Peabody Museum of Natural History

One of our first stops on the way north to Maine was Yale University's Peabody Museum of Natural History.  I have wanted to see it for a long time, since O.C. Marsh, Edward Drinker Cope's arch enemy, worked here.  Both Cope (from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia) and Marsh were brilliant paleontologists, but in their rush to outdo each other they occasionally made mistakes.  Cope made an especially spectacular mistake when he placed the head at the wrong end of an Elasmosaurus.

The museum has an impressive pseudo-gothic entrance. 

I especially loved the walk up to the entrance.  Plants typical of the Jurassic period are being planted to create an ancient garden that would have existed at the time of the dinosaurs.  Neat idea!

This Torosaurus is very impressive:

Here is the entryway inside the building:

The dinosaur hall features a parade of some of the best known dinos, with a mural that enlivens the space:

The museum even includes a reproduction of Ted Daeschler's Tiktaalic!

 

Lee loved this pre-Columbian sculpture.

I was somewhat surprised by this diorama, it is so similar to one at the Academy.  Most dioramas were made during the same period of time, so perhaps it isn't so surprising.