Dinosaurs roamed North America millions of years ago, and while they are no longer part of the wildlife, we are able to see, study, and learn from them at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum (JSNM). Bones, skulls, teeth, and stomach contents unearthed at various sites are housed in numerous worldwide institutions.
Triceratops was a common visitor to areas of western North America in the late Cretaceous period, from 68 to 66 million years ago. The name is Greek meaning “three-horned face.” The animal’s distinctive skull has two long horns located above the brow line of each eye, and one shorter horn off the tip of the nose. The brow horns, situated high on the head, may have exceeded three feet in length on the largest animals. A frill, or bony structure surrounding the back of the head, makes the head seem larger than the skull alone. In Triceratops, the frill could exceed seven feet from side to side.
Triceratops were large animals standing 10 feet tall with a length, from nose to tail, of about 30 feet. Their teeth were long and intimidating, but these animals were actually vegetarians. The teeth were used to shear through fibrous plant material that was difficult to cut and chew. The horns were very strong. They were used for defense against predators and when dueling for territory with other Triceratops individuals.
Tyrannosaurus rex, Greek for “king of the tyrant lizards,” is another species from the western United States. These animals moved swiftly on two huge rear legs. The body weight was balanced over these legs by a long, heavy tail and a massive skull. A full grown adult was estimated to be 13 feet tall, 41 feet in length, and weighed about 10 tons.
The skull cast at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum has several openings, thought to reduce the mass of the bony structure. It is very wide at the back, tapering to a narrow nose in front. The eyes are situated to provide excellent binocular vision, allowing the animal to accurately judge size and distance while running at a good pace. This was helpful for trapping prey and avoiding attackers.
Several other fossils found in North America are on display at the museum. One is a femur from an Edmontosaurus, a genus of hadrosaurid or duck-billed dinosaur that lived alongside Triceratops in the western U.S. This dinosaur was a plant eater that could move on either two feet or all four feet. It is one of the best-studied species in the world due to the large numbers of bones that have been found. The skull held several hundred teeth, although only a few were in use at any given time. The rest were ready replacements for teeth that broke or wore down from the abrasive plant material in its diet.
images clockwise: Diplomystus analis; Diplomystus dentatus; Icthyosaur Stenopterygius Quadriscisius; Knightia alta; Mioplosus; Notogonius Oscuius; Perca obtusa; Phareodus testis; Priscacara liops; Pterosaur Phyllurus Ramphrhynicus; all images by DonArnold, Oct 2023, JSNM
Other fossils available to view at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum include several fish species from the Cretaceous period that can be seen in the gallery above. Come on out to the museum to see these fascinating specimens and learn more, or take a trip to visit a natural history museum near you.
