The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is located in Thermopolis, Wyoming and is one of the few dinosaur museums 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 (Jennings 2006). 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 trackways 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 dinosaurs, 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.
References
Jennings, D. (2006), "Taphonomic analysis of a dinosaur feeding site using geographic information systems (GIS), Morrison Formation, southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA", Palaios 21 (5): 480â€"492, doi:10.2110/palo.2005.P05-062RÂ
Web Resources
- Wyoming Dinosaur Center Website
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