Confrontation Of Titans

Beyond the specimens, a portion of the Fossil Gallery is given over to life sized reproductions of dinosaurs in a standoff, a herd of chasmosaurus and a pair of predators.

Dinosaurs In Water

Hanging overhead in the Fossil Gallery is a formidable sight. Archelon was the biggest of seafaring turtles in the Late Cretaceous.

A display below features a skull of terminonaris robusta, a marine crocodilian.

One more look at Archelon.

Mighty Triceratops

This is a speciment of triceratops, the most familiar of the family of horned dinosaurs.

It was more than just the bones of dinosaurs and other animals of the era that got fossilized. Their footsteps, their dung, and even the plants that an animal like triceratops would eat are in the fossil record.

Some of the differences between species in the horned dinosaur world are shown here.

Face to face with triceratops is quite a sight to see.

I leave off for today with a look at where I've been.

The Footsteps Of Giants

There are plenty of dinosaur fossils in the Fossil Gallery. No doubt even more in the museum's administrative and curatorial campus, which is a good distance away from the museum itself over in Gatineau.

Display panels go into detail on the various horned species.

Daspletosaurus And Judith

The Fossil Gallery is the last of the gallery spaces inside the Museum of Nature, and it starts with this formidable speciman standing above the entry doors. This is Daspletosaurus, a predecessor to the Tyrannosaurus rex.

There are several specimens of the related horned dinosaurs making up the ceratops, including a chasmosaurus irvinensis.

I did photograph a couple of panels on the fossils of a new species of horned dinosaur. The reconstruction of its skull, in the above shot and in the last shot, accompanies a display of the original fossils.

Arctic Vista And Atrium Views

A reminder to members of City Daily Photo: the theme for the first day of June is Park.

I have two final shots in the Mammal Gallery, both where I started. First we have a close up of the polar bear and its prey, a seal at an airhole.

Nearby, an Arctic fox is placed.

Coming out, I took pictures inside the central atrium, looking out at the model of the Moon out in the Queens Lantern.

Then I looked down at the central staircase.

The animal motif is carved into the pillars at the base of the stairs.

One more look up. Tomorrow we head into the last of the galleries in the Museum of Nature.

All Creatures Great And Small

Small display cases feature dioramas of smaller animals, such as the Arctic ground squirrel.

This one, the eastern grey squirrel, is a familiar sight to many. The location, marked in the Gatineau Hills, has a familiar background to me, as I've taken pictures with that background. This would be one of the lookouts on the Champlain parkway up in the Hills, with the Ottawa River in the background.

Here we have the mountain dwelling collared pika.

The Caribou And Skittish Critters

The next diorama in the Mammal Gallery focuses on a group of caribou.

A display case features a familiar sight. Don't startle these critters.

Probably best to not let your big goofy dog have a run in with one of these either.