The monstrous skeleton of Tylosaurus proriger looms over visitors entering the Prehistoric Ocean room at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center.
On my way back to Albuquerque from the WIPS Symposium, I made a detour over to Woodland Park, Colorado, to check out the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center. This “new species of museum” (according to its tagline) was founded by Mike and JJ Triebold, of Triebold Paleontology Inc., and Mike was gracious enough to come in on a Sunday to give me a tour of the place.
Mike Triebold with a cast of a concretion that had formed within the footprint of a giant coelurosaur.
Mike explained that most of the skeletons on display were casts of specimens that he and his team had molded and mounted (and in many cases, collected and prepared to boot). The displays are constantly changing, as the reconstructed (cast) skeletons are purchased by museums and other collectors, and new skeletons are prepped, cast, & put out for display. In the 20+ years the Triebolds have been in this business, their team has put together some spectacular skeletons:
Juvenile Edmontosaurus. Behind and to the left is a larger Edmontosaurus. A Tyrannosaurus rex looms over the scene, and the pachycephalosaur Stygimoloch can be spotted in the background as well.
Conchoraptor gracilis, nicely showing off the robust oviraptor furcula (wishbone).
One of my favorite mounts was this dramatically serpentine mosasaur Platecarpus
Dueling Pachycephalosaurus—these two have been reconstructed from “Sandy”, the most complete pachycephalosaur specimen known from North America.
I have to say I was quite impressed by what I saw during my visit. The mounts were dynamic and did a good job of showing off the range, skill, and productivity of the center’s staff. The large, open halls packed with skeletons & fossils felt a bit like a mix between traditional museum exhibits and a showroom floor, which I suppose is not an entirely inaccurate description. In some ways (none bad) I felt the crowding of the casts on display made the RMDRC feel a bit like an old cabinet of curiosities, with a desire to show off a great quantity and diversity of objects—in contrast to the current museum practice of calling carefully-picked specimens into the service of a grand idea. That said, I’m curious to see how the RMDRC handles themed exhibits like their newly opened Darwin and Dinosaurs, which was still being assembled during my visit.
In addition to the exhibits, there were a couple other aspects of the RMDRC that are worth a mention: First, the floor staff was extremely courteous, helpful, and informed (something I noticed even before I met Mike for the tour). Second, the Prehistoric Paradise gift shop was extremely spacious and well-stocked, something I’m always happy to see. And finally, in the time it’s taken me to get this post written up, I’m happy to see that Anthony Maltese has started posting a blog from the RMDRC paleo lab, so you can get a glimpse of the specimens they’re working on and other behind the scenes happenings at the Center.
—Matt Celeskey.
File under: Cretaceous, Dinosaurs, Museumabilia, Reptiles.
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