News Articles

June 30, 2018

The team got in a good afternoon of digging after the rain stopped. The big radius got flipped and we pulled out a nice little rib. More bone was exposed too, the site just keeps producing! Most from a #Jurassic sauropod dinosaur (long-neck) �, from about 150 million years. #DinoDigULVMNH #JurassicJune #fieldwork

June 30, 2018

Another fun day of digging at the Wyoming Jurassic dinosaur site! Check out this update by Dr Alex Hastings (VMNH paleontologist) and Matthew Koelbel (Lynchburg College student)! #DinoDigULVMNH #Lynchburg #fieldwork #JurassicJune

June 30, 2018

The museum has taken its dino show to the Alamo Drafthouse DC Area in Woodbridge this weekend to bring a variety of its paleo collections to residents of northern Virginia! Ray Vodden, research technician, explains what the museum has on display! #museumwithoutwalls

June 30, 2018

Join the paleo team this coming Tuesday at 2pm EST for a Facebook Live broadcast from near the field site in Wyoming, as the team gives viewers an update on the current dinosaur fossil dig!

June 30, 2018

Yesterday the crew got in a good morning of digging before the storms set in (and a tornado warning) but still managed to uncover new bone and brace the big radius jacket. This sauropod dinosaur (long-neck) is coming along nicely! Fun to work in the #Jurassic of Wyoming on a #FossilFriday! With a free afternoon, some of the team went and saw Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom a second time. #DinoDigULVMNH

June 29, 2018

The crew was at Yellowstone National Park yesterday and saw some fascinating geology and wildlife in beatiful #Wyoming! #DinoDigULVMNH #Yellowstone

June 28, 2018

We're taking our dino show to Alamo Drafthouse DC Area Friday and Saturday and hope to see all of our northern Virginia fans there!

June 27, 2018

The crew had another great day at the #dinosaur dig today. Jacketed up a few bones including the big radius and managed to get this mass of bone glued and removed despite a small shrub growing through it. All from the #Jurassic, about 150 million years ago! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 27, 2018

This morning, part of the team worked at the ant-fossil site, mapping out foraging. This is important for understanding how far from the ant mounds they go to find the #Jurassic fossils they use for their colony. Check it out! #DinoDigULVMNH #fieldwork #JurassicJune

June 26, 2018

Great day at the #dinosaur dig today! Brooke Wilborn Haiar found a beautiful little carnivorous dinosaur tooth, Rick flipped his first jacket, and a Sage Lizard joined the dig. All from the #Jurassic of Wyoming, about 150 million years ago. #DinoDigULVMNH #JurassicJune #fieldwork

June 26, 2018

LIVE from the Wyoming field site! This is a test to see if we can connect from just up the hill from the #dinosaur dig site, where we are excavating a 150 million year old Jurassic sauropod dinosaur. #DinoDigULVMNH #JurassicJune #fieldwork

June 26, 2018

Don't forget to visit the museum this Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. for a day of FREE admission, behind-the-scenes access to the collections areas, and children's activities!

June 25, 2018

Another good day for #dinosaurs in Wyoming for the digging crew. Dr Kal Ivanov managed to find an interesting new bone in a new spot to explore. More bones are ready to come out and the radius now has a metacarpal next to it (toe bone). Most are from a sauropod dinosaur (long-neck) � from the #Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. #DinoDigULVMNH #fieldwork #JurassicJune

June 25, 2018

VMNH curators Dr Alex Hastings and Dr Kal Ivanov got up early this morning to check out the ant fossil site, where the Harvester Ant is collecting small Jurassic fossils from about 160 million years ago. Here's a little intro for the project. #DinoDigULVMNH #fieldwork #JurassicJune

June 24, 2018

It was a great day for digging dinosaurs today in Wyoming! The team jacketed up 2 more bone clusters, back-jacketed the first one and dug into a new area that shows some promise. The big bone is looking more like a radius now (lower arm bone), all from a #Jurassic sauropod dinosaur (long-neck). � #DinoDigULVMNH

June 24, 2018

VMNH FAMILY DAY: FREE ADMISSION! Join us on SUNDAY, JULY 1 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for an afternoon of free admission, behind-the-scenes access to the collections areas, hands-on children activities, refreshments, and displays highlighting the museum's 30 years of discoveries! Virginia Museum of Natural History 21 Starling Avenue Martinsville, Virginia 24112 www.vmnh.net

June 23, 2018

Check out some sauropod dinosaur (long neck) tracks with Dr Alex Hastings from the #dinosaur dig site in windy Wyoming. � Also check out pictures of more in the previous post. #DinoDigULVMNH #Wyoming #Lynchburg #JurassicJune #fieldwork

June 23, 2018

The #dinosaur crew was able to get in and do some digging today as well as check out the nearby dinosaur footprints from the big sauropod dinosaur (long-neck), also about 150 million years old. #DinoDigULVMNH #fieldwork #JurassicJune

June 23, 2018

LIVE from the camp site in Wyoming join Dr Alex Hastings (VMNH Curator of Paleontology) and Amanda Crouse + Jeremy Webb (Lynchburg College) for a Q & A about the #dinosaur dig so far. The team has been excavating a #Jurassic sauropod dinosaur from about 150 million years ago. � Chime in with your own questions and comments any time! #DinoDigULVMNH #JurassicJune #fieldwork #Wyoming #Lynchburg

June 22, 2018

Happy #FossilFriday from Wyoming! The rain was a bit too much this morning for the #dinosaur dig, but the weather was good for the fossil/ant project! Dr Alex Hastings and Dr Kal Ivanov have a joint project studying a certain kind of ant that will collect small fossils in certain places. The team relocated the ant mounds from the last dig and got to use the thermal camera to see how the fossil-covered mounds help the ants regulate their temperature. Stay tuned for more! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 22, 2018

Ray Vodden, research technician, and other museum staff and volunteers are at Danville Stadium Cinemas this weekend to show-off a sampling of the museum's dinosaur collections for the opening weekend of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom!

June 22, 2018

FACEBOOK LIVE FROM THE WYOMING DINOSAUR DIG! Join Dr. Alex Hastings, assistant curator of paleontology, live from the team's camp site in Wyoming at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 23! Learn about the team's accomplishments so far and what they hope to accomplish in the coming weeks! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 21, 2018

We are excited to partner with GTC Danville Cinemas with an awesome display of VMNH dinosaur materials at the theater June 22-24 in conjunction with opening weekend of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Present your GTC Danville Cinemas Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ticket stub from this weekend to receive FREE admission at the VMNH Dino Festival, July 27-28!

June 21, 2018

We were able to flip the first jacket of the dig, a bone cluster that may include a juvenile toe bone of a sauropod #dinosaur from the Jurassic, about 150 million years ago, it was a success! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 21, 2018

What's a gastrolith? They're stomach stones, in this case from a #sauropod dinosaur about 150 milllion years old from the Jurassic! Learn more here! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 21, 2018

Part 2 of making a plaster jacket, for what look like some toe bones of a small #sauropod dinosaur (long-neck), about 150 million years old in the Jurassic! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 21, 2018

First video of the day! Check out part 1 of making a plaster jacket, for what look like some toe bones of a small #sauropod dinosaur (long-neck), about 150 million years old in the Jurassic! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 21, 2018

Another beautiful day at the #dinosaur quarry in Wyoming. Jacketed our first bone cluster, uncovered an exciting long bone (possibly from the hip) and Mary found 3 more tail vertebrae! All from a 150 million year old #sauropod dinosaur �. Videos coming up soon. #DinoDigULVMNH

June 20, 2018

The crew had a great digging day in sunny Wyoming! Working out a sauropod #dinosaur � (4 legged, long-necked dinosaur), many stomach stones and more bone to figure out as we go. Stay tuned for more! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 20, 2018

We had another great day at the Two Sisters Quarry in beautiful Wyoming. This video features the fantastic sauropod tail vertebra found by new team member Mary Harrison. From a Jurassic long-necked dinosaur, about 150 million years old. Pictures to come! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 19, 2018

Intro to the #dinosaur dig site in Wyoming with Dr Alex Hastings (VMNH paleo curator) and Dr Brooke Haiar (Lynchburg College). Check out how the first full day went! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 19, 2018

The weather finally cleared and the #dinosaur crew got in just about a full day of digging! Made some serious progress and got several bones started. Still early to tell what most of them are, but one looks like a stomach rib and another looks like a toe bone, plus about a half dozen stomach stones (gastroliths). All from a big #sauropod dinosaur (long neck with 4 legs), Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. Video coming up soon! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 19, 2018

We had a late start this morning while the roads dried out so the team hit up Shell Falls in Bighorn National Forest. Beautiful views of the falls and up through the valley. Photos and video from the dig coming up soon! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 19, 2018

Dr. Joe Keiper, executive director of VMNH, had a busy day in Waynesboro today. First, he hosted a press conference to highlight the $250,000 appropriation made by the Commonwealth of Virginia to further plans for a museum branch in Waynesboro. Afterwards, he stopped by the Waynesboro YMCA to deliver some science-based programs to youth!

June 19, 2018

The Virginia Museum of Natural History hosted a press conference today in Waynesboro announcing a $250,000 state appropriation to produce detailed planning for a proposed VMNH branch campus. To be located in downtown Waynesboro, the 25,000 square-foot facility will host exhibits and hands-on learning experiences for all ages that focus on the unique plants, animals, geology, and culture of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. The proposed branch supports the state's economic development, educational, and environmental priorities. Learn more at https://www.vmnh.net/news/details/id/382/state-budget-includes-$250,000-to-contin

June 18, 2018

Rain made the road to the #dinosaur dig impassable, so after the trip to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center the team checked out the hot springs in Thermopolis. Really fun geology along the Big Horn River. #DinoDigULVMNH

June 18, 2018

It was a rain day for the #dinosaur dig, so the team drove down to Thermopolis to check out the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. The team even got a back stage tour. Great museum with the only #Archaeopteryx in North America. #DinoDigULVMNH

June 17, 2018

We got in a good morning of digging at the #Dinosaur site today! First up was digging the wall back and creating some drainage. Uncovered some bone today, but the storm cut us short. Hoping for clear skies tomorrow! #DinoDigULVMNH

June 16, 2018

The #dinosaur dig will (hopefully) start tomorrow when the way has dried out so meanwhile the digging team popped over to Worland, Wyoming to visit the Washakie Museum. Very nice place highlighting the fossils and geology the team will be working in. #DinoDigULVMNH

June 16, 2018

The starting crew is assembled for the #dinosaur dig in Greybull, Wyoming. There was too much rain to hit the dig site today, so the team visited the Red Gulch dinosaur track site, with #Jurassic footprints of carnivorous dinosaurs. The team also scoped out the fossil-filled ant mounds for a related research project. They also saw many a fossil oyster still in the rock. #DinoDigULVMNH

June 15, 2018

Thanks to Uptown Pinball for supplying this awesome Star Wars-themed pinball machine for tomorrow's Space Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the museum! Be sure to take advantage of these amazing reciprocal deals between the museum and Uptown Pinball!

June 14, 2018

Space Festival is this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.! Only $7/adult and $5 for ages 3-18! FREE for museum members and children under 3!

June 14, 2018

The #RoadTrip to the #Wyoming #dinosaur dig continues with a quick stop at a different kind of rock formation, the famed Mount Rushmore. Happily, the Virginia Flag is displayed prominently next to the Wyoming flag. #DinoDigULVMNH

June 13, 2018

The #Roadtrip to Wyoming for the #DinoDigULVMNH brought Dr Alex Hastings and Dr Kal Ivanov to South Dakota. They stopped by roadside dinosaurs and Badlands National Park (which is gorgeous!). The park is known for great scenery and great fossils. No collecting is allowed on park land, but fun to find!

June 13, 2018

Exhibits staff tested this humungous, inflatable space habitat that NASA has loaned the museum for this Saturday's Space Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.! The event features a large variety of displays and activities, including a mock alien autopsy for brave visitors to witness! Plenty of photo opportunities!

June 13, 2018

The #Roadtrip continues out to the Wyoming dinosaur site. Today Dr Alex Hastings and Dr Kal Ivanov stopped at Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park in Nebraska. This incredible place has a massive bone layer with dozens of rhino and horse skeletons preserved in place, plus many other animals from 12 million years ago when a volcanic eruption buried them in ash at a watering hole. #DinoDigULVMNH

June 12, 2018

VMNH curators Dr Alex Hastings and Dr Kal Ivanov are heading west to #Wyoming for a #dinosaur dig. This morning they made a stop at Big Bone Lick State Park in Union, Kentucky, a great Ice Age fossil site where mastodons, giant sloths and more met there end in Salt Bogs. Many fossils from here were collected for Thomas Jefferson and made their way to Virginia. #RoadTrip #DinoDigULVMNH

June 11, 2018

The VMNH crew stopped in Kentucky on the way to the dinosaur dig site with fossil collectors (Matthew and Christa) and checked out the temporary home of Geleamopus, a big sauropod dinosaur, at the Rheingeist Brewery. They even got in some evening fossil collecting! #DinoDigULVMNH 2018 is going great so far and it's still just the road trip! #Dinosaur #LoveIt

June 11, 2018

The journey is about to begin! Dr Alex Hastings and Dr Kal Ivanov are packed and ready to start the drive out to Wyoming for the #DinoDigULVMNH 2018! They will be joining up with Lynchburg College (soon to be University of Lynchburg) and excavating a dinosaur bone bed. The crew will be back in time for the Dino Fest in July to show off what the crew finds! #Lynchburg #fieldwork #Ready

June 11, 2018

Ray Vodden, VMNH research technician, is back in the museum's geology collections to show-off the hidden secret of many of the rocks and minerals held inside the collections.