had more of these tooth families than ceratopsians
– about 40 in each quadrant of the jaw on the average. In two
unusually long-jawed species – Shantungosaurus giganteus from
eastern China and Edmontosaurus annectens* from the western
United States – there were as many as 60 of these tooth families in
each quadrant. The number of spare back-up teeth in each family
varied from three to six. If we assume a series of six teeth per
family in one of these long-jawed species, that adds up to a total
of over 1400 teeth in the animal’s mouth!
But there’s a catch – what if we’re only talking about functioning
teeth? At any given time, ‘only’ 240 of the hadrosaur’s teeth
would be exposed for use in chewing; the rest would be buried
out of sight in the bone of the jaw. That’s still a lot of teeth, but
there may be a dinosaur who could give the hadrosaurs a run
for their money: the wolverine-sized Pelecanimimus from the
early Cretaceous of Spain. This dinosaur belonged to the ‘ostrich
mimic’ group of dinosaurs, and like other members of its family
would have had a long neck and long hind legs for fast running.
Pelecanimimus had numerous tiny teeth set into long grooves
running along the edges of the front portions of the jaws. Since the
grooves were not divided into individual alveoli, and since many of
the actual teeth in the only known specimen are missing, it’s hard
to determine the exact number, but it was probably around 230
teeth. A close contest!
Below: A pair of toothy Pelecanimimus. Skin impressions were found around the skull, indicating that there was a softtissue crest atop the rear portion of the head, and a baggy pouch under the jaw like that of a pelican (hence the name
Pelecanimimus, which means ‘pelican mimic.’) There was no indication of either scales or feathers, so Pelecanimimus
might have had bare skin on its head like a turkey vulture.
*Unusually large, mature individuals of Edmontosaurus annectens have sometimes
been misidentified as a separate species, Anatotitan copei.
Tate Museum
Geological Times
Casper College
Tate Geological Museum
125 College Drive
Casper, WY 82601
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
Paid
Permit No. 112
Casper, WY 82601
2014 Tate Museum Event Calendar
January
04
22
23
Saturday Club, 10:30 a.m.
Coffee, Tea & Dee, 7:30-11:30 a.m.
Tater Talk and volunteer organizing party, 6 p.m.
Geological Times
February
Tate Museum
Minerals • Dinosaurs • Fossils
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
01
10
13
19 March
01
17
19
19
20
April
05
14
16
17
25
Saturday Club, 10:30 a.m.
Lecture series “Evolution & Extinction,” 7 p.m.
Tater Talk, 6 p.m.
Coffee, Tea & Dee, 7:30-11:30 a.m.
Saturday Club, 10:30 a.m.
Lecture Series “Evolution & Extinction,” 7 p.m.
Last day of Werner Art Show “Nature” –
Werner Wildlife Museum
Coffee, Tea & Dee, 7:30-11:30 a.m.
Tater Talk, 6 p.m.
Saturday Club, 10:30 a.m.
Lecture series “Evolution & Extinction,” 7 p.m.
Coffee, Tea & Dee, 7:30-11:30 a.m.
Tater Talk, 6 p.m.
Opening of Tate Geological Museum Art Show
May
03
12
14
15
Saturday Club, 10:30 a.m.
Lecture series “Evolution & Extinction”
(alternate date) 7 p.m.
Coffee, Tea & Dee, 7:30-11:30 a.m.
Tater Talk, 6 p.m.
June
6-8
Conference “Prehistoric Predators”
16-20 Dinosaur dig to Como Bluff
INSTALLATION OF ESSENCE OF REX BRONZE outside Tate
Museum – TBA
September
12-14
15-19
20
Denver Rock, Mineral and Fossil Show
Dinosaur dig to Merle site
Biennial fundraiser, “Lee Rex Rocks” – Petroleum Club
Scan to find out
more about the Tate
Geological Museum!