Fossil Guy program offers information, hands-on fossils
Friday, April 19, 2013

What were mammals eating during the Age of Dinosaurs, and what can we learn about their diets from studying fossils of their teeth? Those and other questions will be answered as the "The Fossil Guy" series continues Saturday, April 27, at 2 p.m. at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History.

A man and children looking at a dinosaur fossil with the dinosaur's teeth in the foreground
Don Johnson (right) is the Fossil Guy. Photo courtesy UI Museum of Natural History

Each “Fossil Guy” program consists of a 30-minute talk by Don Johnson, a local amateur paleontologist, followed by a question-and-answer session. The free public programs are geared toward elementary-age children and are held in Macbride Auditorium.

April’s presentation is titled “The Rise of the Mammals” and will feature skulls of mammals that lived in the Western United States 30 millions years ago. In addition, participants will be able to see and touch replica and mineralized bones, skulls and jaws of Ice Age mammals, including saber-tooth cats, dire wolves, cave bears, bison, giant deer, ground sloths, armored glyptodonts, mammoths, and mastodons.

For more information on the UI Pentacrest Museums and the UI Museum of Natural History, visit www.uiowa.edu/mnh or call 319-335-0606.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Sarah Horgen in advance at 319-335-0606.