Weekly Spotlight - Nanosaurus, He stared in Jurassic Park, (should have gotten an Oscar), had really weird eating habits and changed his name when he turned 100

February 28, 2020

Spotlight on: Nanosaurus, also known as Orthnielia rex. He stared in Jurassic Park, (should have won the Oscar), had really weird eating habits and changed his name when he turned 100

Come to MoAW, March 13 for a musical reading of our Executive Director, Alberto Acosta's folk opera "Dragons"

See the video below to learn more about the Bone Wars

Vote for MoAW in Palm Springs Life Best of the Best...See Below... Thank you

Order Ornithischia,

Family Hypsilophodontidae

Othnielia rex

Late Jurassic, Utah

Possibly the smallest of the horny-beaked hypsilophodonts (“High Crest Tooth”) of late Jurassic Colorado and Utah, Othnielia, formerly known as “Nanosaurus rex” (“Dwarf Lizard King”) only grew to a length of 3 to 4 feet. Agile sprinters when threatened or chasing prey, the omnivorous hypsilophodonts possibly flourished for longer than any other dinosaurs, about 100 million years.

After depositing their eggs in the sand, the females appear to have carefully manipulated them into spiral clutches of regular depths and even spacing. Although they probably remained with their herds throughout adulthood, these dinosaurs (owing to their well-developed limbs) apparently left their nests immediately upon hatching, probably feeding first on adult feces, rich in fermentative bacteria, and later progressing to plants and insects. As adults they fed on everything from plants to small reptiles and mammals.

“Nanosaurus” was renamed Othnielia in 1977, on the centennial of its discovery by the great pioneer paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh. Featured in the 1993 Universal Studios film Jurassic Park, this spectacularly exposed in-situ skeleton is from the Morrison Formation of Emery County, Utah. Brigham Young University.

March 13, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Dragons

At the museum

A one-man musical reading by the composer,

Alberto Acosta,

Executive Director of MoAW

Dragons , a playful folk opera with a rich score by Alberto Acosta and a charming libretto by Marty Martin, fancifully tells the tale of the notorious Bone Wars that raged between 2 of America’s most infamous dinosaur hunters, Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, from the late 1870s through the early 1890s.

The expansion of the country’s railways into the great and wild American West across vast stretches of Native American territory, with tracks laid through great mountains and over wide chasms largely by immigrant Chinese laborers, led to the discovery by this ruthless pair of rivals of over 125 species of prehistoric giants that once roamed the land. Their race to outdo each other by every conceivable act of sabotage is legendary.

Thrown into the adventure, the imagined characters of an irrepressible young woman on a hunt of her own, and a fiercely protective nun intent on guarding the Old World’s interpretation of the Book of Genesis at all cost, together with the amazing puppetry of massive Chinese dragons, spin a story of love, ambition, spirituality, and hope.

Below is a link to a video on Cope and Marsh and the "Bone Wars." After you see it you will rush to see Dragons .

Click to watch the YouTube Video - The Petty Feud That Almost Destroyed Paleontology

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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.

Next Week;

Where does a Pharaoh sit?

Wherever he wants!

Learn about where King Tut sat, from his childhood throne to his adult throne. It's a timeless design that would fit in any home, even mid-century. Learn all about it.

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MoAW Won Palm Springs Life Best of the Best for Museum and Things to Do in Cathedral City!!!!

OK, we didn't win... yet . If you want to make the above headline happen, you have until March 31. It is easy to do: vote MoAW for the Best of the Best Attraction and Museum in Cathedral City. This is an annual poll Palm Springs Life Magazine takes and MoAW deserves to win. Click on the blue link below , go to Cathedral City, Things To Do - Attraction and Things To Do - Museum. Your vote is appreciated. Thank you!