painting by Peter Trussler

Note: This Exhibit is Closed

NEW TO ANCHORAGE: THE FIRST EXHIBITION OF POLAR DINOSAURS

Most dinosaurs were never meant to fly, but a collection of rare high latitude fossils that have flown around the world from Australia to Italy, Argentina, Japan and the U.S. are now coming to Alaska. These are the fossil beasts that revolutionized our ideas about the behavior of dinosaurs. The collection includes material from Alaska, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, and the tip of South America. Material from the North Slope is especially important because it comes from a locality with a higher diversity and number of bones than all other polar sites combined!

In order to paint a complete picture of the polar world of dinosaurs, the exhibit contains other vertebrates including amphibians, reptiles, mammal-like reptiles, and primitive mammals. Supplementary materials designed to enhance understanding of the specimens include beautiful original paintings, prints, text panels, models, videos, and computer interactive programs to compliment the fossil material. Alaskans who have seen it in Seattle were amazed by it. Worldwide, it has been met with rave reviews.

MORE ON THE POLAR DINOSAUR EXHIBITION

This exhibition is a joint effort of the Monash Science Centre in Melbourne and the Queen Victoria Museum in Tasmania working together with other researchers including: Dr. Bill Hammer, Augustana College; Dr. Roland Gangloff and Anne Pasch, University of Alaska; Joan Wiffen , New Zealand; Dr. Rosendo Pascual, Museao de La Plata in Argentina, Drs. Tom Rich and Patricia Vickers-Rich, Melbourne Museum and Monash University.

Never before have these materials been on display in an exhibition specially dedicated to them. The exhibit, which uses 4,000 sq. ft. of space, is multifaceted. It consists of skeletons, skulls, mummies, eggs and nests, fleshed models, teeth and lots of other bones. Some are casts and some are original. Magnified bone parts show proof that dinosaurs grew year round coping with the high latitude climates through all seasons. There is even the impression of a tiny dinosaur's brain. There are tiny mammals of Mesozoic age, plants the dinosaurs ate, and the pollen that may have irritated their noses! There are fossil trees from the forests that grew then at high latitudes.

Original paintings by outstanding artist Peter Trussler help the viewer picture this different high latitude world. Fleshed out models give a glimpse of what the dinosaurs really looked like. There are videos that show dinosaurs in action. For special school group tours there are videos that address such issues as extinction, fossil preparation, field work and classification of organisms.

For teachers there are educational packs full of activities that relate to the exhibition and a catalogue that goes into detail on content of the exhibition. These relate to the detailed panels that accompany the exhibition -- which have three levels of complexity. The book "Dinosaurs of Darkness" provides detailed insights into the collection and interpretation of the material on show in the exhibition.

Never before have these durable and intrepid dinosaurs been on show. This exhibition is like no other. For Alaskans, it will provide a greater understanding of the importance of the significant dinosaur finds in our state.

HELP THE ALASKA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY PROVIDE THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR ALASKANS AND VISITORS: BECOME A SPONSOR OF THE EXHIBIT

Sponsors at the $1000 level will receive special recognition at the entrance to the exhibit, on all brochures, our website, posters, and other promotional materials.

Sponsorships will provide admission for the Title I elementary school children, especially those in Tyson, Mountain View & Fairview schools. These include many minority and poverty level students. The exhibition includes teaching programs to provide an exciting and educational experience for students at all levels.

The exhibition will be open in the spring of 2005 at 201 N. Bragaw in our newly acquired facility District.

This is a very ambitious project for the Alaska Museum of Natural History and it very much needs the following kinds of support:

• Corporate sponsorships of $1000
• Individual donations of any amount
• Volunteer docents
• Assistance with publicity

To learn more about the above contact Tom Bennett at the Alaska Museum of Natural History at 274-2400 or Anne Pasch at afadp@uaa.alaska.edu.

Mail contributions to:

The Alaska Museum of Natural History
201 N. Bragaw
Anchorage, AK 99508

About the painting above:

A Sauropsid assemblage that dominated the terrestrial environments of Australia during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. From left to right: a hypsilophodont, a theropod, an iguanodontid, a flying pterosaur, an ankylosaur, and an ornithomimosaur. (P. Trusler, artist. Provide courtesy of Australia Post)

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