Thursday, August 31, 2023

The Dinosaur Named After Judith

Dinosaurs capture the imagination of the visitor.


This reconstruction of a skull, with the original fossils displayed nearby, has special significance. This is spiclypeus shipporum, a new species found in the Judith River Formation in Montana. The find has also been called Judith in honour of the location- and that river was so named by the explorer William Clark, co-captain of the Lewis & Clark expedition, for a woman back home he would later marry.


Here's an artistic look at Judith.


The original fossils are displayed here.


Some final shots from the Fossil Gallery.


I decided to go all negative on one of these shots. I'm not quite done with the Museum of Nature, but will get back to it after the beginning of the month.

34 comments:

  1. Funny story. Dunno if I´d marry a man that named a dinosaur after me. Some compliment ;-)
    Impressive displays.

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    1. Ah, but he named a river after her. Clark's day preceded the rise of paleontologists.

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  2. These are impressive skeletons.

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  3. Judith is a fine looking specimen! The entomologist Charles Rothschild went the other way and named his daughter Pannonica after a moth!

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  4. I think I could suddenly run very fast again if I bumped into Judith one evening.

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  5. Humans play games with naming. A person I know quite well named her son Thuja, the genus of certain types of cedar.

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  6. ...dinosaurs have been a curiosity for many.

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  7. I like the way an artist put fake eyes on the Judith portrait. I like that a river was named after a woman that an explorer was in love with...and then a dinosaur too! Hope she lived up to all those expectations through being honored in that way.

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    1. She married an accomplished man. The Lewis and Clark expedition is one of my favourite chapters of American history.

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  8. Judith looks quite fierce, William.

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  9. As long as they capture my imagination and leave me alone....phew!

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  10. Judith is one amazing dinosaur ~ great photos ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  11. It is amazing how they reconstruct the dinosaurs!

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  12. Definitely don't mess with Judith.

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  13. Te imaginarías como sería su vida, durante el tiempo de su existencia y la gran amenaza que supondría para el hombre.

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  14. You don't realize just how large they are till you see them with people.

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  15. Judith is a strange name for a dinosaur. Some great photos here.

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