Before the Dinosaur Guide Goes Live

More Than a Skeleton

1Welcome to the dinosaur gallery. Before you look up at the towering skeleton, examine the small object in the case beside it. This specimen is a fossil bone, not a complete animal. Its label records where it was found. Paleontology begins with physical evidence like this, although the questions researchers ask can reach far beyond one object.

2Now look at the mounted skeleton. Some original bones are too fragile to support a display. The label identifies the object above you as a cast. It was made in a mold taken from a fossil bone. The case below contains a photograph of the excavation. A diagram beside the photograph marks the positions of several discoveries.

3The skeleton did not arrive standing in this pose. Preparators had to articulate the separate bones, arranging and connecting them at their joints. That work requires more than finding pieces that seem to fit. Researchers compare joint surfaces and other evidence before choosing a position. Even then, a mount presents one arrangement rather than a recording of an animal's movement.

4Move closer to the tooth display. A minute groove may be difficult to notice through the glass, so an enlarged photograph appears beside the tooth. The photograph makes the groove easier to examine without handling the fossil. A tiny feature can raise an important question, but the guide should not turn every visible mark into a confident explanation.

5Next, compare the skull photograph with the finished exhibit model. Restoration of a damaged fossil may involve repairing the surviving material. A reconstruction can represent missing portions by drawing on available evidence. Those are related tasks, but they are not interchangeable labels. Our exhibit notes distinguish repairs to the fossil from additions made to represent what is no longer present.

6Finally, notice the illustration behind the mount. The artist inferred some features from fossil evidence and comparisons with related animals. The illustration helps visitors imagine a living creature, but its smooth surface does not reveal every uncertainty behind it. As you leave, compare the picture, model, and fossil. Each offers a different way to examine the past, and each needs a label that says precisely what it shows.