Morrill Hall
unsmmorrillhall.bsky.social
Morrill Hall
@unsmmorrillhall.bsky.social
Part of the University of Nebraska State Museum, the state's premier natural history museum. Located in Lincoln on UNL's campus with 4 floors of fossils, science, natural history, and world culture exhibits.
Happy #FossilFriday! This tooth plate is from a giant fossil lungfish called Ceratodus. This specimen is thought to be from the Mesozoic Era and is estimated to be up to 13 feet long! Lungfish have been around for nearly 400 million years, and are one of the closest living relatives to tetrapods!🦎
November 14, 2025 at 8:20 PM
This pale poison ivy leaf beetle feeds on many people’s least favorite plant.🌱 At under 2 mm, its damage is minimal, but every little bit helps. This summer was the first time this little beetle was collected in Nebraska.☀️ We’re happy to have them on board! #entomology #Nebraska
November 5, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Tonight is Morrill Hall-oween, so stop by Morrill Hall before your evening festivities!🦇 Wear a costume and come ready with a bag to trick-or-treat around the museum.🍭 Planetarium shows are FREE for this event only!🪐 No tricks, just treats, fossils, and fun. 🦣
Event: 4:30-8:30 pm
October 31, 2025 at 8:13 PM
This (no common name for this beetle) = 1 of 20,000 species of darkling beetles who = beneficial decomposers of plant matter. The larvae = mealworms used as pet food/fishing bait. The species hadn't been found in Neb. until this specimen was collected from leaf litter this summer. #EntoTuesday
October 14, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Happy #AnthroThursday! This ceramic pig bank is from around 1960, was collected in Sta Cruz de las Huertas, the Canary Islands, Spain. The Canaries have a unique connection to pigs, especially the Canarian black pig, the only native pig breed in the islands. They served as a vital source of income.
August 21, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Happy #AnthroThursday! Geta (下駄) are traditional Japanese wooden sandals, believed to have originated in Southern China and been brought to Japan in the late Heian period. Once rice farming tools, they became popular in Japan's Edo period and are now valued for their craftsmanship and style.
August 14, 2025 at 2:50 PM
This miniature painting from modern-day Iran depicts hunters in traditional Persian attire hunting a lion. The image of the lion played a significant role in ancient Persian culture, revered as a symbol of strength and nobility.
#anthropology #naturalhistory #museum #UNSM
August 8, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Happy #MuseumMonday. Recently, our Highway Salvage Preparator Jeremy was working on a 14 million year old dog skull/skeleton found in Boyd County, Nebr. While sifting through the sediment he found some tiny bones. Any guesses on what they could be? Stop by the Visible Lab this week to see. #fossils
July 28, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Happy #FossilFriday! Pictured is a jaw fragment from a mosasaur, a large marine reptile. It was found in 85-million-year-old Cretaceous limestone along the Missouri River bluffs, which formed at the bottom of a shallow inland sea during that time.🏞️
#fossil #museum #UNSM #geology #naturalhistory
July 18, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Happy #AnthroThursday! This Japanese parasol, or higasa (日傘), was donated to the museum in 1978. Early parasols were large and non-collapsible, used by aristocrats and religious authorities to signify prestige and ward off evil spirits.
#anthropology #Japan #japanese #parasol #history #museum #UNSM
July 17, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Happy #MuseumMonday! 🦏 Ashfall Fossil Beds Summer 2025 interns Cannon Dunker (left) & Jacob Wilson (right) carefully excavate 12-million-year-old ash at Ashfall Fossil Beds, revealing dog tracks, mud cracks, & signs of ancient water movement. 🐘 #Paleontology #fossils #intern #Summer #excavation
July 14, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Happy #FossilFriday! This summer, Curator Ashley Poust and colleague Dr. Robert Boessenecker collected fossils along the coast of California. These rocks, called the Purisima Formation, record an important time in the history of marine life, before the beginning of the Ice Age.
#fossils #history
July 11, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Happy #AnthroThursday! This paper cutter, or letter opener, was collected in Japan before 1944. It features a bronze cast handle adorned with sea life motifs. Sea animals hold considerable significance in Japanese culture, owing to Japan's island geography and its intimate connection with the sea.
July 10, 2025 at 4:52 PM
UNSM curator @ashpoust.bsky.social is joining scientists from New Mexico, Michigan, Argentina & Paraguay on a collaborative research trip to Paraguay. They'll be researching the conditions under which bones might become #fossils. Follow along this summer to learn more!

news.unm.edu/news/unm-hon...
UNM Honors College professor leads 2025 expedition to Paraguay to study fossilization in real time
Jason Moore, associate professor and chair of the Honors College at The University of New Mexico, is set to lead a team of researchers and students back to the Paraguayan Chaco in 2025 as part of the ...
news.unm.edu
June 27, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Morrill Hall
This is Archie. He's too shy to tell you so himself, but he's the tallest mammoth on exhibit in the world. He doesn't like to brag. 13/10 Would snuggle him to the bone. #WeRateBones
🦣⚒️🧪#FossilFriday
#LNK
June 13, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Welcome to the Curious Curator Café! ☕️ This newest addition to the Discovery Gift Shop is opening for Archie’s party on June 14th! 🎊 The café will be the perfect stop for a coffee before exploring or a treat after an eventful day at Morrill Hall.✨ #UNSM #cafe #grandopening #coffee #party #yum
June 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Happy #AnthroThursday! We are 10 DAYS away from the new weapons exhibit opening. Arms, Armor, and Anthropology is coming along, and we have an interesting fact for you:
The oldest object in the exhibit is a spearhead from Ancient Egypt that dates to about 1550-1070 BCE❗
We can't wait to see you!✨
June 5, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Excited to share Lincoln Literacy is our summer CAP partner! Their mission is to strengthen the community by teaching English and a variety of literacy skills to people of all cultures. museum.unl.edu/membership

#Museum #Naturalhistory #science #learning #literacy #community #fossils #Nebraska
June 4, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Discovery day camps have begun!☀️ The kids are having lots of fun with Astronomical Adventures and Elephants, Dinos, and Rhinos.🐘 There are still open spots for some of our upcoming camps.🌷
Learn more and register online today: museum.unl.edu/programs-eve...
#summercamp #UNSM #Nebraska #space
June 2, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Last week, our Chief Preparator Carrie worked on a crane skeleton found in 1979 at Ashfall Fossil Beds. Carrie is working to stabilize the specimen by using modern archival materials. Want to see more amazingly preserved fossils like this? Visit Ashfall Fossil Beds this summer! Happy #FossilFriday.
May 30, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Excited to share this #AnthroThursday the new weapons exhibit Arms, Armor & Anthropology opens June 14th!

It's also Give to Lincoln Day. Gifts to the Friends of the State Museum help fund exciting exhibits like this one & other #science #learning opportunities.

givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/f...
May 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Talk about a mammoth spring cleaning task....Archie has been washed and waxed and is ready for another year of greeting guests at Morrill Hall! Shoutout to our friends at Clearview Scanlon Cleaning for their help.

#SpringCleaning #Mammoth #naturalhistory #museum #nebraska
May 28, 2025 at 9:24 PM
It's a #TerrificTuesday, and we want to celebrate our Friends of the State Museum (FOSM) who have supported UNSM for 40 years!
🌷May 29 is Give to Lincoln Day, and your gift can support FOSM, Morrill Hall, and science education for people of all ages!🌎
Donate today: givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/f...
May 27, 2025 at 2:37 PM
✨Discovery day camps are right around the corner!🌟
From 🔭astronomical celestial bodies 🪐to microscopic organisms 🔬, your explorer can discover the extraordinary things in our universe.🌎
🎉Check out the awesome camp options & get registered🎟️ today here: museum.unl.edu/programs-eve...
May 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
We are proud to be a #BlueStarMuseum again this summer, along with Ashfall Fossil Beds and the Trailside Museum. From now until Labor Day, active-duty military personnel and their families receive FREE admission.
We can't wait for you to visit!
#ThankYouMilitary #UNSM #FreeMuseumAccess #Museum
May 23, 2025 at 2:36 PM