Vertebrate paleontology collections often include such diverse animals as dinosaurs, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, turtles, mammal-like reptiles like Dimetrodon, mammoths and ancient fishes. Representative fossils include articulated skeletons, isolated bones, eggs, and traces such as trackways and coprolites. VMNH houses rich collections of Triassic vertebrate fossils, including dinosaur tracks. We also have hundreds of dinosaur bones from the famous Morrison Formation of Wyoming and excellent material of Miocene whales from Virginia. Ice Age vertebrate remains from Saltville, southwest Virginia, are also well-represented in the collections. Paleobotany collections might include megafossils such as leaves, wood, and reproductive structures including cones, seeds, and flowers, together with microfossils like pollen and spores. The VMNH collections are largely restricted to megafossils from the Triassic of eastern North America  and remains from the Coalfields of Virginia, West Virginia and Illinois.

	•	DR. ALTON DOOLEY: Assistant Curator of Paleontology			•	VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY BLOG
	•	VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY NEWS