February 15th, 2010    Dinosaurs

Not all nature adventures need to be out-of-doors. Recently we drove into the city of St. Paul to see the Science Museum of Minnesota, where we were introduced to the remains of some pretty intimidating creatures.

One of the most fascinating aspects of our visit was to see many of the animals that used to live in North America. Various sabre-toothed cats, immense pigs with crushing jaws, and the 'Terrorbird'.

One display showed a large sauropod (dinosaurs that look like the Brachiosaurus), and under its feet was one of its contemporaries -- a member of one of the first mammals, and presumably the ancestor of modern Homo sapiens. It was humbling to see that little creature, which would have been mushed beyond recognition if the sauropod had stepped on it. We're used to mammals being 'top dogs' today, but it wasn't always so.

If you ever have the chance to visit, the Science Museum is a grand adventure, including their gift shoppe, which has some of the most fascinating books, experiments, and artifacts to be found anywhere!

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