MoAW presents
MESOZOICA
The Age of Dinosaurs
New Member Benefit
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photos by Lynne Tucker
THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD
from 140 million to 65 million years ago
Marking the appearance of flowers, the fertile Cretaceous period was named for vast deposits of chalk (Creta in Latin), rich in fossils and widely distributed throughout the world. The distribution of the continents was beginning to resemble that of the present, although a great shallow sea flowing from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico separated the supercontinent of Laurasia into Asiamerica (East Asia and Western North America) and Euramerica (Europe and Eastern North America). Marked by a rich emergence of advanced dinosaurs, the Late Cretaceous, 75 million years ago, was a time of tremendous volcanic upheaval as mountain ranges and new islands were being formed. The drifting of the continents toward the polar regions brought on significant changes in the seasonal weather. No longer able to roam between the continents, many of the later dinosaurs evolved exclusively in Asiamerica. The dominant creatures of the period, most species lasted no more than 5 million years before disappearing from the fossil record, often followed by more advanced descendants. This period lasted until 65 million years ago, ending with a catastrophic mass extinction second only to that of the Permian. Nearly half of all the Cretaceous plants and animals, both marine and terrestrial, suddenly vanished. Among them were the dinosaurs.
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“Whenever I look at a bone, I always see the fingerprints of the god who amused himself with sculpting it.” Pablo Picasso
MESOZOICA
The Age of Dinosaurs
Drawn from the world’s foremost fossil collections, the unprecedented treasury of fossil casts known as MESOZOICA: The Age of Dinosaurs, brings together into one exhibition some of the most exciting finds in the history of paleontology from over a century of worldwide excavations.
Displaying casts of rare fossils from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, this prestigious collection includes skeletons, skulls, claws, and eggs gathered from such revered museums as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, The Royal Ontario Museum, and the Carnegie Museum, as well as many others.
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Order Ornithischia,
Suborder Ceratopsia
Chasmosaurus belli
Late Cretaceous, Alberta
Of the long-frilled Ceratopsian dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous, Chasmosaurus (“Ravine Reptile”) is the earliest known. Extending from the back of the creature’s head, a sturdy, spiked frill protected its neck and part of its back.
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Large openings in the frill reduced the weight of the bone mass. It had 2 small horns over the brows and one on its parrot beaked snout. Living in large, migrating herds and measuring over 16 feet in length, these herbivorous grazers have been found in Alberta, New Mexico, and Texas. Though not as well-equipped as its descendant, Triceratops (“Three Horned Face”), Chasmosaurus was capable of warding off attacks by fierce tyrannosaurs. Females of the genus are distinguished by their diminutive horns. |
This impressive creature was one of the first dinosaurs to be found along with an impression of its skin, the patterns of its large mosaic scales suggesting contrasting color patterns. The original is housed at the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada. |
Order Ornithischia,
Suborder Ceratopsia
Protoceratops andrewsi
Late Cretaceous, Mongolia
Protoceratops andrewsi is a small and primitive ceratopsian or horned dinosaur. First, of the Three Horned Faces. Although it lacked the fearsome horns of later species, Protoceratops had a distinct bump above its nostrils and thickened bone over its eye sockets.
Protoceratops was first discovered in Mongolia, and a great many specimens have since been found in that nation and northern China.
Ranging in size from hatchlings to full-grown adults, including one that is preserved locked in combat with an individual Velociraptor, like the predatory ‘raptor’ made famous in the Jurassic Park films.
Thriving in Central Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, 80-75 million years ago, Protoceratops eventually evolved into the huge horned ceratopsians such as Triceratops and Chasmosaurus. Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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MoAW's mission is to educate a diverse audience about the history of ancient civilizations and prehistoric life using fossils and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods; to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts, colleges, and universities while establishing museum diversity for the Coachella Valley.
Hours of Operation:
Monday - Saturday
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
The last admission is taken one hour before closing.
Admission:
$15.00 Adults
$12.00 Students, Seniors, & Military
$ 3.00 Discount available for Coachella Valley Residents
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MoAW is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the California Association of Museums.
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Coming Attraction
March through September 2022
the Museum of Ancient Wonders
presents
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VESSELS OF THE GODS
Treasures of the Ancient Greeks
1650 to 410 B.C.E
Reflecting the brilliance of a millennium of ancient Aegean culture, four distinct periods produced the designs of these vases: Minoan, Mycenaean, Corinthian, and Attic. Essentially consisting of silhouetted figures drawn against a background of red, black, or white, this art form gradually dies out after the Persian wars, c. 475-450 B.C. Shaped and painted by hand, these exquisite reproductions were created in Greece by master artists from the originals housed in The National Museum, Athens, The Heraklion Museum, The Thera Museum, The Corinth Museum, The Delphi Museum, The Louvre Museum, The Vatican Museum, and The Museo Civico, Brescia.
Please, feel free to preview this collection on MoAW's website: www.moaw.org
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Next Week:
Do you have a favorite piece at MoAW you would like to see highlighted in our weekly email? You can visit www.moaw.org, see the collections tab, visit the catalogs, and view Spotlights From The Past.
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Members Perks
So many reasons to join MoAW, you help keep the museum open, allow us to acquire new treasured artifacts and fossil displays, plan and present programs, to help local students learn about ancient civilizations and prehistoric life.
The newest perk of membership: Free admission to over 1,200 museums nationwide through the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM) Plus, discounts at their museum shops and restaurants (if given to their members). Local museums include the Palm Springs Art Museum and Cabot's Pueblo Museum, several museums in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, throughout California, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, plus Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. This is available to all members at the Donor Level or higher. Current members who qualify will be receiving new membership cards with the NARM logo to be used at participating museums.
Current members who would like to upgrade their membership to take advantage of this new benefit please give us a call, (442) 268-5004.
Click below for more information and to join.
THANK YOU
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ON DISPLAY AT THE
MUSEUM OF ANCIENT WONDERS
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FACES OF AFRICA:
A Mystical View of
Tribal Heritage
(38 Replica Masks and Sculptures)
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TUTANKHAMUN:
"Wonderful Things"
Treasures From The Pharaoh's Tomb
(124 Egyptian replicas)
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MESOZOICA:
The Age of Dinosaurs
(Approximately 100 fossil-cast dinosaur elements and fully-mounted skeletons from around the world.)
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photo by Steve Salisbury
LUCY:
The Story of Human Origins
(Courtesy of the Institute of Human Origins and the National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa)
On view exclusively at the
Museum of Ancient Wonders
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