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The Natural History Museum's Dinosaur Hall. Courtesy of Flickr user JSmith Photo

Summer might be coming to an end, but the Dinosaur Hall in the National Museum of Natural History still echoes with the voices of tourists. As a spinoff of DCist’s fantastic weekly series “Overheard in DC, here’s our version of “Overheard at the Museum”:

An older gentleman: “I always thought they were five stories high or something, the way they talk about them.”

A young child near the Stegosaurus: “Look at the shark, Dad. See, the shark jaw?”

A little kid, looking at the Stegosaurus: “Mom, that’s not real bone!”
Mom: “How do you know that?”
Child: “Look at it!”

Man with a camera: “Well, I couldn’t get the dinosaur to smile.”

A girl, looking up at a pterodactyl: “Whoa, he looks like he’s about to eat me!”

A little girl: “That’s a very dead Stegosaurus.”

A young girl talking on a cell phone: “Me and my daddy are downstairs, and we saw some beautiful, real dinosaurs. It’s okay that we saw real dinosaurs because they’re dead. The T. rexes are dead, too.”

“That one looks exactly like Rexy,” says a girl, referencing the T. rex from Night at the Museum.

A little boy looking at a pterodactyl: “That’s a big old bird.” (Ed. Note: They are all big birds!) Oops! Thanks to our commenter for catching our error!

A dad to his daughter, while looking at the pterodactyl: “Look at some of the birds that used to fly way back then.”

A little girl looking at the Camarasaurus:  “It’s laying down; it’s dead.”

A little boy near a “Life in the Ancient Seas” display:  “Poor little fish, he’s alone out of the water.”

– Abby Callard

A dinosaur playground toy photographed in Mount Kisco, New York. Photo by Brian Switek.

I had not expected to find a dinosaur in the woods of Mount Kisco, New York, but there it was. While going on a little hike I saw the big, purple head of the dinosaur sticking out from behind a storage shed. When I got a better look I saw that it was a big playground toy meant to be ridden by children and it must have come from the nearby park. I had expected to see a few squirrels and birds on my hike that day, but not a purple dinosaur!

Have you spotted a dinosaur in a strange place? Snap a photo and send it to dinosaursightings@gmail.com and you might see it here!

A dinosaur badge, compliments of the Order of Science Scouts

Stop the Presses: David Hone’s paper on theropod behavior got picked up by the mainstream press. Then, he watched in dismay as each subsequent report piled error upon error. (For instance, he was surprised to read that he was German.) Hone presents a detailed case study of lazy science journalism, and offers good advice to paleontologists on how to deal with the media.

Badge of Honor: Edicarian proudly displays the “science scouts” badges that he has earned, including the “Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah, I’ve got a TV gig” badge and the “Inordinately fond of invertebrate” badge. (As a part-time physics geek, I rather like the “String theory… I soooo get it” badge.)

What’s in a Name? “There is an awful lot of crap taxonomy out there,” observes Christopher Taylor at Catalogue of Organisms. “Incoherent ramblings, near-unidentifiable taxa, or ‘new’ taxa of dubious distinction from their previously-published relatives are all too common.” Some researchers have proposed that that only names published in peer-reviewed publications should be acceptable. Taylor explains why that’s a really bad idea.

Realtime Paleoart: Peter Bond live blogs his creation of an Anomalocaris painting.

Lounge Lizard: Matthew Brown works in “a slightly obscure corner of paleontology” doing fossil preparation. Get a glimpse inside his laboratory at his blog, The Prep Lounge. (His helpful hint of the day: Storing lab chemicals in food containers is “not cool.”)

In Memorium: Paleoblog pays tribute to the late actor Cecil Kellaway—best known to dino-movie fans for his role as paleontologist Professor Thurgood Elson in the classic 1953 Ray Harryhausen film, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Elson went underwater in a diving bell looking for the beast, but never returned. His heroism will never be forgotten.

And Speaking of Movies: Bob’s Dinosaur Blog has assembled a list of Great Dinosaur Movie Taglines. Among my favorites: “Driven to extinction! Back for revenge!” and “Cowboys battle monsters in the strangest roundup of all!”

Paleontologist Jerry Harris fleeing from a Monolophosaurus.

I have often wanted to visit the natural history museums and famed fossil sites of China, but sadly such a trip is a bit out of my price range. Fortunately, though, paleontologist Jerry Harris has recently returned from a grand dinosaur tour of China with colleagues Matt Lamanna and Hailu You and shared his photos from the trip.

Maybe it is not as good as being there yourself, but Harris has uploaded many shots of skeletons, fossil sites, and paleontologists in action, all with helpful captions to explain just what you are looking at. If the photos inspire you to undertake such a trip yourself, then you might be interested to know that Sinofossa Tours, the paleo-tour company that organized Harris’ trip, regularly runs similar endeavors. It is a great way to get an in-depth look at paleontology in China.

The dinosaur with a sweet tooth, courtesy of artist Brian Walline

Why is Tyrannosaurus always depicted as chasing after Triceratops? If this t-shirt from Threadless is correct, it is because Triceratops was filled with candy. Tyrannosaurus did not want to dine on the bones of the horned dinosaur but was only after the sweets inside. It’s a good thing that Tyrannosaurus lost and replaced teeth throughout its life; imagine the dentist bills otherwise!

Even better, someone turned the t-shirt design into a cake as part of the annual Threadcakes competition! Using chocolate cake, gummi bears, a LOT of frosting and some other ingredients Andy Pitts made a beautifully designed cake. It makes my teeth hurt just looking at it.

[Hat-tip to Dinochick]

Dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Ridge. From Flickr user Matthew Saunders.

There are a few ways to see Morrison, Colorado’s famed “Dinosaur Ridge.” If you just want to have a look at the tracks you can walk or bike up the roadside trail, but if you want a less strenuous guided tour you can hop onto the new electric-powered “Cartosaurus.”

According to Denver’s CBS4 News the popular attraction, known for its many dinosaur tracks, is now offering tours via an electric-powered shuttle. The vehicle runs on 16 6-volt batteries, not fossil fuels, making it much cleaner and efficient than similar gas-powered shuttles. It is not decorated with dinosaurs like its gas-powered predecessor, but that’s a small price to pay for going green.

A Tyrannosaurus at Prehistoric Gardens in Oregon. From Flickr user sillydog.

Earlier this month, reader Stephen Sasser sent us a vintage photo of him and his family at Thunderbeast Park in Oregon. Unfortunately, Thunderbeast Park is now closed, but in the comments of the post featuring the picture another reader named Doug gave us a tip about some other dinosaur sculptures somewhere in Oregon.

With a little digging I found out that the snapshots Doug had taken came from Prehistoric Gardens in Port Orford, Oregon. It seems that it is still open to the public, so if you are driving along the Oregon coast why not stop off and see the dinosaurs?

Do you have your own photos of roadside dinosaurs? Have you seen a dinosaur in an unexpected place? Send the photo with a short description to dinosaursightings@gmail.com and you might just see it here!

A few of the dinosaurs at the National Museum of Natural History.

Earlier this summer I asked readers to decide which city deserved the title of “Dinosaur Capital of the World.” Glen Rose, Texas took an early lead, but Drumheller, in Alberta, Canada, is now sitting comfortably in the top spot. A more contentious question, though, is “What is top museum to visit if you want to see dinosaurs?”

There are a number of institutions that could claim the title. I will list a few here, but please add your own picks in the comments if you think I have missed any!

The American Museum of Natural History

The AMNH will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first major museum I ever visited, and it was the first place I saw real dinosaur bones. Back then, in the late 1980s, the halls were dim and the dinosaurs were still dragging their tails, but seeing those skeletons made me want to be a paleontologist. Most of the mounts have since been updated, though, and the museum has long been home to a vibrant community of dinosaur paleontologists. It is definitely a required stop for any dinosaur fan in New York City.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

I had never been to the National Museum of Natural History before this past spring, but I was very impressed by the dinosaur displays and the scientists working there. The exhibit layouts were great and all the classic dinosaurs stars, like Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, were there. Word has it that the dinosaur exhibit is going to get a facelift soon, too, so I will definitely have to go back there when it is finished.

The Natural History Museum in London

I can’t speak from personal experience about this one, but from what I have seen the British Natural History Museum mixes classic architecture with plenty of dinosaurs. It looks like a beautiful place to meander among the skeletons, and they have a really neat animatronic Tyrannosaurus to boot!

The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada

This museum helped Drumheller lay claim to the title of the “Dinosaur Capital of the World.” Situated near many fossil-bearing deposits, the museum boasts an impressive array of dinosaur skeletons that seem even more imposing against the dark backgrounds of the exhibits. I have only seen the displays in photographs and television documentaries, but it is definitely a museum I would like to visit.

The Field Museum

Chicago’s Field Museum is one of the top museums in the United States, and as with the other institutions on this list dinosaurs are among the museum’s main attractions. Even better, they have placed dinosaurs into an evolutionary context with their other fossil exhibits. They can also boast the skeleton of “Sue,” the most complete Tyrannosaurus ever found.

The Paleozoological Museum of China

Created by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) in China, this museum holds an impressive collection of specimens, including many not seen any display elsewhere. Every major museum has a Tyrannosaurus or two, but the IVPP’s museum contains many exhibits showcasing the prehistory of China.

All of these museums carry out important research and have absolutely stunning exhibits, but if you had to pick just one to visit, which would you choose? Cast your vote in our poll below, and don’t forget to tell us why you picked your favorite!

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