The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center is a fossil museum primarily exhibiting fossil organisms of North America's Late Cretaceous including

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

pterosaur Pterosaurs (; from Greek ''pteron'' and ''sauros'', meaning "wing lizard") is an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order, Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to ...

s, marine reptiles, and fish. The museum includes a fossil preparation lab and a large gift shop. Live tours are delivered by visitor experience guides highlighting the history of the individual specimens as well as the paleontology of the fossil species they represent. The RMDRC is headquarters to its parent company, Triebold Paleontology Incorporated.

History

The Dinosaur Resource Center was created to be an intentionally temporary fossil repository, displaying fossil specimens collected and cast by Triebold Paleontology Incorporated. The museum was opened to the public in May, 2004, exhibiting original and replica specimens including dinosaurs, pterosaurs and an extensive collection of Late Cretaceous marine fossil organisms primarily from the shale and chalk beds of Western Kansas. Since its opening, the Dinosaur Resource Center has exhibited a number of important original fossil specimens on their way to academic institutions including the holotype specimens of ''

Anzu wyliei ''Anzu'' (named for Anzû, a bird-like daemon in Ancient Mesopotamian religion) is a monospecific genus of caenagnathid dinosaur from North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana that lived during the Late Cretaceous (upper Maastrichtian stage, 67.2- ...

'', ''

Mercuriceratops gemini ''Mercuriceratops'' is an extinct genus of herbivorous chasmosaurine ceratopsid dinosaur known from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian stage) of Alberta, Canada and Montana, United States. It contains a single species, ''Mercuriceratops gemini''. D ...

'' and other yet-to-be-named fossil species.

Exhibits

The museum has two main fossil exhibit halls, one featuring primarily terrestrial fossil species including dinosaurs, pterosaurs and fossil mammals, and the other featuring fossil marine organisms such as fish,

mosasaur Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Greek ' meaning 'lizard') comprise a group of extinct, large marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous. Their first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on th ...

s and

plesiosaur The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, ''plesios'', meaning "near to" and ''sauros'', meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia. Plesiosaurs first appeared ...

s. Many original fossil specimens are displayed as tactile exhibits available for guests to touch. A hands-on children's corner includes a touchscreen featuring 3D digital models and other hands-on activities like fossil dig stations and puzzles.

Location

The Dinosaur Resource Center is located on the south side of

U.S. Highway 24 (Colorado) U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels from Minturn, Colorado, to Clarkston, Michigan. In the U.S. state of Colorado US 24 extends from Interstate 70 (I-70) and US 6 in Minturn east to the K ...

at Fairview Street in

Woodland Park, Colorado Woodland Park is home rule municipality in Teller County, Colorado, United States. Woodland Park is part of the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Many residents in this bedroom community commute to Colorado Springs. Woodland Pa ...

Gallery

File:Thescelosaurus skeleton.jpg, Front of ''

Thescelosaurus ''Thescelosaurus'' ( ; ancient Greek - (''-'') meaning "godlike", "marvellous", or "wondrous" and (') "lizard") was a genus of small neornithischian dinosaur that appeared at the very end of the Late Cretaceous period in North America. It was a ...

'' File:Saurodon Clean.png, '' Saurodon leanus'' File:Plioplatecarpus Clean.png, ''

Plioplatecarpus ''Plioplatecarpus'' is a genus of mosasaur lizard. Like all mosasaurs, it lived in the late Cretaceous period, about 73-68 million years ago. Description ''Plioplatecarpus'' was a medium-sized mosasaur, measuring long and weighing . The eyes ...

'' skull File:Pachycephalosaurus Clean.png, ''

Pachycephalosaurus ''Pachycephalosaurus'' (; meaning "thick-headed lizard", from Greek ''pachys-/'' "thick", ''kephale/'' "head" and ''sauros/'' "lizard") is a genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs. The type species, ''P. wyomingensis'', is the only known species, ...

'' File:Oviraptorid Clean.png, ''

'' skeleton cast File:Dorygnathus Flying Clean.png, left, ''

Dorygnathus ''Dorygnathus'' ("spear jaw") was a genus of Rhamphorhynchidae, rhamphorhynchid pterosaur that lived in Europe during the Early Jurassic period, when shallow seas flooded much of the continent. It had a short () wingspan, and a relatively small t ...

'' in flight File:Dolichorynchops Clean.png, left, ''

Dolichorhynchops ''Dolichorhynchops'' is an extinct genus of polycotylid plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous (early Turonian to late Campanian stage) of North America, containing three species, ''D. osborni'', ''D. bonneri'' and ''D. tropicensis'', as well as a ...

(

Trinacromerum ''Trinacromerum'' is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile, a member of the polycotylid plesiosaurs. It contains two species, ''T. bentonianum'' and ''T. kirki''. Specimens have been discovered in the Late Cretaceous fossil deposits of what ...

) bonneri'' File:Albertosaurus Clean.png, upCast of ''

Albertosaurus ''Albertosaurus'' (; meaning "Alberta lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 71 million years ago. The type species, ''A. sarcophagus'', was app ...

'' File:Meniscoessus skull.jpg, left, ''

Meniscoessus ''Meniscoessus'' is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now North America. It was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata, lying within the suborder Cimolodonta and family Cimolomyidae. Taxonomy The gen ...

'' skull File:Daspletosaurus-Triebold-800px.png, left, ''

Daspletosaurus torosus ''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 79.5 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three species ...

References

External links

Official websiteCurators blogPreparation lab vlogParent company website
{{authority control Dinosaur museums in the United States Museums in Teller County, Colorado Natural history museums in Colorado Articles containing video clips Paleontology in Colorado Museums established in 2004 2004 establishments in Colorado