Southern Minnesota Museum of Natural History
@smmnh.bsky.social
Official account of the SMMNH located in Blue Earth, Minnesota. www.smmnh.com
During the Eocene Epoch, 25 million years ago, parts of North America as far north as Oregon were covered with a sub-tropical forest that was nearly identical to the one found in Central America today. These large Brontotherium teeth only hint at the majestic size of a well preserved, adult skull.
January 5, 2026 at 7:59 PM
During the Eocene Epoch, 25 million years ago, parts of North America as far north as Oregon were covered with a sub-tropical forest that was nearly identical to the one found in Central America today. These large Brontotherium teeth only hint at the majestic size of a well preserved, adult skull.
Zircon crystals are nearly indestructible, and are some of the only things to survive the hellish pressure and heat of the Haldean Eon, when the earth was formed. The oldest zircons are found in Jack Hills, Australia, where our specimen was found. It may be small, but it's 4.4 billion years old!
January 4, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Zircon crystals are nearly indestructible, and are some of the only things to survive the hellish pressure and heat of the Haldean Eon, when the earth was formed. The oldest zircons are found in Jack Hills, Australia, where our specimen was found. It may be small, but it's 4.4 billion years old!
One of the trilobites from our "time vault" where kids can handle real fossils from all time periods!
January 3, 2026 at 7:59 PM
One of the trilobites from our "time vault" where kids can handle real fossils from all time periods!
Glossopteris were the dominant trees across the supercontinent Gondwana during the Permian Period. Come see this and many other fossils and minerals in our collection that tell the story of Antarctica when it was a rainforest 270 million years ago.
January 2, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Glossopteris were the dominant trees across the supercontinent Gondwana during the Permian Period. Come see this and many other fossils and minerals in our collection that tell the story of Antarctica when it was a rainforest 270 million years ago.
During the Silurian Period, 430 million years ago, equatorial reef systems developed in the seas. The reefs were home to all kinds of invertebrates and among the most plentiful were brachiopods, bryozoans, and gastropods, seen in this specimen in our collection.
January 1, 2026 at 7:59 PM
During the Silurian Period, 430 million years ago, equatorial reef systems developed in the seas. The reefs were home to all kinds of invertebrates and among the most plentiful were brachiopods, bryozoans, and gastropods, seen in this specimen in our collection.
A flower beetle in baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
December 31, 2025 at 7:59 PM
A flower beetle in baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
Abundant Eocene fossils of plants and animals are found in the Green River Formation of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. This fossil Pseudosalix Hanleyi, with stems, leaves and flowers preserved, is harder to find than a T-rex tooth!
December 30, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Abundant Eocene fossils of plants and animals are found in the Green River Formation of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. This fossil Pseudosalix Hanleyi, with stems, leaves and flowers preserved, is harder to find than a T-rex tooth!
Woolly mammoths have two sets of tusks that grow continuously throughout life, about 6 inches per year. They have growth rings that are similar in appearance to growth rings of a tree. The rings can also be used to reveal which month the animal died.
December 29, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Woolly mammoths have two sets of tusks that grow continuously throughout life, about 6 inches per year. They have growth rings that are similar in appearance to growth rings of a tree. The rings can also be used to reveal which month the animal died.
A dagger fly trapped in Baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
December 28, 2025 at 7:59 PM
A dagger fly trapped in Baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
Lythronax translates to "gore king" and was a tyrannosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in Utah.
December 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Lythronax translates to "gore king" and was a tyrannosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in Utah.
This Dimetrodon footprint was found in a fossilized swamp in New Mexico and dates from the late Carboniferous to early Permian Period, and is 300 million years old. Dimetrodons lived during the Permian period and went extinct 40 million years before dinosaurs evolved.
December 27, 2025 at 7:59 PM
This Dimetrodon footprint was found in a fossilized swamp in New Mexico and dates from the late Carboniferous to early Permian Period, and is 300 million years old. Dimetrodons lived during the Permian period and went extinct 40 million years before dinosaurs evolved.
Glossopteris were the dominant trees across the supercontinent Gondwana during the Permian Period. Come see this and many other fossils and minerals in our collection that tell the story of Antarctica when it was a rainforest 270 million years ago.
December 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Glossopteris were the dominant trees across the supercontinent Gondwana during the Permian Period. Come see this and many other fossils and minerals in our collection that tell the story of Antarctica when it was a rainforest 270 million years ago.
One of the trilobites from our "time vault" where kids can handle real fossils from all time periods!
December 25, 2025 at 7:59 PM
One of the trilobites from our "time vault" where kids can handle real fossils from all time periods!
A flower beetle in baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
December 24, 2025 at 7:59 PM
A flower beetle in baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
7,000 year old bison teeth found at the Cherney Bison Site. For a donation of $200 or more you can get your very own bison tooth as a thanks for helping fund the excavation of this incredibly unique fossil site in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
December 23, 2025 at 7:59 PM
7,000 year old bison teeth found at the Cherney Bison Site. For a donation of $200 or more you can get your very own bison tooth as a thanks for helping fund the excavation of this incredibly unique fossil site in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
This fossil is of a lobed-finned fish named Osteolepsis macrolepidotus and was found in Scotland. The Devonian Period (named after fossils first found in Devon, England), is known as "The age of fishes" and was fish transformed into three major groups: lobe-finned, ray-finned, and sharks.
December 22, 2025 at 7:59 PM
This fossil is of a lobed-finned fish named Osteolepsis macrolepidotus and was found in Scotland. The Devonian Period (named after fossils first found in Devon, England), is known as "The age of fishes" and was fish transformed into three major groups: lobe-finned, ray-finned, and sharks.
Oreodonts are extinct mammals that looked similar to pigs and sheep, but were more closely related to camels. They are the most commonly found fossil in the White River Badlands in South Dakota, and this exceptional specimen from our collection shows an oreodont curled up inside its burrow.
December 21, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Oreodonts are extinct mammals that looked similar to pigs and sheep, but were more closely related to camels. They are the most commonly found fossil in the White River Badlands in South Dakota, and this exceptional specimen from our collection shows an oreodont curled up inside its burrow.
Adult Mammoths had one natural enemy–Neanderthals. This Neanderthal scraper in our collection was used for preparing large mammoth hides. The Mousterian style of manufacture reveals it to be 120,000-200,000 years old.
December 20, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Adult Mammoths had one natural enemy–Neanderthals. This Neanderthal scraper in our collection was used for preparing large mammoth hides. The Mousterian style of manufacture reveals it to be 120,000-200,000 years old.
During the Silurian Period, 430 million years ago, equatorial reef systems developed in the seas. The reefs were home to all kinds of invertebrates and among the most plentiful were brachiopods, bryozoans, and gastropods, seen in this specimen in our collection.
December 19, 2025 at 7:59 PM
During the Silurian Period, 430 million years ago, equatorial reef systems developed in the seas. The reefs were home to all kinds of invertebrates and among the most plentiful were brachiopods, bryozoans, and gastropods, seen in this specimen in our collection.
Woolly mammoths have two sets of tusks that grow continuously throughout life, about 6 inches per year. They have growth rings that are similar in appearance to growth rings of a tree. The rings can also be used to reveal which month the animal died.
December 18, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Woolly mammoths have two sets of tusks that grow continuously throughout life, about 6 inches per year. They have growth rings that are similar in appearance to growth rings of a tree. The rings can also be used to reveal which month the animal died.
Millions of years ago during the Silurian period, the Sahara Desert was a shallow sea full of aquatic animals like crinoids. Don’t be fooled! Crinoids are commonly called "sea lilies" but they aren't plants! They are echinoderms, like starfish and sea urchins, and many species are still alive today!
December 17, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Millions of years ago during the Silurian period, the Sahara Desert was a shallow sea full of aquatic animals like crinoids. Don’t be fooled! Crinoids are commonly called "sea lilies" but they aren't plants! They are echinoderms, like starfish and sea urchins, and many species are still alive today!
Zircon crystals are nearly indestructible, and are some of the only things to survive the hellish pressure and heat of the Haldean Eon, when the earth was formed. The oldest zircons are found in Jack Hills, Australia, where our specimen was found. It may be small, but it's 4.4 billion years old!
December 16, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Zircon crystals are nearly indestructible, and are some of the only things to survive the hellish pressure and heat of the Haldean Eon, when the earth was formed. The oldest zircons are found in Jack Hills, Australia, where our specimen was found. It may be small, but it's 4.4 billion years old!
During the Eocene Epoch, 25 million years ago, parts of North America as far north as Oregon were covered with a sub-tropical forest that was nearly identical to the one found in Central America today. These large Brontotherium teeth only hint at the majestic size of a well preserved, adult skull.
December 15, 2025 at 7:59 PM
During the Eocene Epoch, 25 million years ago, parts of North America as far north as Oregon were covered with a sub-tropical forest that was nearly identical to the one found in Central America today. These large Brontotherium teeth only hint at the majestic size of a well preserved, adult skull.
This fossil is of a lobed-finned fish named Osteolepsis macrolepidotus and was found in Scotland. The Devonian Period (named after fossils first found in Devon, England), is known as "The age of fishes" and was fish transformed into three major groups: lobe-finned, ray-finned, and sharks.
December 15, 2025 at 4:06 PM
This fossil is of a lobed-finned fish named Osteolepsis macrolepidotus and was found in Scotland. The Devonian Period (named after fossils first found in Devon, England), is known as "The age of fishes" and was fish transformed into three major groups: lobe-finned, ray-finned, and sharks.
Woolly mammoths have two sets of tusks that grow continuously throughout life, about 6 inches per year. They have growth rings that are similar in appearance to growth rings of a tree. The rings can also be used to reveal which month the animal died.
December 14, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Woolly mammoths have two sets of tusks that grow continuously throughout life, about 6 inches per year. They have growth rings that are similar in appearance to growth rings of a tree. The rings can also be used to reveal which month the animal died.