Are Birds Dinosaurs?

“Dinosaurs were reptiles that first appeared 230 million years ago and ruled the Earth for 160 million years. They evolved into diverse groups that flourished and became extinct at various points in time. But one dinosaur group did not become extinct. Birds evolved from a larger group of predatory dinosaurs called theropods that included Tyrannosaurus rex.

At first glance, the skeletons of a modern bird and Archaeopteryx, the oldest known bird, may not look-alike. But both have a wishbone and a large breastbone. And the dinosaur Velociraptor also shares these bones too. All of these animals also have hollow bones. These are clues that tell us that birds inherited these features, among others, from their dinosaur ancestors.

Most dinosaurs laid symmetrical eggs. But some theropod dinosaurs laid lopsided eggs. Compare this to the eggs you most often see – chicken eggs, which are also lopsided. Chickens and all other birds inherited this trait from their theropod ancestors.

Caudipteryx had feathers like those of modern birds. But it wasn’t a bird, it was a theropod dinosaur. Many theropods had bird-like features – more than 20 known species – evidence that birds originated from within this group.”

-NHM Dino Hall Training Guide 

That was something I found interesting that we learned while training for the dinosaur exhibit hall at the NHM. While I’ve been enjoying my time volunteering at The Natural History Museum I’ve also been working on certification of other exhibits. The training that was offered after Grandes Maestros: Great Masters of Iberoamerican Folk Art exhibit was for Dino Hall. I attended both training sessions they held on Sunday mornings (coffee!). I’m so excited to know more about dinosaurs and to share the knowledge with museum guests. I especially love to show the kids who visit NHM the coprolite on display or better known as fossilized Dino poop! Their reaction is priceless. “Does it still smell bad?”

O yeah, Fruitadens are my new favorite Dinosaur. What’s yours?

First Days Are Always Scary

It’s the end of October and that means it’s time for pumpkin carving, ghost stories and Haunted Museum at The Natural History Museum. The museum closes to the public and members enjoy an amazing evening full of Dia de los Muertos arts & crafts, curatorial collections, and spooky festivities.

I was thrilled that this would be my first day to volunteer at the museum! All you had to do was come dressed in all black and attend the information session beforehand where you would be assigned your roles for the evening.

Liz the Volunteer Coordinator must have remembered my interest because I was scheduled at the curatorial table, “Gravestone Taxidermy”! Thanks Liz! I was super excited I would have the opportunity to meet Master Taxidermist Tim Bovard of NHM!

There was expected to be more than 800 members in attendance. The Taxidermy table was located in the museum’s foyer that was decorated with marigolds, hanging paper papel, painted donkeys, and skeleton gobos on the ceilings. The foyer also had snacks and refreshments, a live Charles Darwin, and a DJ spinning ghoul tunes. I caught Darwin tapping his foot to an EDM track when it came on. I wonder what he’d think of that music if he were around now?

At our table Tim had on display a variety of specimens and Taxidermy supplies to educate guests about the art and process. Before the guests arrived I had time to ask Tim any questions and learn about the specimens.

It seemed a lot to memorize at first but after I observed Tim talk to a couple of guests I felt confident to do the same. Since everything is still fresh in my mind I’ll tell you all of the specimens. There were a bunch of cats; a fishing cat, serval, jaguar, cheetah, mountain lion, leopard, snow leopard and a bobcat skin. For birds we had; a red collared parrot, California quail and a raven. Among other animals was a horned lizard, California ground squirrel, cast rattlesnake and a coyote jaw.

The supplies to demonstrate how Taxidermy is done consisted of a small wrapped baby possum, sculpted foam body, glass eyes, artificial animal jaw and a foam nose. Oh! Lets not forget the cute stuffed animal cat to educate kids on the difference between Taxiied and “stuffed” animals. Tim would ask them, “Which one looks more realistic?” They always got the question right:)

What most guests don’t know about the museums diorama is that the habitats are all man made. Any plant life must be painstakingly be recreated by hand. Tim explained the process he used to create leaves. First he would vacuum mold a real leaf and then cast sometimes thousands of leafs and have to hand cut and paint them. He had out on the table an example of a fig that he’d cast out of foam and had yet painted.

Our “Gravestone Taxidermy” table proved to be a hit with kids and adults! Everyone liked stroking the animals and people were fascinated to learn how Taxidermy is created. I had the best time on my first day volunteering with Tim and really enjoyed talking to the guests, especially the kids. Kids are my favorite!

The Museum

Given my new interest in Taxidermy and butterflies I paid a visit to The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

I had been to the museum before but this visit was different. I spent hours filled with curiosity causing wonder to bloom within me this time. I soaked up as much knowledge that day as I could. My soul felt like a parched desert that had just been rained upon. Learning never felt so good. I didn’t want this feeling to go away so I signed up to volunteer.

You can volunteer for either a position as a general interpreter or a behind-the-scenes position. I really wanted to help behind-the-scenes in the Taxidermy studio! To my disappointment behind-the-scenes opportunities come up less often but they welcome you to start volunteering as an interpreter until a space opens. I took their advice and signed up to start as a general interpreter out on the museum floor. It was intimidating knowing I’d be educating groups of people about exhibits I knew little about. What happens if they ask a question I don’t know the answer to? What happens if some little rug rat tries to feed his slimy lollipop to the tarantula and the spider get loose? What happens if someone steps on the spider killing it and shrieks and the seniors all faint and break hips? WHAT THEN?!

I can handle this.

I attended the orientation sessions that were required to start as a general interpreter in the discovery center. The space is amazing with huge glass walls so the sunshine can pour in. A giant polar bear upon its rear legs greets you at the entrance and a forest of mammal heads decorate the walls. Yay, Taxidermy! There are encased animal specimens for children to arrange their own museum. Yay, MORE Taxidermy! Live insects are squirming in aquariums for observation. Who doesn’t love tables wrapped in paper with crayons to draw with? Antlers, minerals, microscopes, oh my! This place is a kingdom of discovery if you’re a kid, and even if you’re not you’ll be taken back to that happy place.