Website: https://www.museumoftherockies.org/
The Collections: What brings a mammal researcher to a collection internationally famous for its dinosaur skeletons? Well, in my case it was a single (gorgeously preserved) fossil dog skull (and the fact that I was passing through between collections visits in Missoula and Pocatello. Let the record reflect that it's a really nice dog skull and made the stop entirely worthwhile.
The Exhibits: As hinted at above, while the Inland Northwest is known for its Cenozoic mammal fossils, the flanks of the Rockies are rife with dinosaur fossils. Fittingly, the MOR is one of the word's great dinosaur museums. The particular focus is on Cretaceous specimens from the Hell Creek Formation, including favorites such as Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and a diversity of duck-billed dinosaurs. I am an especially big fan of the displays on dinosaur growth and physiology, long a specialty of MOR researchers. If towering dinosaurs aren't your thing, the museum also has a really cool display on the microvertebrates of Hell Creek and some excellent dioramas and fossils that bring to life the rocks that now form the peaks of the Rockies.
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