The Sioux City Public Museum’s upcoming exhibition Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek will feature an array of dinosaur fossils excavated from the Hell Creek Formation by amateur Sioux City paleontologists Brian Buckmeier and Darren Maurer.
The Hell Creek Formation is a fascinating layer of sedimentary rock located in eastern Montana and parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Dating back to the late Cretaceous Period (70 to 65 million years ago), this formation is renowned for its rich fossil content and has been an active site for paleontology for over a century. For more than 30 years, fossil hunters Buckmeier and Maurer have explored this remarkable site, uncovering a stunning array of lifeforms. Now, visitors to the museum can immerse themselves in this incredible prehistoric world, experiencing firsthand the diverse fossils that tell the story of this unique ecosystem.
Featured in the Exhibit:
Plant-Eaters:
Triceratops: The iconic three-horned dinosaur.
Edmontosaurus: A duck-billed herbivore known for its adaptability.
Ankylosaurus: The heavily armored dinosaur with a formidable clubbed tail.
Pachycephalosaurus: Famous for its thick, dome-shaped skull.
Meat-Eaters:
Tyrannosaurus Rex: The legendary apex predator of its time.
Dakotaraptor: A larger relative of Velociraptor, known for its agility and hunting prowess.
Omnivores:
Struthiomimus: An ostrich-like dinosaur that bridged the gap between plant-eaters and meat-eaters.
Other Fossils:
The display will also feature fascinating fossils of marine life and other non-dinosaur specimens from the late Cretaceous Period. These artifacts showcase the rich biodiversity of the warm, wet coastal environment that once thrived in the Hell Creek Formation.
Although Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek will tell most of its story through real fossils, it will also incorporate full-sized replicas, including a replica skull, a fleshed out head, and a full body of Dracorex hogwarsia.
The dragon-like Dracorex is a new species of pachycephalosaur discovered by Buckmeier in 2003. One of the most significant finds of the past 50 years, Dracorex was featured on the front cover of National Geographic magazine in December 2007.
The exhibit will be open to visitors during regular museum hours beginning Saturday February 1, 2025, and ending Sunday August 3, 2025.