Mesa Southwest Museum - What Big Teeth You Have! Crocodile Exhibit Has Bite

Mesa Southwest Museum
What Big Teeth You Have! Crocodile Exhibit Has Bite

Following the extinction of the dinosaurs, another creature quickly
moved in to claim its place at the top of the food chain. About 60 million
years ago, during the early Cenozoic Era, it was the fearsome crocodile
that ruled as the largest predator on the planet.
Beginning October 1, the Mesa Southwest Museum will present "When
Crocodiles Ruled;" an exhibit researched, developed and produced by the
Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM). This highly interactive exhibit will
run through December 31, 2005.
"When Crocodiles Ruled" tells the earth's story during the Paleocene
Epoch that occurred immediately after the dinosaurs' extinction. The
display is based on fossil discoveries from a site in western North Dakota
call Wannagan Creek where the SMM's paleontology department has been
excavating and studying fossils for more than two decades.
As visitors walk through the exhibit they will see life-size dioramas
depicting the common theory of what North Dakota looked like 60 million
years ago. Instead of dry, open ranch land, it is believed the area was a
subtropical swamp filled with crocodiles.
Another component of the exhibit is World Change Central where museum
guests can learn about geologic time (the time that the earth has existed),
the evolution of plants and animals over time and see how the world's
climate experiences continual changes.
At the Field Camp, visitors will experience the methods
paleontologists use to make discoveries, learn how fossils are excavated
and studied, search for microfossils and try their hand at assembling the
skeleton of an aquatic reptile known as a champsosaur.
Interactive components of this exhibition include hands-on activities
about animal ecosystems, animal adaptation, finding microfossils to view
through magnifying lenses, stratigraphy slide viewers, a Walk-Through
Timeline and more.
For more information on this exhibit visit our Web site at
www.mesasouthwestmuseum.com or call 480-644-4040.


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Arizona's premier natural history museum, the Mesa Southwest Museum,
explores the Southwest's history from the time before the dinosaurs to the
present day. See the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the state,
visit a Spanish mission, look for the lost Dutchman's treasure, pan for
gold in the History Courtyard, experience the diversity of Arizona's
earliest inhabitants, see beautiful examples of Native American pottery,
"star" in a made-in-Arizona movie and much more. Things are always
changing in the museum's temporary exhibition spaces that feature
exceptional exhibits on art, culture, history and science from around the
world. The museum, located at 53 N. Macdonald Street in downtown Mesa, is
open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.
The museum is closed on Mondays and all City of Mesa holidays. Admission
is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors (55+) and students with ID and $3 for
children 3-12. Museum members and children under 3 are free. Please call
the museum at 480.644.2230 or visit our Web site at
www.mesasouthwestmuseum.com for more information.
The Mesa Southwest Museum is a program of the City of Mesa's Arts and
Cultural Division.

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