Remembering the Sedgwick Museum

"Velociraptor" by Bangooh (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

“Velociraptor” by Bangooh (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Photo Credit: Josh Witten (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Photo Credit: Josh Witten (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Yesterday, we featured a lovely Lego sculpture of a running fox by Bangoo H. As one might expect, that was not Bangoo H’s only biologically inspired work. My eye was caught by this depiction of a velociraptor skeleton, which instantly transported me back to Cambridge, UK and the skeleton of the velociraptor’s close relative, Deinonychus, displayed in the Sedgwick Museum.

Click to view slideshow.

Like any museum the Sedgwick Museum had its large, dramatic display pieces. It also had collected items crammed into every conceivable space and drawer (like the fossils of sea urchins in the slide show). There was always too much to take in everything with a single visit. So, each trip involved new discoveries, depending on which cases we chose to explore, which was part of the reason it was a fantastic place to bring our kids over and over again.


Filed under: Have Science Will Travel Tagged: allosaurus, archaeopteryx, Bangoo H, Cambridge, cave bear, deinonychus, icthyosaur, Lego, plesiosaur, sea urchin, Sedgwick Museum, velociraptor

Mark Witton on Dinosaur Cheeks

“Deinonychosauria” (Cladistic Heraldry) by David Orr (All Rights Reserved; Used with Permission)

Should Deinonychus*, the clawed dinosaur that was the actual inspiration for the velociraptors of Jurassic Park‘s, have lean, Sting-like cheeks or chipmunk cheeks under their feathers?

In a recent post, paleontologist Mark Witton looks at the research on Deinonychus bite strength and how it should influence PaleoArt depictions of this iconic animal.

*While I am on the record with my belief that I could win a fight with a single Velociraptor, I have no doubt that I would lose against a Deinonychus and die slowly as it perched upon my mangled body leisurely consuming my innards.

HT: Tommy Leung


Filed under: Curiosities of Nature Tagged: David Orr, deinonychus, Dinosaur, Jurassic Park, Linkonomicon, Mark Witton, PaleoArt, Paleontology, velociraptor