Paleontology

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Hall of Paleontology

Dromaeosaurus

The science of paleontology explores the history of life on Earth. Paleontologists study the fossil remains of dinosaurs and other creatures, including their skeletons, shells, footprints, and even coprolite (fossil excrement!). The Museum's Hall of Paleontology contains more than 450 fossils and fossil replicas, providing a vivid glimpse into the incredible 3.5-billion-year story of life on Earth. From the humble trilobite to the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, this exhibit hall will bring you face-to-face with the creatures that once ruled our planet!

Prehistoric CSI
Museum Blog – Prehistoric CSI
Follow the Fossil Hunt

Follow the fossil evidence with the Houston Museum of Natural Science paleontology dig team. As part of an ongoing Museum research project, the HMNS Paleontology department frequently digs for 290-million year old fossils in Seymour, TX. Led by Visiting Curator of Paleontology Dr. Robert T. Bakker, they have uncovered hundreds of fossils from creatures that came even before the dinosaurs – including almost-complete skeletons of the fearsome Dimetrodon. For the first time, you can get an inside look into their research in straight-from-the-field posts on their blog, Prehistoric CSI.

This limited-time blog is a daily record of discoveries from their most recent dig trip, Nov. 5 – 12, 2007; it also includes descriptions of all the species they’ve found as well as the questions they are trying to answer about prehistoric ecology.