Leonardo is Coming to Indianapolis

Robert Bakker with a model of Leonardo from the Dinosaur Mummy CSI exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural History. Photo by Ed Schipul, via Flickr.

When I was younger, dumber, and less awestruck by my home state's natural heritage, I bemoaned the fact that Indiana had no dinosaur fossils to offer. I've gotten over that, of course, but I'm still proud that one of the finest dinosaur exhibits in the country, The Dinosphere, is housed at the Children's Museum in Indianapolis. The museum has announced that it's going to be getting a serious injection of star power next year, as Leonardo, the famous "mummy" Brachylophosaurus, is revealed to the public.

From the museum's announcement:

Leonardo is listed in the Guinness World Book of Records as having the best preserved dinosaur remains in the world. For now, visitors will be able to follow the dinosaur’s tale via his tail until the rest of his body is on display in March of 2014. At that time, Leonardo’s Lab will open for children and families to learn everything from what he had for his last meal to how he spent the last few hours of his life.

When this fossilized mummy was carefully unearthed from his grave in Malta, Montana in 2001, researchers had one of the first real looks at the skin, scales, foot pads, and even the stomach contents of the behemoths that roamed the planet 77 million years ago.

Dinosphere manager Mookie Harris - who recently returned to the museum after a stint at a Florida museum - has written about the fossil on the Children's Museum blog, so be sure to check that post out.

If you haven't read my previous posts about the Children's Museum, sit a spell and read about how awesome it is.

The Meanest Landlord in the History of the World

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis should be well-known to long-time readers of this blog. It really is a standout as a science outreach organization in the midwest, and is a necessary regional antidote to the corrupting influence of a certain Kentucky "museum" which shall not be named. It's also another museum embracing YouTube to reach the public, with their weekly "This Week's WOW" features as well as charming little pieces like this one, in which children offer their own descriptions of dinosaurs.



I love the idea of Tyrannosaurus rex as a particularly awful landlord.

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis Bids Adieu to Mookie

Last October, I had the great - by which I mean unimaginably fun - pleasure of visiting the Children's Museum of Indianapolis and taking a look at how they do what they do. What they do is deliver top-notch, engaging education to kids, cleverly disguising it as having a heck of a fun time. As Josh Estes, manager of the museum's centerpiece, The Dinosphere, guided me through the exhibit, I received a crash course in exhibit design and visitor interaction. I met a crew of people who put their hearts into giving children an unforgettable experience. They do it by making the children feel like an integral part of the experience. More than facts, children visiting the museum come away with the experience of problem solving and thinking critically.

To read more about my visit, please check out my weeklong series devoted to it. Today, I want to give a few words to one of the most memorable people I met that day, Mookie Harris. I met him as he was taking part in an activity with a young visitor, in which he draws a reconstruction of an animal based on a child's observations of a tapir skull. The results, you might guess, vary widely. What I love about it is that the "right or wrong" of the child's guesses as to the skull's original owner don't matter. What matters is that the child figures out that he or she has just done the exact same thing a paleontologist does with a fossil. They have the tools to do it - all they lack is a bit of comparative anatomy education. I've since seen him do the same with my niece, Molly, and she was just as engaged.

In a post about one of the museum's big attractions, Dracorex, I wrote, "Mookie told me that he's really heartened by the level of knowledge displayed by his young visitors, especially the increasing numbers of girls who have a real investment in dinosaurs. He thinks that it has a lot to do with documentaries in the style of Walking With Dinosaurs, which portray dinosaurs as animals rather than monsters."

This was a new insight to me. Mookie, your Jedi powers work on adults, too.

This week, the Children's Museum bids Mookie farewell as he leaves for a new opportunity at the Glazer Children's Museum in Tampa, Florida. I'm sure the folks there believe they've made a good choice, but I think they'll be pleasantly surprised by just how good it is. This is a man who understands that making a personal connection with the children who come to the museum is more important than delivering facts, even more important than demonstrating the process of science. Those things are important, no doubt. But they mean more when they come with a human relationship. I'm reminded of another time I saw Mookie talking with a boy in the Children's Museum's simulated dig site. As the boy rattled off theories about dinosaur migration, Mookie was totally engaged with him, and I'll bet that after the boy left the museum with his parents, that experience of being taken seriously and tossing ideas around with an interested adult will stick with him.

In my interview with Josh Estes last year, I embedded one of the museum's "This Week's Wow!" videos, in which Mookie's talents as a performer are put to good use. If you haven't checked these out, take some time to browse through the Children's Museum's Youtube Channel. And enjoy this one, in which Josh gives Mookie an appropriately geeky send-off.

See you in Tampa, Mookie!

A Visit with Two Domeheads

After Dr. Kraig Derstler's talk about comparative tyrannosaur taphonomy, I had the unexpected pleasure of viewing two nice fragments of pachycephalosaur domes. In the picture below, you'll see one from a Pachycephalosaurus - the large one on the left - and a Stygimoloch.



Pachycephalosaurs are popularly known as the "dome-head" dinosaurs who likely used their dramatically thickened skulls for sexual competition.


Image from Orin Zebest, via Flickr.

Remarkably, the Pachycephalosaurus dome was discovered on the side of the road, somewhere in Montana. How many folks passed it by without realizing its value? Luckily, it wasn't some knucklehead looking for landscaping rock who picked up the skull, but it was Dr. Derstler. He had brought them along because the Children's Museum had arranged for them to be CT scanned at a local hospital.

My experience handling dinosaur fossils is sadly lacking, so it was a thrill to be able to take a close look at these. They are not complete skulls, and therefore may not be considered special by the layperson, or the jaded veteran of the field. But it was a rare pleasure to look at the exquisitely preserved internal structure of the bone, the contours and textures and varied colors. Here's a look at the surface of the Pachycephalosaurus dome, nicely displaying the outer covering. This is a very rare occurrence, as fragile structures like this are often lost before fossilization happens, or weathered away after the fossil is revealed by erosion.



In cross section, more traces of the living tissue are revealed.





While not as spectacular as the Pachycephalosaurus dome, preserving less superficial detail, the Stygimoloch was still pretty nice.









I can't discuss these dinosaurs without mention of Dr. Jack Horner's idea that the fossils of Dracorex, Stygimoloch, and Pachycephlosaurus are all growth stages of the same species (the last of the three, that is). Derstler is, to put it mildly, unconvinced. He respects Horner, but thinks that in this case, he has not provided sufficient evidence for his conclusions. It's not a minority view in the paleontology community. Hopefully, Robert Bakker will soon publish descriptions of the fossils that will put Horner's idea to rest, as he's reported to hold.

For many more photos of these fossils, head over to my photo set at Flickr. Thanks to the folks at the Children's Museum and especially Dr. Derstler for allowing me to take these photos.

Interview with paleoartist Matt Tames

The Children's Museum visit has been a gift that just keeps on giving, so I'll have some "appendices" which go along with the weeklong series of a couple weeks ago. It's the beginning, I hope, of a beautiful relationship.

Beginning his own relationship with the Children's Museum as an intern, Matt Tames went on to contribute artwork to the "Dragons Unearthed" exhibit, fancifully mixing paintings of dragons with those of dinosaurs. I asked Matt about his fascination with dinosaurs as well as his other interests and projects. He recently relocated from Indiana to Massachusetts. To see more of his work, I recommend you visit the sites he's set up for his freelance business, little BIG Illustrations and little BIG Pet Portraits. You can also follow him at Flickr. All images in this post are his property, of course.



When you were young, were you a kid who drew dinosaurs? Do you remember if you could distinguish dinosaurs as having been real animals rather than imaginary creatures?

When I was a kid I drew dinosaurs all the time, to the point where my parent got tired of me drawing dinosaurs. I knew the names of many dinosaurs when I was little, and I would read as much as I could about them. I always drew my dinosaurs as active animals, when I was little I didn't like the idea of T. rex walking down its prey, so I would draw it running or jumping.

How did you get involved with the Children's Museum? Had you been doing dragon artwork already or was it something you did just for them?

After I graduated IU I got an internship at the Museum. I was the Dino art and design intern. I would look at the interactive activities they had in the Dinosphere and try to work on new, engaging games for guests to play with. I created several activity diagrams and illustrations for the Museum to use. While I was an intern, Josh [Estes] and a few others saw my artwork and asked if I would like to do some contract artwork for the Museum after my internship ended. For several years I would come to the Dinosphere and create paleo art for guests to see and ask questions about. When the Museum got Dracorex, they approached me because they where in the process of swapping out some of the paleo art in the gallery and they wanted some artwork that would illustrate the connection between dragons and dinosaurs. I usually like to have some dinosaur influeces in my dragons to help ground them into reality. I had been drawing dragons almost as long as I have dinosaurs, and still do a lot of fantastical illustrations.



Do you have any favorite paleoartists, or particular pieces of artwork that inspire you?

I have always been a fan of Mark Hallett, Doug Henderson, Michael Skrepnick, and James Gurney. Mark Hallett was one of the first paleoartists I read about. I remember when I was little checking out the Zoobooks magazine on dinosaurs and gawking at all the illustrations he did for that issue. I didn't really discover Michael Skrepnick until I started working at the Museum. There I discovered all the hidden messages he put in some of his illustrations. He does some of the best sky's I've seen and his dinosaurs are very impressive. Doug Henderson's pastel paintings are amazing, his use of color is out of this world. I really like James Gurney's illustrative style, it reminds me of Rockwell. His Dinotopia series is very cool, and filled with some of the best paleo art out there.

Did you get a chance to visit museums when you were young? What kind of impression did they make on you, if so?

I always loved visiting zoos and museums. They were my favorite parts of summer vacations. We would frequent the Children's Museum, but also go to the Chicago Field Museum. I remember the first time I saw Sue the T. rex at the Field Museum, it was pretty awesome seeing her.

Can you talk a bit about your pet portrait business? Do you feel that there are similarities between capturing someone's beloved pet and a dinosaur that may be just as beloved to dinosaur lovers?

little BIG Pet Portraits has been a very fun side project. It allows me to draw and paint one of my other favorite subject matters. I love to draw dogs and cats, and I think a lot of people like to have an image of their furry friend they can keep forever. It's very similar to paleoart in many ways. Often I receive a picture of someone's pet and I need to create a painting that's interesting an accurate. The same process is done with my paleo art, I look at the bones to make sure my dinos are accurate, and then I need to make sure the illustration is fun and interesting.



Any works in progress or plans for future artwork? Any dream dinosaurs you think about painting?

That's a hard one, I've got a few paleoart pieces I've been chipping away at and hope to finish soon. I would love to do some illustrations of the new ceratopsians that were recently discovered (Utahceratops and Kosmoceratops). I'm still trying to wrap my head around some of Jack Horner's ideas that many species of dinosaurs were really different growth stages for other dinosaurs. I find it hard to accept that Triceratops is the same animal as Torosaurus, I don't see the advantage of losing a solid protective frill and gaining a long frill with large weight saving holes in it. I would also like to do a mural someday, and hopefully do some paleoart for the different science museums in Massachusetts too.

* * *

Thanks to Matt for answering these questions, and also for putting me in contact with Josh Estes in the first place - it really was the spark for this series. Be sure to check out his print shop at Etsy. Besides his sites at little BIG Illustrations, little BIG Pet Portraits, and Flickr, you can also get in touch with him via Twitter and Facebook.

The Lanzendorf Collection

Vintage Dinosaur Art will be taking a breather this week as I have so much material from my Children's Museum tour. I'll be keeping it focused on artwork, however, which feels right for a Friday. For those who find themselves rapt by saurians brought back to life by the artist's hand, the Children's Museum holds yet another attraction: they are the custodians of the Lanzendorf Collection, the most extensive collection of dinosaur art in the world. From sketches to production concept art to sculpture to oil paintings, John Lanzendorf's passion is on display here. There's a reason there's a prize named for him.





During my look at the Museum's collections, Dallas and Josh were so kind as to share the greater part of the collection not currently on public display. There was an overwhelming number of treasures here.





Even the initial concept sketch for the Dinosphere's exterior was there.



As was shelf after shelf of 3D work.



As Josh and I were walking through the gallery, Josh pointed to a painting that is probably pretty unassuming to most viewers. It wasn't a Tyrannosaur in a pose of bloodthirsty rage. It wasn't a pack of wild-eyed dromaeosaurs swarming a cow-like Edmontosaurus. It wasn't a grand scene overlooking the Morrison, sauropod necks gracefully raised above ferns and conifers and skulking allosaurs. No, John Lanzendorf's favorite piece is a Donna Braginetz Corythosaurus. It faces the viewer, its herdmates in the background out of focus. Josh said it was this technique, the photorealism of the treatment, that Lanzendorf loved. It's easy to see what he appreciates: the simulation of the intimacy most nature-lovers feel in quiet moments of observation calls to mind the most effective nature photography.

Josh said that it's also a favored piece because the colors of the ornithopod, vibrant green and gold, are those of the Wisconsonian Lanzendorf's favorite football team. We all have our reasons, and they are a glorious hodge podge.

Interview with Josh Estes, Dinosphere Manager

I've mentioned Josh Estes, whose official title at the Children's Museum is Dinosphere and Treasures of the Earth Manager and Interpreter, quite a bit throughout this series. He sets the tone for his team of interpreters, making sure that visitors leave with a new appreciation for dinosaurs. So I figured it was only fitting to give him the chance to talk about why he loves what he does.


Josh with a foam cast of Stan's neck.

His favorite mount is their Gorgosaurus, and as he pointed out various pathologies on the skeleton, from evidence of a brain tumor to broken shoulder, and tail bones to the sizable chunk bitten out of its femur, it was clear that Josh had a true respect for the small tyrannosaur. "This animal was cared for," he told me, as the various injuries had healed, and it's hard to imagine an animal living to the age it did without getting a bit of help from some sort of social group.

Can you talk about your background? Where did you grow up? Were you a "sciencey" kid?

I was raised in a small town in Southern Indiana called Bedford. Go Stars! Looking back now, it was a great place to grow up. A lot of hills for sledding and cows for tipping and creeks for fishin’.

I guess I was a “sciencey” kid. My grandfather and uncle were both science teachers and I was raised in a home that valued science education. I remember as a child visiting my grandparents and they’d always have National Geographic magazines all over the place. I’d look at the pictures and pretend to read the articles.

Did you visit museums? What made an impression?

I visited a lot of museums and cultural institutions growing up. I loved them – still do. These visits prompted me to apply to work at The Children’s Museum. Growing up, museums were the destination. We’d spend weekends in Chicago at The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and Science and Industry Museum. Those were some great weekends.

My family would visit Walt Disney World in Florida almost every summer. How awesome is that! I remember dreaming of Epcot pretty much year-round. It might sound strange, but Epcot had a huge impression on me with the blending of science and entertainment. My favorite attraction growing up was the Energy “ride”. It took you through the age of the dinosaurs with animatronic dinos up close and that unmistakable “dino-era smell”. Man, that was awesome!

What was the path you took to your current position with the Children's Museum?

I began my employ at The Children’s Museum as a “Master Interpreter” in 2003. A Master Interpreter knows all of the programs in the building and can be plugged into any gallery if someone is on vacation or ill. Needless to say, I had to learn a lot! Tipis and Waterclocks and Planetarium shows and DINOSAURS!!! Dinosphere hadn’t opened yet, but there was great emphasis on getting everyone ready. I’m glad they did! The museum brought Phil Currie, Dr. Bob Bakker, Pete and Neal Larson, Paul Sereno and many other Paleo-type people just to educate us on Cretaceous dinosaurs. I feel like I have had the best education on interpreting dinosaurs.

I became the Dinosphere Interpretation Supervisor in February of 2005 and became the Dinosphere Manager in October 2007. Earlier this year, I accepted the role of Dinosphere and Treasures of the Earth Manager. “Treasures” will be an exciting new exhibit opening in the summer of 2011. I get to learn about Archaeology now!


Josh with a fresh Edmontosaurus rib.

Is there a part of your job do you think would be surprising to the public?

I think what is most surprising when people hear about my job is that it is actually a job and I get paid to do this. I know I’m living the dream of a lot of kids that visit the museum (and some adults too). I try not to take it for granted.

It’s not all glamorous work. I do guard bodily spills on occasion.

What aspect of the Dinosphere are you proudest of?

I’m most proud of the team of people that we’ve put together that work in Dinosphere. It takes a very special person to be enthusiastic every day. To seek out interactions. To answer the same questions over and over but to act like you’ve heard them for the first time. These are special people down here. They all are amazing, friendly and visitor-focused people.

What has been the coolest experience this position has given you?

I’ve been to South Dakota digging dinosaurs. I went on a Pirate Ship dive in the Florida Keys. I’ve spent time with Dr. Bob (Bakker) and am still alive (I love that guy). I’ve had dinner with Mr. McFeely (David Newell from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood). I went to Disney World with a group of staff to observe their operation. But the coolest would have to be when I met my wife at the Mastodon(t).

***

I'd like to thank Josh again for taking the time to meet with me and talk about his work. And for staying in touch with me as I've written these posts to ensure that I get things straight.

The Children's Museum also has a Youtube Channel, so if you want to see Josh in action, you have the opportunity. Here he is with fellow interpreter Mookie, talking about the thunderstorm simulation in the Dinosphere.

Behind the Scenes at the Dinosphere

Touring the Dinosphere with an eye towards how it's structured for educational impact was a treat, but I have to admit that my favorite part of my tour with Josh Estes was getting to see the Children's Museum's collections and prep lab. I have loads of respect for well-designed mounts and interpretive materials, but they can't quite match the thrill of being surrounded by shelves and drawers full of fossils. I read blogs, books, and magazine articles by paleontologists who write about wandering among collections, but I'd never been able to do so myself.

The Children's Museum actively digs in South Dakota, and runs a program for families and teachers allowing them to learn more about geology and paleontology through field work. Curator Dallas Evans explained that while it's a modestly sized collection, it's more than what anyone expects to find in a children's museum, and they've benefitted from the advice and support of Bakker, Sereno, and the folks at the Black Hills Institute.


Dallas Evans with a peccary skull.

Seriously, if I was a teacher, that's what I'd be doing over the summer. Below are an assortment of Edmontosaurus bones excavated by kindergarten teacher Susan Julian. Josh said that the Museum's digs have turned up so many specimens of this modest duckbill that some of the regulars are experiencing pronounced "Edmontosaur fatigue."



I also got to see a nice Triceratops skull which is in the process of being freed from its brutally tough ironstone matrix, accessible to visitors for demonstrations on how prep is done. Paleontology Preparator Mark Sims was kind enough to chip away a bit more rock with his pneumatic tool, which is basically a tiny jackhammer. I asked Mark and Josh if they fielded many questions from worried Triceratops fans during the summer's "Tricerafail" debacle. Their answer gave me hope and reminded me that the internet has a way of magnifying hysterias more than they deserve: there was a week or so of frequent questions, but they faded quickly.


Mark Sims demonstrates fossil prep. Yup, that's a googly-eye.

Another bone on display and available for visitors to examine up close is a huge T. rex femur found by the intrepid Bucky Derflinger, who also found an assortment of 19th century paleontology tools at the location. Mark told me that they suspect that the tools belonged to none other than Edward Drinker Cope, and the femur belonged to his Manospondylus gigas (for more on this little quirk of T. rex's history, check out Mike Taylor's FAQ.




Drawers and drawers of fossils. The blur on the left is curator Dallas Evans.

Whenever I'm around fellow natural history enthusiasts, which isn't a daily occurence for me, I realize how un-jaded I really am. For example, when Dallas confirmed my rough mosasaurian diagnosis of the Platecarpus skull cast below. It gave me a bit of a kick, I admit. Small victories like those keep the engines stoked. I may be a lousy comparative anatomist, regularly stumped by "name that fossil" games on blogs, but I've picked up a few things along the way. Anyone can do it, provided they're willing to observe patiently.


Platecarpus skull cast by Triebold Paleontology.

Seeing the assortment of life-size skeletal casts that make up the museum's traveling dinosaur troupe was also a cool moment. They may not be the fossils themselves, but when the lights came up in this section of the warehouse and I saw the mix of duckbill, theropod, and ceratopsian skeletons huddled together, it was impossible not to grin.


This blog's patron saurian, Chasmosaurus, among the museum's troupe of traveling skeleton casts.

I tried my darnedest to take good notes the entire time, but where I failed, I've been fortunate to have Josh to pitch in and ID fossils for me. He's true blue, people. But you'll see that for yourself when I post my interview with him, the next episode in this epic series.

The Dragon King, Dracorex hogwartsia

One of the centerpiece exhibits at the Children's Museum is Dracorex hogwartsia, the small and somewhat controversial pachycephalosaur. Discovered in 2003 by a group of fossil hunters who then donated the skull to the Children's Museum, it was formally described by Dr. Robert Bakker in 2006. Dracorex made a big splash, famously receiving its own cover story in National Geographic.

Also, it's named for a fantasy novel series of some note.

Having been preserved in the Hell Creek Formation, Dracorex in life was a denizen of the latest Cretaceous, and contemporary with Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. In his description of the fossil, Bakker's stance, as you might expect, is that Dracorex represents a unique genus. A paper published last year by Jack Horner made the case that it's more likely a young Pachycephalosaurus, as is the somewhat larger Stygimoloch. Unfortunately, all we have to go on is the skull and a few vertebrae, and finding more of Dracorex's body would help clear this up (a key point, and one that makes me lean a bit towards Bakker's view is that Horner did not examine the original fossil. More on this here).

When it comes to the Children's Museum, questions about its true identity are beside the point, Dracorex has been used to great effect to teach a larger lesson. It's the foundation of the Dragons Unearthed exhibit, which takes the striking skull of Dracorex and uses it to tell the story of paleontology. Children are asked not to stand in wide-eyed awe in front of a skeleton, but to look at this skull and other fossils and think about how paleontologists interpret them to come to a reasonable image of the animals as they lived.


One of the learning stations in the Dragons Unearthed exhibit.

Pictured below, interpreter Mookie Harris ably mans the Art Cart, one of my favorite aspects of Dragons Unearthed.


Using the skull of a tapir, Mookie asks children to help put flesh to the bone. He lets them use their own imaginations to figure out what the animal would have looked like. This part is really fun to watch, as Mookie has great chemistry with kids and really lets them call the shots, no matter how strange. Goggle-eyes on top of the head? No problem. Mookie draws them on, then suggests that such an adaptation may mean that the bizarre creature spent a lot of time hiding in the water. These features may pop out of the child's mind for fun, but Mookie does his best to give them an evolutionary reasoning.



After their attempt, Mookie reveals the true owner of the skull and shows the features that can be used to diagnose it as belonging to an herbivorous mammal. Then, he brings out a cast of Dracorex's skull, showing that the process the child just went through is just what people have been doing for thousands of years. It's a great hands-on demonstration of how mythological beasts like dragons may have been dreamed of - and that even though we know better now, they were reasonable enough for people of pre-scientific ages. It's all about critically examining the fossils to come to the best conclusions possible about its owner. Mookie told me that he's really heartened by the level of knowledge displayed by his young visitors, especially the increasing numbers of girls who have a real investment in dinosaurs. He thinks that it has a lot to do with documentaries in the style of Walking With Dinosaurs, which portray dinosaurs as animals rather than monsters.

Dracorex hogwartsia reconstruction, using the post-cranial skeleton of Pachycephalosaurus.

Dr. Bakker himself is a consultant to the museum, and Josh told me that when he pays one of his occasional visits, he really immerses himself. Anyone who has seen him on TV specials knows of his enthusiasm, and it's easy to picture him pitching in at the fossil prep lab, holding court for a group of kids and parents to teach how the work is done. No matter how the scientific consensus on Dracorex shakes out, there's no doubt that its fossilized noggin is one of the coolest dinosaur bones ever found. Its discovery and presentation to the public has been a good thing for education, and the Children's Museum has made the most of it with an attraction that promotes critical thinking over spectacle.

Into the Dinosphere

My main reason for visiting the Children's Museum this time around was to tour the Dinosphere, and the exhibit's manager Josh Estes didn't waste any time in submerging me in the Mesozoic. The museum has made it pretty easy to find the Dinosphere: Once you get your ticket and give it to the ticket-taker... walk forward.

What follows next is a literal descent into the past, a ramp from the lobby down to the Dinosphere itself that effectively sets the mood. Josh pointed out that the windows above us were "dimpled," and as you proceed down the ramp, the light gets dimmer as the dimples get larger and more tightly packed. As the insect sounds of a twilight forest progressively increased in volume, Josh pointed out the model pterosaur skeletons hanging above us. Since the PBS Kids series Dinosaur Train caught fire among the elementary school set, Josh has noticed that use of the word "pterodactyl" has steadily dwindled, replaced by Pteranodon, as they're some of the main characters.


A pterosaur glides by a giant Doug Henderson painting of a Cretaceous forest.

At the bottom of the ramp is an incredible cast of Sarcosuchus, which gives visitors a preview of what they'll see inside the exhibit, and provides a less-imposing setting for kids to get used to being in the presence of immense predators: they're seeing it from above, diminishing the threat it may pose, and the light is softer than it will be inside. It's also a great chance to point out that the bestiary of the Mesozoic consisted of more than just dinosaurs.


The famous SuperCroc, Sarcosuchus imperator, greets Dinosphere visitors.

The center of the Dinosphere is made up of three displays. The first is the "T. rex Attack," featuring Kelsey the Triceratops, who is set upon by the famous Stan the T. rex and a subadult T. rex called Bucky, named for rancher Bucky Derflinger, who discovered the young tyrant's skeleton in 1998 at the age of twenty.


Bucky, the teenage tyrannosaur. Photo by Brandy Schaul, via Flickr.


The ever-popular Stan.

Children, or adults nimble enough and willing to crawl around, can also see the displays from within through bubble windows. Here's my wife, Jennie and my niece, Molly, checking out Stan and Kelsey.



And here's what that looks like.



Before it became the Dinosphere, the space was a theater called the Cinedome, and rather than getting rid of the sound system, the museum put it to use in a simulated thunderstorm which comes around every 22 and a half minutes to throw the dinosaurs into even more dramatic relief. Though the "T. rex Attack" gets the lion's share of attention from visitors and photographers, the Dinosphere's other two setpieces are just as impressive.

The Dinosphere's Gorgosaurus is a very cool display, especially because its environment includes other dinosaurs found alongside its bones when they were were originally discovered - a Maiasaura and Bambiraptor. They were found by a family of fossil hunters named the Linsters, who serve as good role models for parents who don't just want their kids to learn stuff and ace tests, but who want to participate in the learning process.


A Bambiraptor, in the foreground, waits for a turn at a fallen Maiasaura.

The Linster dig site is also the inspiration for the Dinosphere's interactive dig feature. Far cooler than pretend digs using kitty litter and paint brushes, this one uses the Children's Museum's own home-made recipe for overburden, a tough, pebbly, rubbery concoction that chips away slowly but steadily enough to feel like you're actually getting somewhere. Uncovering these fossils is a team effort, and takes far too long for one child, or even a group, to complete in a visit.
Below, ace interpreter Mookie Harris discussed the logistics of a dig with a young prodigy. Seriously, this kid was smart as a whip!



If you're into duckbills, the Dinosphere has a nice display of a watering hole featuring four Hypacrosaurs at three different ontogenetic stages - an adult, a juvenile, and two infants - as well as a Prenoceratops, included to help counter that age-old canard that dinosaurs were all giants.


Hypacrosaurs in the Dinosphere. Photo copyright The Children's Museum.


Under Frannie, the Prenoceratops.

The whole time I was in the Dinosphere, the interpreters were busy explaining the skeletons to visitors, and not just the younger ones. They took on questions about the dinosaurs from anyone, questions they'd undoubtedly heard a thousand times already. It was pretty cool to watch, more engaging than a display like Sue, who inspires plenty of gawking and shutterbugging, but might not be as accessible. Josh and his team do a great job of translating the language of science into stories that help Dinosphere visitors appreciate nature's simple profundity.


An avian theropod's eye view of the Dinosphere.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at a controversial pachycephalosaur that is another of the Museum's centerpieces.

All photos taken by me, unless otherwise credited.

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis Week

Following my well-received weeklong series on Chicago's Field Museum, I decided to do something similar for The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the largest children's museum in the world. Whether or not you have kids in tow, it's a worthwhile place for any dinosaur enthusiast to visit.

Even if you'd never heard of the museum and just stumbled upon it while wandering Indianapolis, you would immediately realize this: the exterior is dominated by two playful, traffic-stopping sauropod sculptures. The first are a set of three Alamosaurs, a mother and her offspring, bursting through the museum walls. They were conceived and created by 2005 Lanzendorf prize winner Brian Cooley, who has a long history of creating surprising dinosaur sculptures, such as the luggage-defiling dromaeosaurs at Calgary International Airport.


Photo by John Ballard, via flickr.

Lest these sauropods should give the impression that the museum is a place to escape, the two brachiosaurs below show the great efforts these giants will take to get in.


Photo by Bob Wollpert, via flickr.

Unveiled last year with the museum's new welcome center, this Brachiosaurus pair was conceived of by the museum's CEO, Dr. Jeffrey H. Patchen, and sculpted by another giant in paleontology sculpture, Gary Staab. Both of these sculptures deliver a message about the museum, about the organization's excitement and dedication to engage children's curiosity and teach science and critical thinking in a completely pain-free way. The interpreters on hand are a constant presence, giving frequent demonstrations, answering questions, and ensuring that no visitor - whether child or adult - leaves thinking they've just had a stroll through what amounts to a nice set of dioramas. The dinosaur setpieces have all been designed with teaching points in mind, and these are explained clearly and enthusiastically by the staff.

All this week, I'll be featuring posts about the dinosaurian delights of the Children's Museum. Thanks to Josh Estes, the museum's Dinosphere and Treasures of the Earth Manager and Interpreter, I had the chance to get a behind-the-scenes tour that gave me a new appreciation for the way exhibits for children are built, from the birth of the concept to the last coat of paint. If you've been to the Children's Museum, I hope it does the same for you. If you haven't been there, maybe it will add it to your travel to-do list.