Fossils

Gar Fish

Belone belone

3-A-I

The large black fish fossil is known as a Gar fish. Gar are a Pelagic Fish, or otherwise known as a near surface dwelling fish. When it could it would hunt smaller prey close to the surface of the water. Another Name for the Gar fish is Sea Needle, because of its long pointed snout. To this day Gar fish still swim in our seas. - H. McEwen

Shrimp

3-A-I

This is a fossilized shrimp. The same ones that we see, and eat today. Shrimp never went extinct, and they are still roaming around today. Shrimp feed on Algae and tend to be preyed upon by larger predators. -H. McEwen

Knightia

3-A-I

Knightia is the name of a very old, and very extinct type of bony fish. This type of bony fish thrived in freshwater, such as rivers and lakes. This very small fish was not a predator but, in fact, lived off of algae and other small organisms. - H. McEwen

Phareodus

3-A-I

Phareodus is a freshwater fish. The fossil of this type of fish is mostly found in Wyoming, and they can get quite large. Usually this type of fish has long sharp teeth to defend itself, and probably to hunt too. - H. McEwen

Trilobite

3-B-I

Trilobites were bottom feeders. They crawled along the ocean floor hunting for delicious bits of food. There are many different species of Trilobite. This one in particular is called a Paradoxide. What makes this one distinct is the reverse horns it has at its head. -H. McEwen

Sardine Fossil

3-A-O

This is a fossil of a school of sardines. Sardines feed almost exclusively on zooplankton, "animal plankton" "Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names used to refer to various small, oily fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term “sardine” was first used in English during the early 15^th century and may come from the mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which sardines were once abundant.

-J. Del Toro

Dinosaur Jaw

3-B-I

This Dinosaur Jaw was found in Morocco, before it was brought all the way to the Mammoth Cave Museum. We don't know what dinosaur this jaw belonged to, but our best guess is that it was a predator. According to the sharp jagged teeth that is. Maybe this dinosaur was a Velociraptor, or even a Spinosaurus. Who knows? - H. McEwen

Diplomystus

3-A-O

Diplomystus is an extinct genus of freshwater clupeomorph fish distantly related to modern-day extant herrings, alewives, and sardines. The genus was first named and described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877.

-J. Del Toro

Soft Tree Fern

Dicksonia antarctica

3-B-O

Much like the name suggests this was a prehistoric tree fern that grew before our time. It was short and low to the ground. Herbivore dinosaurs ate these leafy greens as part of their eating habits. Now they still grow, but in probably a lot less quantities. - H. McEwen

Shark Teeth

3-B-I

There are many different species of Shark out their in the world. Each one with its own size, shape, and color. These Shark teeth look like they belong to a decent sized shark, maybe a great white. Either way these teeth belong to a large shark that was probably the top predator or close to it. - H. McEwen

Priscacara

Priscacara Liops

3-A-O

Priscacara is an extinct genus of perch from the middle Eocene. It is characterized by a sunfish-like body and its stout dorsal and anal spines. The fish is best known from the green river shales of wyoming, utah and colorado. Two species are recognized,Of which the smaller species,P. liops is the most common. Priscacara fossils are common in the Fossil Lake deposits of western-most Wyoming and is rare in the Lake Gossiute deposits of Wyoming and the Lake Uinta deposits of Utah and Colorado. It also occurs in the middle Eocene lake deposits of Washington and British Columbia. P. liops also has small conical teeth on the pharyngeal jaw, whereas P. serrata has large grinding tooth plates, suggesting a diet of snails and crustaceans

-J. Del Toro

Polished Dinosaur Bone

3-B-I

A dinosaur bone becomes gem like is do to its cellular structure was replaced by a quartz. Such as, Agate, Jasper, Chalcedony, or opal, it leaves the bone to be a 7 in Mohs hardness scale. These kind of Dinosaur bone can be found in the US Southwest, Utah or Colorado. The coloration can be from a brown to black with splotches of red, blue and bright yellow. However, there is a dark yellow-gold and red dinosaur bone that can be found, but is pretty rare.

-J. Del Toro

Ammonite

Ammonoidea

3-B-I

The Ammonite is an already extinct species of mollusk that looks similar to a Nautilus, but has no relations to it. Their is little we know about this species of mollusk, but what scientist's have theorized is that it was an open water type of fish. Instead of skimming off the bottom like what you may think, this creature most likely swam in the open. - H. McEwen

Sinohydrosaurus

Sinohydrosaurus lingyuanensis

6-B-O

This fossil is a very beautiful piece, as not many found are this wholesome and clear. If you try searching online, you may become stumped as to what this is, and that is because not a lot of people know. This fossil also goes by the name of Hyphalosaurus, more so than Sinohydrosaurus, because of being given two names. One scientist decided that the tiny beast's names are synonyms, and Hyphalosaurus is the dominant name. So don't get confused when two different names are mentioned! - I. Trent

Malayan Soft-shelled turtle

Dogania subplana

6-C-O

This fossil is the remnant of a soft-shelled turtle. This particular species of soft-shelled turtle tends to live in the rocky, mountainous streams of Southeast Asia. Its soft shell tapers off at its nose—making it appear to have a funky nose comparable to an anteaters’. The Malayan Soft-Shell’s unexpected strong jaw allows this creature to prey on snails and other mollusks by crushing their shell. --E. Sharp

Fossilized Dragonfly

6-B-O

Back 300 million years ago, in the Carboniferous period, a genus of dragonflies called Meganeura existed. These dragonflies were pretty big, with a wingspan ranging from 25 inches, to over 70 inches. Maybe this could be a baby Meganeura? Or is it simply a later, smaller relative? It is up to you and your imagination when you get to see it. - I. Trent

Dinosaur Bones 2-A-O

66 Million years ago was when the “The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction occurred. Since the first dinosaur fossils were discovered, the public has relied on artists to imagine what the prehistoric world looked like. Today many of the first “paleoart” masterpieces lie gathering dust in museum storage rooms, their creators forgotten. But these paintings once attracted large audiences, aroused intense controversy, and deeply influenced later visions of prehistory M. Caldera

priscacara

Priscacara liops

6-C-O

This fossil is 50 million years old and was found in the Green River Shales of Kemmerer. These interesting fish are characterized by their a sunfish like body, stout dorsal, and anal spines. They had small, sharp looking teeth which suggests their diet permitted snails and crustaceans. -G. Pirtle

sawfish rostal spine

6-B-O

The sawfish had a long, slim, shark like body with slits on the side of its body. It had a long snout and sharp teeth. They ate small schools of fish or dug up shellfish. They liked to inhabit in warm tropical areas and sometimes strayed out to shallow, brackish, or fresh waters. -G. Pirtle

sea lilies

Crinoidea

Building 2 - Contact Mr. Olsen to see it

You'll see that if you look very closely at this pattern, you still probably have no guess what it is. Well I'm here to tell you these are beautiful Sea Lily Fossils! Sea lilies live in deep waters, and eat detritus, small rock fragments. There are 80 different species of sea lilies and over 5,000 extinct ones. These special creatures were an important part of the Paleozoic Era. -G. Pirtle

Cryptodira

6-B-O

This is a fossil of a Cryptodira, which is a suborder of Testudines. These are the turtles and tortoises that can pull their head straight back into the shell. The species associated with the Cryptodira suborder are Freshwater Turtles, Snapping Turtles, Tortoises, Soft-shell Turtles, and Sea Turtles. Seeing as how this particular fossil couldn't be identified further, we can only imagine how old it might be. I'm hoping for a tiny turtle dinosaur!

- I. Trent

mammoth fossils

Mammuthus primigenius

6-B-O

Upon imagining mammoths being preserved over thousands of years, one may envision a scene (possibly from the motion picture Ice Age) of creatures trapped in blocks of ice, waiting to be thawed. This is, in fact, exactly how most mammoth fossils were created. Long ago extinct, these giants would often times be entrapped in ice crevasses and would freeze—allowing ample preservations with great quality to survive. Many of Richard Olsen’s mammoth fossils that can be seen at this here museum were found just in Rupert, Idaho—on some local farmer’s soil. --E. Sharp

Fossilized remains

Section 2-B-I

Miscellaneous fossils litter the floor of the Museum of Natural History. From the tiniest bacteria to the largest creatures that swam the seas, roamed the earth, or soared the skies, fossils evoke a sense of wonder and understanding about a land before time. Through the careful collection and study of fossils, ancient history is revealed. Click here to discover how some scientists are working to relive the past – literally!

Can scientists resurrect extinct organisms? That remains to be seen. -- T. Jeske

Mammoth bone

Mammothus species

Section 2-A-I

Timeline: 5 mya (Pliocene epoch) - 1650 BCE (Holocene epoch)

The largest mammoth could grow to 13 feet tall and weigh up to 10 tons. Chewing their way through six sets of teeth, these herbivores typically perished as their last set of teeth lost the ability to grind up vegetation (60-80 years). Roughly 4000 years ago the last of these shaggy mammals became extinct, eternally resting on Wrangle Island. Evidenced by fossils, the largest populations roamed Siberia and N. America. All Mammoth collections within the museum were obtained locally from Acequia, ID. --T. Jeske

Read here about the epic find of 2007!!

DinosaurS

Dinosauria species

Section 2-A-O

Timeline: 230 mya (Triassic period) - 65 mya (end of Cretaceous period)

Neither warm-blooded nor cold-blooded these "dinosaur-blooded" creatures included herbivores and omnivores who dominated the aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic habitats for over 150 million years. Like many reptiles, these "giant lizards" never stopped growing. 5 ft high and 4 ft wide – the largest bone in the world belonged to the Argentinosaurus, a plant-eating dinosaur and the largest animal ever. -- T. Jeske

Dinosaur behavior

Dinosauria species

Section 2-A-O

Timeline: 230 mya - 65 mya (Mesozoic period)

The Mesozoic period encompassed the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. During this expansive time, these indeterminate growers had few natural predators... except each other! To sustain their voracious – at time vicious – appetites, some dinosaurs fed on other dinosaurs. In fact, the deep grooves on this Apatosaurus bone were probably inscribed by the incisors of a meat-eating dinosaur. Unfortunately, even the fittest animals were defenseless against the power of natural disasters and disease. -- T. Jeske

Squid Shell

Located in East Building - Contact Mr. Olsen for access

Believe it or not, this is in fact a fossilized squid shell. One this big and detailed is very hard to find, let alone acquire. You may be thinking that we must be crazy, squid are soft! Well, squids do have a soft outside, but on the inside they have this shell, also known as the pen. It supports the mantle and serves as a place for muscle attachment. I would say that is pretty neat! - I. Trent

petrified wood

6-A-I

Petrified wood is wood that has gone through the permineralization process. This means that the organic materials have been replaced with minerals, while keeping the same structure of the original wood. So the wood literally turned to rock! Petrified wood can be found in multiple places in this beloved museum. Just keep looking around and you can see many of these hidden artifacts. - I. Trent

Ammonites

Subclass: Ammonoidea

5-B-I

Ammonites are a subclass of extinct molluscs. Their closets living relatives, it is theorized, are the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish (subclass Coleoidea). They also show many characteristics with nautiloids like the nautilus. Ammonite fossils are used as index fossils to date layers of rocks. Not much is know about how ammonites may have lived because they have no sufficiently close living relatives, but traces of ink have been found in the fossils and traces isopod and mollusc larvae have been in the stomach area. This leads to the conclusion that they squirted ink and ate isopod and mollusc larvae. -Alex

Fossilized Crocodile Skull

Family: Crocodylidae

5-B-I

One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator lies in the shape of the head. Crocodiles have more narrow and V-shaped heads as opposed to the more U-shaped heads of alligators. This skull comes was found in the Sahara desert. The teeth of the crocodile are not well-suited for tearing of chunks of flesh, like many other carnivores. This works to their advantage, however, because it makes it nearly impossible for prey to escape them once bitten. -Alex

TRILOBITE

Trilobita

4-B-I

Trilobites are an extinct group of marine arthropods, and one of the earliest groups of arthropods. The first ones appeared as long ago and 521 million years, during the early Cambrian period. They were among the victims of a mass extinction at the end of the Permian period, which was about 270 million years ago. Many species of trilobite existed, with about 17 thousand known. Trilobite fossils have an extended record, due to an exoskeleton that is easily fossilized. Nearly all lifestyles of modern marine arthropods have been seen in trilobites, including predation, scavenging, and filter feeding. - D. Tribe

Sea Lily Fossil

Crinoidea

1-B-O

Sea lilies or crinoids are marine animals. They can live in both shallow water and deep water. The crinoids, which in their adult life, attach to the sea bottom by a stalk are called sea lilies. The unstalked forms are called feather stars. Crinoids can be characterized by a mouth on the top surface which is surrounded by feeding arms. -C. Boettcher

Bones of a Camelops

Family: Camelidae

5-B-I

The camelops is is theorized to have lived from 2.58 million years and 11,700 years ago. Camelops is a genus containing three different species: Camelops kansanus, Camelops hesternus, and Camelops minidokae. Camelops is greek for "camel-face". Camelops fossils have been found in the Hagerman fossil beds and in other locations in Southern Idaho. Based on the geological record, it can be surmised that camels originated in North America and then migrated to the Middle East and Asia where they then adapted themselves to living in a desert climate (fossil evidence leads to the conclusion that Southern Idaho used to have extensive wetlands). -Alex

Fossilized Muskox Bones

Ovibos moschatus

5-B-I

Scientist hypothesize that ancestors of the modern muskox migrated to America over the Bering land bridge about two million years ago. About one million years ago, the the modern muskox appeared in Germany. During the Pleistocene age (2.58 million to 11,700 years ago), the muskox was much more widespread. -Alex

Ammonite

Anetoceras sp.

Located in East Building - Contact Mr. Olsen for access

This is an Anetoceras Ammonite, which lived in the geological Devonian period in the Paleozoic Era. Ammonites can be distinguished by their septa, which are the dividing walls that separate the chambers in the fossil, by the nature of their septa, and generally by their siphuncles, which is tissue shown along the spiral. This particular ammonite is quite a beauty. The type, anetoceras, doesn't always fossilize so perfectly round. Many of them have a round shape, but are skewed in some way, due to the spiral being unconnected and able to move about. Make sure you come to the museum to check it out. Ask Mr. Olsen and he just might have a story to tell about it. - I. Trent

Mosasaurus

Located in East Building - Contact Mr. Olsen for access

The mosasaurus was a carnivorous water lizard of sorts in the Cretaceous Period. It existed in Europe and North America. Instead of feet, they had large front flippers and small back flippers. The body was a deep barrel type shape. They lived near the surface due to poor vision and poorly developed olfactory bulbs. There, they prayed on fish, turtles, ammonites, smaller mosasaurs, birds, pterosaurs, and plesiosaurs. Though they could dive, they preferred to stay near the surface. Mr. Olsen is still working on completeing his piece. He has almost the entire body stored away in the case, with the bottom painted with what else would be there. You can clearly see how big the mosasaurus is. Make sure you come look at this beauty! - I. Trent

Mosasaur Teeth

Mosasauroidea

5-A-I

Mosasaurs are a group of aquatic dinosaurs that includes the mosasaurus. Like snakes, mosasaurs had double hinged teeth, alowing them to swallow their prey almost in whole. Unchewed prey has at times been identified in mosasaur fossils. Some species of mosasaur had specialized blunt teeth to crack ammonites (extinct squids) and mollusks open. - J. Manderscheid

MAMMOTH FEMUR

Mammuthus

4-B-O

This is the femur, or thigh bone, of a mammoth. Mammoths are extinct proboscideans (members of the same order which includes elephants) well known thanks to their long, curved tusks and hair that was prevalent on the northern species. Mammoth bones have been found in North America, Europe, Asia, and even Africa. We usually think of mammoths as an ice age animal, but while they did live in the last ice age, the first ones actually appeared 5 million years ago. They died out about 4500 years ago. Native Americans used mammoth bones they found to make tools and art. -D. Tribe

HELIOBATIS

Heliobatis radians

4-B-O

Heliobatis was an genus species of ray from the early Eocene age, about 56 million years ago. They died out about 47.8 million years ago. These rays are mostly known from deposits in Fossil Lake, part of the Green River Formation in southwest Wyoming. This specimen here is one of those. Three modified scales on the tail makes a barbed stinger. The teeth on heliobatis were triangular in shape, suggesting they ate fish, crustaceans and mollusks. -D. Tribe

FISH FOSSIL

4-C-I

Fossils represent the remains of once living animals. There are two different kinds of fossils, the body fossils, and the Trace fossils. This fish fossils is a body fossils because the remains are in the rock.

A Blackwell-Besse

Mammoth Tusk

Mammuthus primigenius

5-A-I

Tusks are a kind of extra long incisors (teeth). They were not used for eating directly, though. Mammoths used their tusks to dig the ground for food, rub bark from trees for consumption, and fight one another for territory and mating. They grow two sets of tusks in their life. The milk tusks are grown at 6 months and are kept until they are 1 year old. The second set of tusks is permanent. The biggest tusk ever found was 16 feet long. The length of the tusk is not used to determine how old it was when the mammoth died, because they often broke. Rather the amount of rings which, like trees, are used to each represent one year of a mammoths' life. - J. Manderscheid

Teeth Fossils

4-C-I

Odontaspis Winkler: A Sand Shark

Myliobatis Raouxi: Eagle Ray

Palaeophins Maghrebianus: Marine Snake

Lamna Obliqus: Mackerel Shark

Rhombodus Binkhorsti: Some kind of ray

Onchosaurus Vertebre: Sauropod Dinosaur

Corax Pristodontus: Extinct Lamniform Shark

A Blackwell-Besse

Rare Bird fossils, feathers, and head from the Wyoming Green River formation.

5-C-O

These fossils were found in the 18 inch deep layer that represents some 4000 years of depositions. The composition of limestone indicates that the layer was formed in deep water far from shore. The layer was formed during the Eocene Epoch of the Cenozoic Era. During the Eocene, based on the fossil record, the region was subtropical to temperate. Most of the fossils found at the Green River formation are fish fossils. -Alex

Mammoth Tooth

4-A-I

A mammoth tooth is 15 cm across and just as high. They grew 5 or 6 sets in their life. they had no enamel, and added a growth ring every year. A mammoth life span was between 60 and 80 years. They ate about 700 pounds of grass and leaves each day.

A Blackwell-Besse

Allosaurus Hand Fossil 2-A-O

The name "Allosaurus" means "different lizard" alluding to its unique concave vertebrae (at the time of its discovery). Allosaurus was a large bipedal predator. Its skull was large and equipped with dozens of sharp, as you can see in this picture.The forelimbs of Allosaurus were short in comparison to the handlimbs and had three fingers per hand, tipped with large,strongly curved and pointed claws. -M Caldera

Small Pterosaur 2-A-O

pterosauros, meaning "winged lizard") were flying reptiles of the extinct Clade. Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin, muscle, and other tissue stretching from the ankles to a dramatically lengthened fourth finger. The anatomy of pterosaurs was highly modified from their reptilian ancestors by the adaptation to flight. Pterosaur bones were hollow and air-filled, like the bones of birds They had a keeled breastbone that was developed for the attachment of flight muscles and an enlarged brain that shows specialised features associated with flight. M Caldera

Patasourus Leg Bone 2-A-O

The relative size of the hands and feet in pterosaurs may indicate the type of lifestyle pterosaurs led on the ground. Azhdarchid pterosaurs had relatively small feet compared to their body size and leg length, with foot length only about 25%–30% the length of the lower leg. This suggests that azhdarchids were better adapted to walking on dry, relatively solid ground. Fossil footprints show that pterosaurs stood with the entire foot in contact with the ground in a manner similar to many mammals like humans and bears. M Caldera

phareodus

4-B-O

Phareodus was a genus of freshwater fish from the Eocene age. Specimens have been found in North America, Europe, and Australia. Very little is known about these fish. This specimen is interesting due to the fact that if investigated closely, one will find that this fossil is actually two fish, one overlapping the other. these fish aren't the most articulated, due to decomposition not covered by sediments. -D. Tribe

Fossilized Shark Teeth

1-B-O

Pictured are two fossilized shark teeth. Sharks continually shed and replace their teeth; specimens are quite common. These particular teeth may have belonged to an extinct species of shark, Carcharocles Megalodon, also known as a Megalodon, the largest discovered shark species. Conservative estimates place its length at 13 meters, or 43 feet, while the largest estimate is 25 meters, or 82 feet. A Great White shark is, on average, 11 to 16 feet. -Z. McMurry

Wyoming Fish Fossils

1-B-O

Fossils are records of life that are preserved on stone. Almost all living organisms can leave fossils, but we would not know if they could not. Usually only the hard part of plants and animals can be fossilized. Soft internal organs will not remain in tact, so usually we only see bones and shells. There are only few fossil record that show soft organisms such as jellyfish or worms. -C.Boettcher

starfish fossil

4-A-I

There are about 1,500 species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans. They are found from the inter-tidal zone down to abyssal depths of 20,000 ft below the surface. Starfish are marine invertebrates. They typically have a central disc and fine arms, but some starfish species have a larger number of arms. The fossil record for starfish is ancient, dating back to the Ordovician around 450 million years ago, but starfish tend to disintegrate after death. They are sometimes collected as curios, used in design or as logos, and in some cultures, despite possible toxicity, they are eaten. A. Blackwell-Besse

Green River Fossils Formation 2-B-I

The sediments of the Green River Formation present a continuous record of six million years. Within the Green River Formation of southwest Wyoming in the area known as Fossil Lake. The various fossil beds of the Green River Formation span a 5 million year period, dating to between 53.5 and 48.5 million years old. Millions of fish fossils have been collected from the area. Fish fossils of Diplomystus and Knightia are found in Fossil Lake. M Caldera

Whale Bone Fossil 2-B-I

The colors are contingent on the minerals that the bone absorbed over several hundred (or even thousands) years while lying on the ground or beach. Because of this, no two carvings will have the same design or color. M Caldera

Jaw Bone of a Bison 2-A-O

The third molar from a bison jawbone grows to 3 inches in length and has several times more surface area than a quarter. The teeth hold evidence of the type of vegetation that grew in a particular location at a particular time, and that in turn provides information about climate fluctuations occurring on the plains. "Bison eat mostly grass, so they provide a good way to measure grassland productivity. Much of the range land and farmland in this country was originally native grasslands, so if you want to measure how the productivity of agricultural lands has changed over time, bison seem like a good way to go. M Caldera

vertebrate fossils

Building 2 - Contact Mr. Olsen

A vertebrate is an animal with a backbone, which incidentally comprises only about 5% of all described animal species. Vertebratesare formally contained in subphylum Vertebrata, the largest subphylum of Phylum Chordata that fishes, dinosaurs, reptiles, and of course mammals including humans.

http://www.fossilmall.com/Vertebrates.htm

A. Blackwell-Besse

Fossilized Amphiperca Eocene

Amphiperca Eocene

1-B-O

Pictured is a fossilized fish. It is quite possibly an Amphiperca Eocene, a fish that lived in the Eocene period, which took place 56-33 million years ago. -Z. McMurry

Fossilized Maple Leaf

1-B-O

Pictured is a fossilized leaf, most likely from a maple tree. The rough age of a fossilized leaf, or any other fossil, can be estimated by the location of the fossil. Fossils that are found further down in the rock strata are generally older, while fossils found closer to ground level are generally younger. -Z. McMurry

Petrified wood

1-C-O

Pictured is a piece of petrified wood. Petrified wood is a fossil that is created through a process called permineralization. Permineralization is the process through which organic plant material is replaced by minerals over time. Thus, petrified wood is not “wood” at all, but rather minerals and stone that has taken the shape of wood. -Z. McMurry

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