Review of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

Located on the campus of the University of Oklahoma, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History highlights the paleontology and history of the state of Oklahoma. The museum was founded in 1899 through legislation of the State of Oklahoma, and was renovated in 2000 to enter the new century. It has permanent exhibits for paleontology, the Hall of Ancient Life, People of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma ecosystems, Natural Wonders. In addition to these permanent exhibits the museum also has traveling exhibits.

The museum of divided into two levels. On the lower level is the paleontology exhibit - the Hall of Ancient Life. While the museum has a fine exhibit on the native people of Oklahoma, and a small collection of cultural items from around the world, the paleontology exhibit is the star attraction for the museum. The beginning of the exhibit is a wonderful mount of Allosaurus fragilis, the top predator from the Jurassic Period. The exhibit continues with a journey through time in Oklahoma, with displays of several species of trilobites, brachiopods, crinoids, and several species of fossil plants. I have seen many museum displays of fossil invertebrates, but this one is remarkable for several perfect specimens, including a trilobite with preserved eyestalks.

There are mounts of several Permian Period vertebrate animals, including Eryops, a small predator, Edaphosaurus and Dimetrodon, two animals best known for the large sails on their backs, Trimerorhachis, an ambibian that lived in fresh water streams and ponds, Diplocaulus, with its boomerang-shaped skull, and the very odd looking Cotylarhynchus, with its large body and minuscule head.

The exhibits continue into the Mesozoic Era, with displays of several vertebrates. There are some wonderful hands on displays where you can see the differences in the different types of jaws of early mammals, and the different body styles associated with reptiles and dinosaurs. One of the wonderful things I found with the museum was the presence and assistance of the museums docents. Each area of the museum has two docents assigned to it, and they are willing to answer questions and help the many children get the most from their visit to the museum. I spoke briefly with Carolyn, a docent who worked on the second floor. She has been with the museum since it opened in 2000, and enjoys working with the many school groups that come through the museum.

There are two centerpieces to the Hall of Ancient Life. The first is an immense mount of two battling giants, Saurophaganax, a large carnivorous dinosaur, and the world's longest Apatosaurus at 93 feet in length. The other is an impressive mount of Pentaceratops. This ceratopsian has the largest skull of any land animal yet found. It is huge - visiting the museum with several paleontologists, we were all impressed with its size. Other vertebrate fossils of the Mesozoic displayed include the large marine fish Xiphactinus, and the turtle Protostega. Another display includes Deinonycus attacking a mother Tenontosaurus and her young.

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