Happy Valentine's Day!

Triebold Paleontology is preparing for their annual trip to sunny southern Arizona for the world’s largest gem, mineral and fossil show. This is an awesome event that takes place over a 3-week period beginning January 26th this year and encompasses state of the art temporary tents that are thousands of square feet in size, 2 convention centers and over 30 hotels and motels with vendors exhibiting their wares in their sleeping rooms, the ballrooms and around the pools. We will be exhibiting at the new and bigger 22nd Street Show in Tucson.

We will be bringing our specimen Ava, a new Judithian Ceratopsian , a recent fossil discovery by Triebold Paleontology, Inc. This is a new undescribed species of ceratopsian from the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. This relatively small horn-faced herbivore’s skull measures just over a meter in length and approximately 80% of the skeleton was recovered. Portions of the skeleton of this very exciting specimen bear traces of skin impressions. It will be displayed locked in the four foot jaws of our newly mounted Daspletosaurus torosus.

The largest specimen we are exhibiting at Tucson is Pete 3 our Daspletosaurus. Found in the Judith River Formation in Montana, Pete 3 is 33 feet long and stands 10 feet high at the hips. Closely related to the larger and more recent Tyrannosaurus, Daspletosaurus had dozens of large, sharp teeth and the small forelimbs typical of tyrannosaurids. Daspletosaurus was at the top of the food chain, probably preying on large dinosaurs such as ceratopsids and hadrosaurs.

The smallest specimens on display will be a pack of Bambiraptors. Bambiraptor was a small North American dromaeosaur recovered from Campanian sediments in Montana’s Two Medicine Formation. Working with the American Museum of Natural History, Triebold Paleontology now offers 3D casts of Bambiraptor for purchase.

Museums and private collectors and buyers come to this show each year to exhibit and purchase specimens for their collections. This is a special time when TPI meets and networks with friends and scientists from around the nation and the world.

Exhibiting along with us are vendors from every corner of the world with fossils, raw minerals, meteorites, geodes as big as a person, gemstones piled in paper plates and diamonds that are cut and set in fabulous findings of silver and gold as well as sold loose for your own mounts and literally tons of beads. If you get a chance to go, it will be an experience you’ll never forget.

FROM THE EDUCATION DESK

I have just returned from a vacation to California where I had a delightful time even if it did rain the entire time except for one day which was gorgeous! Funny as it sounds I have not been warm since I left Colorado. I am glad to be back and hope to see everyone for our upcoming events.

FYI:
Researchers have discovered that a species of dinosaur, Limusaurus inextricabilis, lost its teeth in adolescence and did not grow another set as adults. The finding, published in Current Biology, is a radical change in anatomy during a lifespan and may help to explain why birds have beaks but no teeth. The team studied 19 Limusaurus skeletons which ranged in age from baby to adult showing the pattern of tooth loss over time. The baby skeleton had small, sharp teeth, and the adult skeletons were consistently toothless. It is very rare to find a growth series from baby to adult dinosaurs and this unusually dramatic change in anatomy suggests there was a big shift in their diet from adolescence to adulthood. This dinosaur is part of the theropod group of dinosaurs, the evolutionary ancestors of birds. These fossils indicate that the baby Limusaurus could have been carnivores or omnivores while the adults were herbivores, as they would have needed teeth to chew meat but not plants.

Geri Lebold
Education Director

Spend some time shopping at Prehistoric Paradise, the largest dinosaur store in the region for hundreds of unique gifts including real fossils, jewelry, games, books, stuffed dinosaurs, t-shirts and much more! A family membership makes a great gift that can be enjoyed for the entire year. If you have someone who’s difficult to buy for, a gift card is the perfect solution. Save yourself time and money by letting our staff gift wrap your purchases free of charge.

25% OFF purchase of $50 or more in the gift shop

$50 purchase before sales tax.  Limited to one coupon per customer. Cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons.

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Dinosaur Resource Center