Triceratops and Tolerance

The above photo is of a triceratops in its plaster jacket in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It was found three weeks ago, on a construction site 10 miles from my home, by a DMNS volunteer paleontologist. The museum curators are estimating its age at approximately 70 million years. The curved part at the far left of the photo is the frill, the small red pointer is indicating the indentation of the eye and you can see the word "nose" written on the nose. They believe the full skull was intact but the construction machinery sliced it down the middle and the other part crumbled. When they have completed freeing it from dust and debris they feel it will reveal a good profile of the skull. Totally amazing! Today I was standing two feet from bones of an animal whose specie died out 65 million years ago!
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Today one of my favorite magazines came in the mail: Teaching Tolerance. My husband gets it because he is an "educator" in that he gives educational tours at the DMNS. I was thrilled to see that it is now possible to access Teaching Tolerance online.
The magazine is a wonderful source for multicultural information for teachers, parents, children and those of us who just feel good knowing that someone is striving to unite and include rather than divide and exclude. In these troubled times we can use a few more peacemakers in the world. Be sure and check out Colorful World
and Ho'oponopono

Comments

[Deb T]

This is a response to D.B Young from Deb T the owner of this blog: ======= I commend you on your many years of volunteering at DMNS. Both my husband and I volunteer there as well. I am sorry that you felt the need to respond to my enthusiasm over your find, though I may not be as knowledgeable as you about the details of it, with such a mean-spirited attack. I know enough about the DMNS philosophy to believe that most people at the museum would use this opportunity as a teaching moment and would celebrate the fact that I viewed the find with awe and appreciation--rather than call me crazy. Just a point of fact from my post, I did not say it was 10 miles from "your" house but 10 miles from "mine." Perhaps I will see you at one of the awards dinners for volunteers.

[D. B. Young]

Ah, who ever posted this article knows nothing about the skull!!! This is the skull, I found while volunteering for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in the Fall of 2003 in NE Denver. the skull is 7' ft long the horn is almost 3 foot. The "half skull" was found on Lennar Homes Property at the time. The subdivision developer allowed permission to hunt and collect the half skull for donation to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. By the way whoever said I lived 10 miles away from this site, they are totally crazy!!!!! This Skull was named the Lennar Homes Triceratops. Although, I call him Dave, after my Father. By the way, being aa paleo-volunteer at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for 12 years was a thrill of a lifetime.... being able to prepare vertebrate fossils, as well as field work is a dream come true!!!!! (whoever reported this needs to a little more accurate, and honest!) Upon close inspection you would find 23 teeth along the upper jaw of the right facing skull. Due note the first discovery on the hill, the first Triceratops, was a set of horns and a single tooth to the ancient omnivore. This fossil material as well resides at the Denver Museum of Nature of Science. Also, the last fossil found on the hill between the two TRIC skulls was a t-Rex Tooth. this lower back lower right t-rex tooth was 2 inches long, the upper portion of doubly cerrated(meat-eating tooth.) It is safe to say that this tooth was lost when feeding on on or the other Triceratops.... One more thing.... when the home owner bought the proper

[Kwintt]

Interesting that such an ancient creature was found nearby. I could not resist reading when the headline for this post was "Triceratops and Tolerance." I thought for certain that it must be about developing more tolerance for triceratops! Hmmm, a little late for that. Anyway, thanks for posting the link to your blog, I've enjoyed reading. I love the Sagan quote you posted elsewhere, also. Very inspiring. Karen W.