Cleveland Museum of Natural History - The Great Lakes region - Part One

On a wet April morning we drove up to the Cleveland Natural History Museum (CMNH), and what a drive it was. The main road passes under majestic bridges and what seems to be a parkland lined with monuments to numerous nations across the globe. The museum itself is not near the centre of the city but about 8km outside the city centre in a complex filled with schools and medical institutions.

What we could see of the entire precinct, it looks fantastic (it really was raining hard when we were there). There are great gardens to walk around and many items to investigate (such as a life-size stegosaurus), so please ensure you allocate some time to check the outside as well as the inside.

Entering the museum from the car-park, you pass through an atrium filled with fantastic NASA images from the Hubble space telescope. I could have just stood there for hours and peered into these, but onward we marched.

In 2015 the CMNH announced a major upgrade, with several phases of construction updating the displays and increasing the floor space of the building. This work also included a connecting car-park – and some of this work has been completed. This mean there is a real old vs new feel to the CMNH – now as you will see this is not a complaint, just an observation. What has been completed so far is great and so I will be very interested to see what else they have planned (actually you can see some concept art here https://www.cmnh.org/centennialhome/project-update/exhibit-update).

Approaching its centenary, the CMNH was planned to be an institution that concentrated on not just the education side of the natural sciences, but to research and develop collections in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, astronomy, botany, geology, palaeontology and zoology, and this it seems to have done very well as the museum is consistently ranked in the top ten natural history museums in the USA – and that’s saying a lot as this place has a lot of natural history museums.

 To me there are clear delineations in the galleries of this museum, with each carrying a distinctive feel, almost a separate personality to the rest that I will separate them here – something I never really have done before.

Kirtland Hall of Prehistoric Life

This feels like the oldest part of the museum, with some of the exhibits clearly of an older style. It is an enormous space, and lining most of the walls are small displays containing specimens from various times of Earth’s past. Though these are of an older style, they are filled with some amazing specimens. There are plenty of Miocene and Oligocene fossils, with skulls from Platybelodon, sabretooth cats, horses and a great entelodont skull.

The star of this little section though is Diatryma, a giant bird unearthed in Wyoming. There are also a number of small mural/paintings in these displays, though I could not see the artists name (to be fair, I may have just missed it so if the artists is out there, please let me know and I’ll happily re-edit this).

A large central island is behind you at this point containing those most iconic of dinosaurs, a triceratops and a T. rex (the Wankle Rex I do believe). Behind the tail of this full-sized replica is also the skull of the highly controversial Nanotyrannus. The skull (CMNH 7541) was first found in 1942 by David Hosbrook Dunkle and described four years later by Charles W. Gilmore as Gorgosaurus lancensis. This was later reinterpreted by Robert T. Bakker, Phil Currie, and Michael Williams as a new, midget tyrannosaur species as features of this small skull indicate it was from an adult – thus Nanotyrannus. Trust me, we will come back to this conversation later.

These cabinets line bookend an enormous wall where numerous fossils hang. Many of these are skulls, topping the silhouetted shape of the animal they represent. Here there is also a great mosasaur on display and I really like the way it was mounted as you get a great look inside its mouth at the palate teeth (a feature you often cannot see with museum mounts).

Out of the far corner juts another of these ‘islands’, and here you can see a real treasure. Happy the Haplocanthosaurus was a Jurassic sauropod, and at 66ft was one of the smallest found in the Morrison formation.

There are a few things to note –

1. No skull was found so this one is just a sculpted head indicating what it might have looked like.
2. This is the only mount of this species anywhere in the world.

3. It is one of the most primitive sauropods known and exactly what it was related too is still being discussed.

4. There is no getting around it...the tail.

Happy has been on display since 1963, when our view of dinosaurs was drastically different than today. The preparators placed happy in the stance of the day, with its tail dragging on the ground, and today this stance is still presence. It’s an amazing site to see, - you case how the tail would be dislocated in two places if this was how the tail was while the animal was alive.

As Pointed out earlier though, there are changes coming to the museum and I assume the specimen will surely get a modern remounting – and I am not sure how I feel about that. I understand a museum will always want to place the most scientifically accurate information in front of a visitor – but – having been a museum educator for several decades in museums across the globe, I love the story a tour guide gets to present with such a feature. This is a physical opportunity to explain how science adapts to new information, technology and ideas. In a very real way it will be a lost opportunity when (if) this mount gets changed.

Next to Happy is also a mounted Allosaurus, and the way these two species are presented are great. Unearthed in the local Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry (along with 44 other specimens), Alice the Allosaurus has been mounted running along the side of its far larger victim which it seems to be preparing to attack. Originally Alice had also been built with her tail dragging on the ground – and in 2008 the fossil (which is around 50% real) was remounted with a modern stance.

The rest of the room is made up of more cabinets containing older species – such as one of the most complete Coelophysis mounted skeletons on display (sorry no image) and then a lot of Triassic and Permian species such as Dimetrodon. A great little touch is, if you look closely, it is here you will see the modern Tuatara – making the link between this living fossil and the time.

Being that this is Cleveland, there is an extensive display of Devonian fossils, especially sharks and the famous armoured-head placoderm fish like Dunkleosteus. 
As the region is known for such fossils there are numerous species and growth sizes -as well as a life-size model swimming above your head.  

Between this gallery and the next is a wide corridor filled with various displays, including a nice time line of all the different ages of the earth and the numerous fossils you can find in rocks from these times. I love it when museums organise displays that people can touch. Behind this is a physical family tree of how all the various species that have populated the world are related to each other.

It is here that you find another dinosaur specimen the museum is famous for, and this brings me to one of the real treats of my visit. The Staff at the CMNH are fantastic, warm, friendly and knowledge and they were happy to chat and show me some of the treasures they have sitting in their backrooms. 

A huge shout out to Ashley Hall (Adult Programs Coordinator) and Lee Hall (Fossil Preparator and Lab Manager) who were most fantastic hosts and later (when we bumped into the Curator and Head of the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology for the museum) Dr. Michael Ryan. You guys are the best and what a happy and fun environment to be working in. You can always get a sense of an institution by the people who work there, and thanks to you guys, as Drew Carey once noted, CLEVELAND ROCKS!

During the tour out in the storage rooms the guys explained how they run some of their education programs and what they are planning for the future I got to see a number of amazing things.

As mentioned, thanks to the Cleveland Shale, the CMNH has an extensive collection of Devonian fossils, especially from enormous predatory fish like Dunkleosteus. The museum has numerous remains from these fish in storage, and work on them is ongoing. Watch this space as one of these specimens seems to be from an enormous, fanged or sabre-toothed placoderm that could have been even more impressive than the species already described.

One of the great things I got to see was the original skull of Nanotyrannus. The fossil is a thing of beauty, the colour alone makes it one of the better-looking fossils I have seen, which brings me back to the argument about it being a valid species or just a juvenile T.rex. The dinosaur sitting in the foyer is a cast of Jane, the juvenile T.rex. Its discovery was used as proof that the museums original skull was also a juvenile and that was apparently that. Recently though there have been some scientists holding onto the idea the Cleveland skull is a separate species, and its labelling remains true to the original name.

Having bid a fond farewell to my guides Ashley and Lee, it was back to exploring.

Reinberger Hall of Astronomy and Wade Gallery of Gems & Jewels

Here is where the museum takes a series turn with its exhibits. By the feel these are new and well though out. As many of you in the industry are aware, the geology side of a display is often the least visited – sure people love the jewels and some of the more spectacular minerals, but they generally don’t spend a lot of time here.

These displays are fantastic. Not only are there numerous interactives and media displays, with great looking murals clearly and simply explaining how the planet was formed, what you would expect to see on other planets, how erosion works, how soil is formed and how you can tell the difference between various dirt, why rocks and fossils are important in this modern world, mineral properties and how mines operate.

You pass through cave systems, reconstructed mines and what looks to be the set from a Star Trek episode for the astronomy section, with space-age shaped window displays, scrolling futuristic video screens and wall to roof mounted Hubble images. These walls are colour coded, with a deep ochre for geology and a cool blue for space.

These galleries lead you to the temporary exhibit display, where the CMNH is currently housing a touring pterosaur display. I will cover this later in its own page.

   

“Set a course for adventure in this Museum-created exhibit celebrating the fabled voyage of the Blossom. Explore tales of mutiny, adventure and discovery as you experience the expedition that built the Museum’s collections nearly a century ago.”  That’s how the museums website describe another exhibit focusing on the history of not just the collection, but how it was collected. There are numerous historical items, including journals, tools, maps and artworks from the CMNH’s voyage of exploration in the 1920s.

Sears Hall of Human Ecology

Wow. For many museums the issue is often how do you create space to display all the items you have in storage that visitors might wish to see? Well the CMNH has come up with a novel way of achieving this, double-stacking.

Though this room is not the largest, it has a high ceiling, and so it seems the exhibits designers hit on the novel idea of just stacking one exhibit on top of another. This is a unique approach, and yes there are other museums that have done something similar, none have taken it to this extent. I personally loved it, it was almost like looking at a children’s popup book, with each angle creating a new way to see the items displayed.

The display cleverly uses animals in dynamic poses, cultural backgrounds, and recreated environments – placed within the continents or surroundings where they live. This sort of display also creates something new, a two tier visit dynamic. While some are busy looking at the items on display within the lower cabinets, others move into the middle of the room so they can see what is above better. 

Apparently these displays date back several decades and have not been upgraded, they were just so well done the first time around that they have been kept. This is a surprise to me as they really did feel new and cutting edge.
At various times there were also staff members walking around with live animals that visitors could interact with. This included a snapping turtle and a skunk that comes out at set times throughout the day. 

Ohio Archaeology and Human Origins Gallery

A small display of local archaeological items leads you towards the end of your visit inside with a visit to the museums new Human Origins gallery. The CMNH has a long history of anthropology and primatology and its collection is vast. The Human Origins Gallery is one of those that has recently been upgraded, and focuses on Lucy, that tiny little Australopithecus that had been unearthed by the museum’s curator, Donald Johanson, and his team in 1874 while they were exploring Ethiopia. This was arguably the world’s most famous anthropology discovery and a real feather in the museum’s cap – so its no wonder this display was one of the first to get an upgrade.

As with most African fossils of this sort, the originals are stored in Ethiopia, but a displayed replica skeleton cast from the original bones is on display, standing alongside a lifelike sculpture created by renowned paleoartist, John Gurche.

And that was about it for our visit. There are many other places to explore in the museum, such as a walk through the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden (which I missed due to the rain).

Overall, the museum deserves its place in the top ten US natural history museums and I encourage you all to visit and say hi.

Other items either soon to be placed on display or I missed due to time.

•          BALTO - The hero dog of Nome, Alaska, who in 1925 helped led a team of sled dogs through the snow to this distant outpost, carrying much needed medical supplies.
•          The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium & Ralph Mueller Observatory. Here you can learn about astronomy and on certain nights visit the observatory to peer at the universe (check their website for opening times). 
•       On the way back into the city there is a fantastic whale mural that covers a large building, so keep an eye out for that. 

Indiana State Museum

Image: wikipedia- by Nick81aku

If you were to visit Indianapolis with fossils on your mind, you’d likely find yourself at the Children’s Museum (and I will get to that in another post); but there is another museum in the city that you should not miss.

Though the Indiana State Museum does not get the press of its (not so local) neighbour, it should…or maybe I should say it will as some of its paleo displays are currently undergoing an upgrade and when completed will be amazing. Though these displays are still months from competition, I was lucky enough to get an early bird look, but more about this later.

The collection itself dates back to the American Civil War, and for a short time it was housed in the state capital, before growing and changing locations a number of times until it found a home in its new, state of the art building in 2002.

The building itself is in the White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis, and is located near the Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

I had been in contact with the museum before I arrived and showed up and met the newly appointed Director of Communication, Hannah Keifer. She had a surprise for us, our own chaperon for the paleo side of the museum, the curator of palaeontology Ronald L. Richards, who was a total delight and a gentleman.

Our first stop was visiting the under construction displays of the Ice Age and Prehistoric Native America, and though there is still a few months of work to be done, the exhibition is already looking great and will be a real highlight of any visit.

Though no dinosaurs have been found in the state, there is a wealth of Ice Age animals, especially mastodons. This gallery will be fantastic and many of the specimens are already in place. It is like an Ice Age Greatest Hits with giant bison, smilodon, Short Face Bears, peccaries, rhinos, giant sloths and of course a number of locally found mastodons.

The star of the museum will be Fred the Mastodon, and how do I know Fred the Mastodon will be the star you ask? Because good ol’ Fred has his own twitter account (@FredIndiana).

 The specimen went through a very unusual (but clever) way of fundraising the new renovations by selling off Fred’s bones. People could purchase (sponsor) a bone from $20, or the skull for $20,000, and the money raised went to building the display.Much like Sue the T.rex, Fred’s organically wrought iron frame has been intricately designed, so I am looking forward to seeing images when the mastodon is finally put back together.

Ron showed us Fred, who partly was under wraps (literally) and partly dissembled on tables all about the room, and he pointed out some pathologies on the side of the skull. I also noted that, unlike almost all dinosaur skeletons you see mounted, between the vertebra of Fred were large disks of cartilage, meaning once rebuilt it will be one of the most life-like mounts you will see.Rarely do you get the opportunity to get this close to such a specimen….so I took it.

One of the completed displays we got a peek at was a life-size mammoth that had fallen into a frozen pond and is struggling to escape. Apparently, this was a necessary rebuild of an older display as the original version made the mammoth look like it was sitting in a jacuzzi, and was a source of great mirth with visitors.

The mural behind is first class, and hidden throughout the wild-scape are a number of other critters that the eagle-eyed amongst you may spot.The museum will also display the Hebior Mammoth, a rarity as this specimen was unearthed with clear signs of being butchered by Paleo-Indians. I assume this is a cast as I am pretty sure the original is at the Milwaukee Public Museum – which I will cover in a later article…

…and the hits kept coming. Ron showed us through another section of the display and revealed a new cave system that has been built for visitors to walk through.

The quality of this display is extraordinarily high, and so exact that the builders actually took molds of the original cave, so the build is an exact replica. The fossils that the crew from the museum had found while working this geological formation are to be placed in the exact location where they were unearthed - and most of these were already there for you to peer at through fissures in the rock.Ron recounted he had worked these caves with a good friend who had died, so he was taking real pride and joy building these displays as close to the original location as he could. This effort shines through and is important for another reason. Sadly, part of the cave is gone now as it sits under one of the states highways, yet here, in the Indiana State Museum, it’s been recreated for all too see.

Leaving these caves, you enter a tunnel running through a glacier, representing the Ice that once stood over the state, and standing about this are the creatures they have evidence that once lived there, such as musk ox, and its accurate down the plants.As I mentioned, though there have never been any dinosaurs found in the state, Indiana has a rich fossil history, and the next section Ron led us to was the Palaeozoic.   

Soaring above and surrounding the display of crinoids, corals, amphibian trackways, ferns and Lepidodendron trunks are columns and walls cut from the very rocks that make up the region, creating one of the more interesting geological displays I have seen.

As this museum has several floors, it is possible to get above this display and look down on how stones like these were mined and moved, and its this sort of clever use of space that I really enjoy. Why use a exhibition for one educational purpose when it can represent a number of ideas and facts.

Swimming above your head as you walk between these geological columns are some of the life-size monsters that once populated Indiana’s ancient seas. A clawed Eurypterids is diving, while behind an enormous nautoloid, maybe 10ft long, is jetting around the corner into the display. As you come around one corner is the largest predator of the Devonian seas, Dunkleosteus, built into one of the more ingenious displays I have seen in any museum. The metal structure that holds the considerable skull in place has been bent and forged into the body of the placoderm, giving an effective idea of the animal’s size and body shape when alive.

With the museum mostly covered, Ron still had something special for us. On the top floor is a long corridor that leads from the museum to the office and storage area of the collection. Here our ‘guide’ showed us some of the specimens being stored until they can go into the new displays, as well as the work areas for processing new specimens.
The Museum runs its own digs and spends time sorting through the fossil material and dirt brought back from various locations throughout the state. This includes the art work that has been produced for the exhibit, including some wonderful pieces from famous paleo artists such as Karen Carr.

Checking up on Karen’s website, it notes that the “Indiana Teleoceras mural gave Karen two new opportunities: First, she was able to visit the actual site depicted in the mural. When researching dinosaurs, almost nothing of the original environment remains other than as strata; the depression that created this small pond was still visible when Karen visited. Karen has since worked on several projects allowing her to see and explore the environments she depicts.”

Room after room we got to see some spectacular specimens, some for display, others that have been taken out and stored for future use.  

Amongst one of the largest stuffed bird collections I have ever seen, the museum stores the various mammoth and mastodon remains collected over the years. 

This includes one of the most handsome skulls I have seen anywhere. The colour is spectacular, and what I took to be possible marks from where plant roots had grown through the dirt and covered the fossil Ron suggested were more likely the stains from different minerals that filtered through the earth.

One of my favourite specimens here (that I believe will be heading back out soon) is a complete Dire Wolf skeleton. What’s unusual about this specimen is that at some point the rear left leg had been dislocated, and the wear on the hip bone shows it was an old injury, meaning the predator must have been in pain for some time before its death.

The museum also has a large archaeological collection, and amongst the small, hand crafted clay figurines lay some remarkable fossil bear teeth that had been modified by paleo-indians that Ron proudly showed off - and rightly so as they are stunning.

We thanked Ron for being so generous with his time, and I ducked away to check out the rest of the museum. There is a second geology/earth/universe display (Birth of the Earth), containing ancient specimens such as tiger iron from Western Australia and a 3D global screen of the Moon.

Next was a recently renovated and opened display about the states modern wildlife. These were exceptionally well crafted, and I was surprised to see that among all this, there was a single animatronic (or perhaps some sort of solar powered display) of a small butterfly that flapped its wings as it sat high on a fallen tree. A nice little feature that most would likely miss unless you were looking hard.

 Coming from a small museum, where we constantly struggle for space, one thing that really struck me was the size of this museum and the luxury they have for displays. This is not a crowded museum, instead you get to walk around from gallery to gallery, floor to floor – often with sky bridges connecting one area to another - and it gives a real sense you were exploring the location.

In these you will find exhibits about the nation’s 19^th state, local industries, politics and heritage; local artists and what it means to be a Hoosier, if I Hooiser you may be. There is also an IMAX cinema attached to the building and, at the time, a crazy little exhibit on Star Wars masks that had been modified by artists.

 I liked the museum a lot, and will hopefully get back there when the new display is finished, and I can see the final product.

The Indiana State Museum is located at 650 W. Washington Street in Indianapolis. Exhibition gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The first Tuesday of each month (Community Tuesdays) admission is half price. Auxiliary aids and services are available with advance notice. For more information, call the museum at 317.232.1637.

Hints:

It has underground parking, which it shares with other nearby institutions. This means you can walk straight into the museum and duck rain or chilly days.