Dinosaur Mummy at the American Museum of Natural History

The grand, imperial statue of Teddy Roosevelt in front of the AMNH

The real reason I went to the American Museum of Natural History last week was to see the dinosaur mummy.

J.W. Ocher mentioned the Edmontosaurus on his OTIS (Odd Things I’ve Seen) blog. I was intrigued, so I had to go and take a look.

The place was a zoo, far worse than the Met. My friend Caroline and I were surrounded by people, mostly kids from summer camps. You could hardly get close to any of the exhibits. Still, I was on a mission, so we wandered all over the building, finally finding the fourth floor and going room to room.

Ocher’s right: the dinosaur isn’t in a special area. The signage is ordinary or, as Ocher says, “whoever designed it didn’t really understand the awesomeness of what they were labeling.” The museum certainly hasn’t promoted it. It is, after all, a rare type of dinosaur “mummy.”

These dinosaur remains are akin to the Egyptian mummies that litter our museums across the world. Those human mummies are fascinating, as they are more than just bones but dried skin and tissue, with features that we can recognize. Though there are no dessicated tissues left (see the description), there’s more here than the usual bones. This is why the Edmontosaurus is exceptional, but the AMNH doesn’t seem to think so.

The mummy came up on Ocher’s entry because he was comparing it to another natural dinosaur “mummy” in Indianapolis that is named Leonardo. That museum really knows how to promote it’s unique dinosaur. Of course it’s a much newer museum, with dinosaurs “breaking” through a wall of the museum and out into the sunshine.

The AMNH should hold a naming contest for the Edmontosaurus. How about one of those nifty, stuffed dinosaurs made in the Edmontosaurus’ likeness? (The gift shop has some great stuffed dinosaurs.) This would be a great way to generate interest (and cash) in the AMNH.

Another interesting dinosaur next to the Edmontosaurus

This dinosaur has impressions of its skin in rock

A close-up of the dinosaur’s skin. Who wouldn’t also find this Edmontosaurus neighbor fascinating?

By the way, this is the J.W. Ocher who wrote The New England Grimpendium, which I have in my library. (Yes, that 25 cents in royalties came from me.) The book is as fascinating as it is macabre.