CLOSE-UP WITH DINOSAURS AT THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, Los Angeles, CA

Triceratops skeleton. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

On a recent visit to the Dinosaur Hall at the NaturalHistory Museum of Los Angeles County, I became reacquainted with many of my favorite dinosaurs—T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops—and met many new ones, including California’s State dinosaur, Augustynolophus. This was my first time at the museum since the pandemic and my first visit to the recently expanded Dinosaur Hall--filled on a Saturday morning with many enthusiastic children and their families.

In September 2017, Augustynolophus morrisi (Auggie's scientific name), was declared the official state dinosaur of California, the only place its fossil bones have been found.Like all species of hadrosaur, Auggie was a plant eater. Hadrosaurs were one of the few known species of dinosaur that chewed their food.

Stegosaurus.The large plates along the spine of Stegosaurus were most likely used for display, but also may have helped the dinosaur control its body temperature.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is the largest natural and historical museum in the western United States. In their all-new, 14,000-square-foot Dinosaur Hall are displayed more than 300 fossils and twenty complete dinosaurs and ancient sea creatures.

T-Rex skull. The long sharp teeth are like giant steak knives, perfect for a meat-eater like T-Rex.

Here are just a few examples of the variety and breadth of the exhibits in the new Dinosaur Hall. 

The peg-like teeth in the skull of this plant-eating dinosaur could be used like rake to pull leaves off a branch.

Comparison of fossil bones from different age animals provide clues to the growth of the dinosaur.

A magnifying glass provides a close-up look at the impressions of scales in this fossil dinosaur skin. Many dinosaurs had scaly skin. The size and pattern of scales was different for each kind of dinosaur.

 

 

 

 

 

Museum visitors can feel the smooth surface of these fossilized dinosaur eggs.

Imprints of feathers can be seen at the end of this dinosaur's tail and arms. Feathers may have helped dinosaurs to keep warm, or to attract mates, or perhaps the feathers acted as camouflage to help the dinosaurs hide from danger.

Skeletons of modern day birds are a reminder that birds and dinosaurs share a common ancestor.

Follow the dinosaur footprints to discover more about dinosaurs. Did you know that dinosaurs walked on their toes, just as birds do today?