Wyoming Dinosaur Center Museum adds new exhibits

One of Wyoming's most popular visitor destinations, the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, has a new look. The Center's paleontology museum recently underwent a makeover that includes both new exhibits and newly arranged exhibits. The changes improve the museum's overall presentation of dinosaurs and non-dinosaur fossils, already recognized as one of the best in the country. Still anchoring the exhibits are "Jimbo" the Supersaurus-the largest, most complete sauropod found to date in Wyoming, and "Lori" the raptor-the smallest dinosaur yet found in Wyoming,

One major addition is the exhibit of the giant sea turtle, Archelon, that inhabited the great interior seaway that covered much of North America, including Wyoming, during the time of the dinosaurs. Archelon is impressively mounted elevated, stretching 14 feet in length and 18 feet across its extended, massive front flippers.

Two new young maiasaurs now join the large adult duckbill dinosaur Maiasaura from Montana that tends its hatchlings' nest. Maiasaura is one of only a few dinosaurs that have been found with nests, hatchlings or fossilized eggs and indicate caring for the young.

Another impressive new dinosaur display is that of two therizinosaurs - Falcarius and Nothronychus. Discovered in Utah, Falcarius lived some 120 million years ago and is the most primitive therizinosaur found so far, with features much like a large raptor. Also discovered in Utah, Nothronychus is a massive, later therizinosaur with relatively short, heavy hind legs and huge claws on stout arms. It is one of the larger known members of the raptor group.

The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is also pleased to announce the addition of Jackson King to the science staff. King is a native of Gillette, Wyoming and a graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City where he earned his baccalaureate degree in Chemistry and a master's degree in Materials Engineering and Science.

King first worked at the WDC in 2020 as a member of the highly competitive summer internship program. He has returned each summer since to assist in education programs, fossil site excavations, laboratory work, and research projects. With his new position, King assumes the duties of Dig Site Manager, where he will coordinate fossil excavation, site maintenance, and the public participation activity at the sites.

The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to science education, with an emphasis on the geologic and biologic history of the Earth and Wyoming and is committed to preserving Wyoming's rich fossil heritage. For more information visit: http://www.wyomingdinosaurcenter.org