Camels on the ISU quad lawn for 6th annual Fall Fossil Fest
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Three camels were on the quad lawn on Saturday, November 7 for the 6th annual Fall Fossil Fest hosted by the Idaho Museum of Natural History. This year's theme was "Camels and other Mammals," with the event including lectures, booths and touchable samples of fossils.
The camels accompanied the new giant camel skeleton mount at the museum. Education manager Robert Gay said the camel was found in the 1960s in the Mountain Home area.
"We have the only mounted skeleton of this critter," Gay said. "It's called Mega Lupus and it's an enormous, hump-less camel."
The Idaho Museum of Natural History collaborated with Thunderstorm Ranch to bring the three living camels to the event. People were able to get up close and personal with the animals, petting them and taking photos.
Gay said each year the museum tries a new theme for the Fossil Fest. Years past have featured crocodiles and dinosaurs. By focusing on camels and other mammals, people can enjoy live exhibits of animals that still exist.
"We have a lot of different stations throughout the museum," Gay said. "These are researchers that are working on fossils here at the museum from ISU and the museum as well as folks from Oregon, Washington and across Utah."
The exhibit is part of a major re-vamp of one of the museums permanent galleries, titled "This is Idaho." Gay said the exhibition will be on display for the next two years for people to come see.
"Lots of people have never seen a camel, let alone pet one and then be able to go inside and see the fossil, we can't do that with dinosaurs, not a whole lot of hadrosaurs walking around," Gay said.
He continued to explain the Fall Fossil Fest is essentially the premiere fossil event in the entire state. For those interested in dinosaurs, mammals or any kind of fossils, this event is the time and place to learn while the researchers are all in one space.
Gay said that because of the low water levels, more fossil beds have been exposed than ever before in the last 65 years. Specifically enar Lake Powell in southern Utah, experts at the Fossil Fest gave presentations about the near-mammal animals roaming the early Earth in that area.
"We have one of our researchers coming out to visit from Oregon, talking about mammals worldwide," he said. "Sea otters and seals from Oregon all the way out to Kurdistan and the rhinos they're excavating out there. Another talk coming up is about sabertooth cats with world expert Chris Shaw."
For more information about events and exhibits at the Idaho Museum of Natural History, click HERE.
