April 10, 2020
MoAW will refer to this time of closure as "The Pause," because we will come back, hit the resume button and see you all again. Stay safe, stay healthy, read our weekly emails, share them with family and friends, and drop us a note, let us know how you are doing.
See you after "The Pause".
Spotlight on: Velociraptor
Velo-Quick, Raptor-Thief
You saw him in Jurassic Park,
Now Find Out the Truth
Visit MoAW while we are closed at MoAW.org
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Infraorder Denonychosauria,
Family Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosaurus albertensis
Late Cretaceous, Canada
Velociraptor, you saw him in the movie Jurassic Park, now find out the truth. One of our members suggested this week we highlight the raptor which is suspended from the ceiling in our Dinosaur Hall. It is a piece that intrigues many visitors who ask if it is an early bird flying above the
T-rex
and the
Chasmosaurus.
No, it is not a bird, but it may have been feathered with the speed and agility of a bird of prey.
Popularly known as a “Raptor”, this ferocious creature was armed with one lethal, sickle-shaped claw on each foot, held in a retracted position when it walked and extended for slashing the bellies of its victims with multiple kicks of its powerful hind legs. Discovered in 1914 by Barnum Brown, this rare and highly specialized group of theropods was not fully understood until the discovery by John Ostrom in 1964 of
Deinonychus
, an early dromaeosaur succeeded in the Late Cretaceous by
Dromaeosaurus
(the first such dinosaur to be discovered), and the Mongolian
Velociraptor
.
Because Dromaeosaurs (“Running Reptiles”) display a striking affinity to birds, particularly the Jurassic
Archaeopteryx
, there is little doubt that they were warm-blooded. Its brain had unusually large cerebral hemispheres for a dinosaur, suggesting complex behavior more birdlike than reptilian. Of the few fossilized battles between dinosaurs that have ever been found, two involved Dromaeosaurs, providing spectacular evidence of their behavior. One find in Montana indicates that they hunted in packs, while a one-on-one battle to the death with a
Protoceratops
was discovered in the Gobi Desert. Their combination of intelligence, swiftness, and the sickle claw places these creatures among the most dangerous of the dinosaurs. The original skeleton is housed at Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology.
You saw him in Jurassic Park, now find out the truth. Below is a link to the video, Velociraptor: 10 Facts You Should Know About the Dinosaur.
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Each Friday we highlight a different artifact or fossil from MoAW's collection. With over 250 currently on display, with rotating exhibits and future acquisitions, we won't run out of pieces to spotlight anytime soon.
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Next Week: What killed the dinosaurs off? What seperated the Precambrian Era from that of the Paleozoic and what survived? Lean about our meteorite.
Come back next week and learn!
Do you have a favorite piece at MoAW you would like to see highlighted in our weekly email? You can visit www.moaw.org, chose the collections tab, visit the catalogs and state your choice on the link below.
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The Latest MoAW
In the News
It seems the only thing in the news each day has to do with COVID-19. We need happy news, something to make us smile and laugh. While we are all going through this lock down together,
MoAW
, each week, in addition to letting you know what is happening with us will include a video to make you smile and laugh. This week we have
Kratu, the rescue dog having fun in the rescue dog agility competition.
Click below to watch, smile and laugh.
Something else that will make you smile is the video produced by
Cathedral City TV
, a great interview with Conrad Angel Corral host of CCTV and Alberto Acosta, Executive Director of
MOAW
with a
tour of the museum.
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Double Your Support of MoAW
Many companies are expanding their matching gift programs in response to the crisis:
Apple has increased their match to a 2:1 ratio,
United Healthcare is matching employee donations 1:1 up to $5,000 and General Mills has increased both the matching gift limit and match ratio of their matching gift program to encourage employees to give back.
At this time, please consider helping
MoAW
during
"The Pause"
and please check if your employer has a matching gift program, many do it for retirees also.
Thank you
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Special Thank You to everyone who joined MoAW in the past month.
Since the museum has been closed due to the Covid-19 virus we have seen friends and supporters step up to help by becoming members of MoAW and some members upgrading their level of membership.
THANK YOU
Membership means a lot to the museum, financial it helps pay the rent, mentally it helps make our day when we see someone join and support us. Membership means a lot to our members. They can visit the museum anytime they want, they get invitations to events, we have some exciting things planned; our Second Friday Fantasy series and a preview opening for the Vessels of the Gods exhibit.
Join now and get two additional months added to your 12 month membership and it will start from when we reopen.
Become a member, go ahead and
make our day
, it will make your day also.
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