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To Our Valued Customers & Friends,
As we try to return our communities to some sense of a normal routine, we start our month with our traditional offer July 4th with Military Appreciation Day. In recognition of their service to our country, all active and retired military and their immediate families receive ½ off regular price admission with proper ID on our nation’s birth day.
The RMDRC will host an outdoor summer fun day on July 11th from 9:00am-3:00pm on the plaza in front of the museum. Fun filled day with your friends and family and enjoy the following booths: Corbin Hillam Design-Chalk Painting, Jimmy John’s-Sandwiches, Teller County Fire Department– Will have their Fire Engine for all visitors to explore, Florissant Fossil Beds-Shale splitting for fossils, Nursing & therapy Services of Colorado-Spin Art, DRC-Rock panning, Riverside Studios-Animal/nature art and jewelry, Top Banana Events-Balloon Art, Ute Pass Ambulance Service-Will have an ambulance here for your to explore, Wings and Warriors-Service dogs, Native Rains-Native American Arts and Crafts, Police Dept-Will have a police car for you to explore, Steve Leininger, Fine Arts by Marie Yellow Hawk-Bead Work, Gary Earhart-Tin Can Lid Art, Carolyn Hellmers-Crocheted items, Kona Ice-40 flavors of shaved ice, Deb Cupples-Karate Info, Science Matters-Science Booth, Yolanda Simpson-Native American Jewelry and Pottery, Further details will be added. Keep checking our website for updates.
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It is so wonderful to be open and greeting our visitors again. I hope you have been able to join us at the museum during this last month. Even though we had to cancel our Outdoor Family Day in June, we are having our Outdoor Summer Fun Day on July 11th. It has been a hard few months for everyone and we hope to see you all here to join in the fun.
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FYI: Utahraptor
In 1991, Utah State paleontologist Jim Kirkland and his crew were excavating a bonebed outside Moab, Utah which had dinosaur fossils in it dating back 125 million years. Kirkland found the front of a jaw from a theropod, the class of dinosaurs containing such meat-eaters as T.rex. Later that same field season, they found a sickle claw while digging. The shape was unmistakable. The recurved claw was just like the foot claw of dinosaurs like Deinonychus and Velociraptor, only this one was much larger. “It was twice as big as the same claw on Deinonychus,” Kirkland said.
That claw would become the single fossil that characterized a new animal, Utahraptor ostrommaysi.
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In 1975, Brigham Young University paleontologist Jim Jensen collected a batch of theropod bones from a nearby site called Dalton Wells. They were not recognized as Utahraptor bones until years later when Kirkland saw the similarities and the fossils were more fully prepared. These bones made a big difference to Kirkland’s team. It turned out to contain dozens of Utahraptor bones which was enough to put pieces of multiple skeletons together to create a better version of the dinosaur. “Utahraptor is the largest dromaeosaur in the family,” says University of La Rioja paleontologist Angelica Torices. It is estimated to have stretched 23 feet long and weighed more than 600 pounds. “The claws on the hand seem to have been more specialized for cutting than other dromaeosaurs,” Torices says, and the teeth at the front of the lower jaw appear to angle forward farther than in other raptors.
By studying various dinosaur teeth, Torices found that carnivorous dinosaurs used a “grip and rip” feeding style. The dinosaurs would bite and pull backward, letting the serrations of their teeth do the work. Utahraptor probably ate in the same way.
In 2001 a graduate student spotted a bone in an area of Early Cretaceous rock layers in Moab. It turned out to be more Utahraptor bones. When they dug deeper they discovered dozens of bones from multiple individuals, from yearlings to full grown adults, encased in a nine-ton block of Cretaceous quicksand. It took years of work to excavate and transport the block so they could study it more. The block is still being studied. The bones are very tiny and they have found skulls from 3 yearlings, five juveniles and one adult. The front of the upper jaw of a baby Utahraptor is about the size of a penny!
Adult Utahraptors were much bulkier animals than Velociraptors. The limb bones are 50% more massive than the same sized Allosaurus bone. Recent studies suggest this dinosaur would have been covered in feathers.
In 2018 Utahraptor was made Utah’s state dinosaur and Allosaurus was shifted from the state dinosaur (from which he was) to become the Utah state fossil.
Information: Riley Black……smithsonianmag.com
Geri Lebold
Education Director
Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity. – Herbert Hoover
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Saturday, July 4th
9:00am-6:00pm
Military Appreciation Day
One half off of regular admission with active or retired Military I.D.
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Trains, Trains, Trains
Sautrday, July 18th
10:00am-4:00pm
Sunday, July 19th
11:00am-3:00pm
The Pikes Peak Division of the National Model Railroad Association will be here with a great opportunity to learn about model trains. Bring your camera and join us for this very fun and unique event.
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A peak into the future:
Critter Rescue Roundup
Aug 1, Sat., 9:00am-3:00pm
Join us on our outdoor plaza for this annual event. We will have many animal rescue and support groups attending. Adopt an animal and receive 4 free admissions to the museum to be used at a later date. More Details will be added as we receive them.
Wag that Tail
Aug 22, Sat., 1:00pm-2:00pm
Denise Gard and her famous Border Collie Joey, along with her new puppy Kira will be presenting “Wag that Tail”.
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Shop online at www.rmdrc.com for an excellent selection of games, puzzles, toys, books etc. to keep you busy during this state issued stay at home order. |
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Help support your local businesses this summer by experiencing the many natural wonders that make up our beautiful state. Let your friends and family know Colorado Springs and Woodland Park are open for business and encourage them to come to visit. While they are here bring them to the Dinosaur Resource Center for a “Dinosauric” adventure. We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you soon at the RMDRC!
JJ Triebold
President
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