For the last 41 years, visitors have flocked to the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Museum of Natural History to catch a glimpse of one big dinosaur specimen: the fossil skull of an ancient Triceratops ³Ù³ó²¹³Ù’s nearly the size of a Mini Cooper. On loan from the Smithsonian Institution, the beloved Triceratops skull was recalled in 2022 to their research collection so that Smithsonian paleontologists could further study the specimen. In exchange, the Smithsonian offered the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Museum a full-sized cast, of not just the head, but a full-scale skeleton cast of Triceratops horridus.ÌýÌýÌý
Notified of the pending arrival,Ìýand pondering how to exhibit theÌý22 foot long skeleton, museum specialists measured door openings, the size of galleries, and even created computer models to engineer how to potentially cut it apart and solder it back together. That'sÌýwhen ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä paleontologistÌýDr. Jaelyn EberleÌýset to work, collaborating with a range of staff and facultyÌýsleuthing around campus to figure out where best to exhibit it. Eventually, a space accessible to the public was secured withinÌý¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä’s SEEC buildingÌýon East Campus. The College of Arts and Sciences, the Provost and SEEC building personnel were instrumental in bringingÌýthisÌýfull scaleTriceratopsÌýto campus.Ìý
2024 Story on ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder Today
2022 Departure Story at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder Today
Full Triceratops skeleton cast being installed on East Campus in January, 2024.
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