Traveling dinosaur exhibit makes stops in Kootenai County
Elizabeth, of Post Falls, gets up and close with a 3D-printed replica of the state dinosaur, the oryctodromeus, Tuesday at Hayden Library during a visit from the Idaho Museum of Natural History’s mobile dino exhibit. The exhibit is stopping in Rathdrum and Post Falls libraries today.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
Fong Durocher holds Acadia Durocher up to look at the replica of an oryctodromeus dinosaur Tuesday at Hayden Library.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
Acadia Durocher plays with a toy dinosaur in the Idaho Museum of Natural History’s mobile exhibit.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
A line formed around the curb at the Hayden Library as families lined up to experience the mobile dinosaur exhibit through the Idaho Museum of Natural History.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
Idaho has a state dinosaur and his nickname is Ricky.
The oryctodromeus was made the official state dinosaur of Idaho in 2023 and is the most common dinosaur found in Idaho, dating back to 98-million-year-old rocks in eastern Idaho’s Wayan Formation.
Traveling educator Pam Pascali introduced families waiting to move through the Idaho Museum of Natural History’s mobile exhibit Tuesday to a 3D printed version of the real dinosaur skeleton in Pocatello.
“This is my pet dinosaur, Ricky,” Pascali said. “He dug holes and was a small burrowing plant-eater.”
Dinosaurs like Ricky ate plants and his teeth looked just like an iguana's teeth, Pascali said.
Hayden resident Fong Durocher held up Acadia Durocher to get a better look at the dino replica and said the mobile exhibit was a great way to give Acadia new and exciting experiences.
“I’m going to try to get her into dinosaurs for sure,” Durocher said.
The goal for the mobile exhibit is to travel through every county in the state.
The oryctodromeus dinosaur was about 11 feet long and weighed about 70 pounds. Fossil discoveries indicate it may have lived in social groups and raised its young in burrows underground.
“One of the things we wonder about is why his tail is so long,” Pascali said.
For those who own a 3D printer, dinosaur aficionados can use the scans of dinosaur bones at www.isu.edu/imnh to print their own replicas.
The mobile exhibit stopped at the Rathdrum and Post Falls libraries Wednesday.
Fong Durocher holds Acadia Durocher up to look at the replica of an oryctodromeus dinosaur Tuesday at Hayden Library.
Acadia Durocher, left, plays with a toy dinosaur in the Idaho Museum of Natural History’s mobile dino exhibit.
A line formed around the curb at the Hayden Library as families lined up to experience the mobile dinosaur exhibit through the Idaho Museum of Natural History.