Spotlight:
TYRANNOSAURUS REX
King of the Tyrant Lizards
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Tyrannosaurus rex
University of California, Berkley
Museum of Paleontology
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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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Suborder Theropoda,
Family Tyrannosauridae Tyrannosaurus rex
Late Cretaceous, Montana
One of the largest known predators to have walked the Earth (the females distinctly larger than the males), this invincibly massive, ferocious carnosaur of Late Cretaceous western North America and Asia was discovered in 1902 by the adventurous collector Barnum Brown.
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Surpassed in size only by the South American carnosaur Giganotosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex (“Tyrant Lizard King”) grew to lengths of as much as 50 feet, towering 20 feet high and weighing 5 to 7 tons. Their heads alone measured 4 to 5 feet, sporting jaws lined with long, saw-edged teeth, each one supported by ranks of replacements. Reaching maturity within 5 years, the life spans of these enormous creatures may have surpassed 100 years.
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Fossil evidence of their actual metabolism is magnificently preserved in the sequential rings of growth-spurts that scar the teeth. While strictly regarded by some as nothing more than scavengers, owing to their greatly reduced forelimbs which could not even reach their mouths, others consider these creatures the most fearsome hunters ever to have existed, balanced for swift running by their long tails. |
Presumed to have dealt mostly with the animal’s senses, the brain of Tyrannosaurus rex was not small for a dinosaur although compared to the size of the creature’s body it was remarkably diminutive. This cranial endocast preserves the size and shape of the brain of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
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This isolated maxilla, once the largest known, is from the University of California, Berkeley. |
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 offering tourist incentive for the Coachella Valley's hospitality industry.
MoAW is a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organization; Members of the
California Association of Museums (CAM), and the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).
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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 state your choice on the link below.
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Help MoAW reopen during the pandemic.
After shuttering MoAW on 3 separate occasions for 2020. being closed more often than open, and with rising rates of infection, Riverside County moved back to Stay At Home Orders. Help MoAW and other Riverside County businesses reopen. The more people adhere to protocols, get tested, and stay at home, the better for state-wide statistics.
Riverside County offers free testing at several sites, call Riverside County Health to schedule your test,
1-888-634-1123
Thank You
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Members Perks
So many reasons to join MoAW, you help keep the museum open, allow us to acquire new artifacts, plan and present programs including the Second Friday Fantasy, and help local students learn about ancient civilizations and human origins.
For all that you do to help us we thank you in many ways:
- Unlimited free admission for one year
- Free Guest Passes (see Membership levels for details)
- Invitations to Members-Only exhibition receptions and programs
- Priority registration and discounts on programs and special events
- Special rental rates for hosting events (see membership levels for details)
- Copies of exhibition catalogs (see Membership levels for details)
- Unique travel opportunities through the Museum Travel Alliance
During the initial phase of "The Pause," we offered new members two extra months with membership. While we are back in "The Pause" we are offering this again. Current memberships will be extended by the amount of time we are closed and new members, 14 months of membership will start when we reopen. 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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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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