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.
November 23, 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.
While hunting for fossils, the unexpected is sometimes discovered. These finds can range from pottery shards to this fulgurite, or "fossil lightning," formed when lightning strikes the ground.
November 22, 2025 at 7:59 PM
While hunting for fossils, the unexpected is sometimes discovered. These finds can range from pottery shards to this fulgurite, or "fossil lightning," formed when lightning strikes the ground.
Footprint fossils are important because they reveal the size of the animals that made them, their movement, and animal behavior. The 44,000 pounds of footprints collected at this site in Wyoming tell the story of tyrannosaurs ambushing a herd of hadrosaurs as they approached the river to drink.
November 21, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Footprint fossils are important because they reveal the size of the animals that made them, their movement, and animal behavior. The 44,000 pounds of footprints collected at this site in Wyoming tell the story of tyrannosaurs ambushing a herd of hadrosaurs as they approached the river to drink.
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!
November 20, 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!
A flower beetle in baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
November 20, 2025 at 9:06 AM
A flower beetle in baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
Searching for fossils in the Badlands is an unforgettable adventure. There is not a house, telephone pole, or any sign of modern civilization, conditions are hot, and without amenities. Most of the fossils from this region are from the Eocene, like this hoplophoneus (a saber cat) skull fragment.
November 20, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Searching for fossils in the Badlands is an unforgettable adventure. There is not a house, telephone pole, or any sign of modern civilization, conditions are hot, and without amenities. Most of the fossils from this region are from the Eocene, like this hoplophoneus (a saber cat) skull fragment.
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!
November 4, 2025 at 7:02 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!
Ammonites were abundant in the seas during the Jurassic Period. Ammonites are shelled cephalopods, a class of marine animals that include octopuses, squid, cuttlefishes and nautiluses. Ammonites have retractable tentacles for catching small prey, although some species filter-fed for small plankton.
October 13, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Ammonites were abundant in the seas during the Jurassic Period. Ammonites are shelled cephalopods, a class of marine animals that include octopuses, squid, cuttlefishes and nautiluses. Ammonites have retractable tentacles for catching small prey, although some species filter-fed for small plankton.
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!
October 12, 2025 at 6:59 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!
7,000 year old bison teeth found at the Cherney Bison Site. For a donation of $300 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.
October 11, 2025 at 6:59 PM
7,000 year old bison teeth found at the Cherney Bison Site. For a donation of $300 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.
A flower beetle in baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
October 10, 2025 at 6:59 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!
Pegmatite is a type of igneus rock that frequently contains large crystals of quartz, feldspar, or mica. When looked at with a longwave UV flashlight, these minerals seem to glow! Kids at our museum can see this for themselves up close and personal.
October 9, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Pegmatite is a type of igneus rock that frequently contains large crystals of quartz, feldspar, or mica. When looked at with a longwave UV flashlight, these minerals seem to glow! Kids at our museum can see this for themselves up close and personal.
Searching for fossils in the Badlands is an unforgettable adventure. There is not a house, telephone pole, or any sign of modern civilization, conditions are hot, and without amenities. Most of the fossils from this region are from the Eocene, like this hoplophoneus (a saber cat) skull fragment.
October 8, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Searching for fossils in the Badlands is an unforgettable adventure. There is not a house, telephone pole, or any sign of modern civilization, conditions are hot, and without amenities. Most of the fossils from this region are from the Eocene, like this hoplophoneus (a saber cat) skull fragment.
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.
October 7, 2025 at 6:59 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.
October 6, 2025 at 6:59 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.
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.
October 5, 2025 at 6:59 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.
Pegmatite is a type of igneus rock that frequently contains large crystals of quartz, feldspar, or mica. When looked at with a longwave UV flashlight, these minerals seem to glow! Kids at our museum can see this for themselves up close and personal.
October 4, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Pegmatite is a type of igneus rock that frequently contains large crystals of quartz, feldspar, or mica. When looked at with a longwave UV flashlight, these minerals seem to glow! Kids at our museum can see this for themselves up close and personal.
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.
October 3, 2025 at 6:59 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.
Ammonites were abundant in the seas during the Jurassic Period. Ammonites are shelled cephalopods, a class of marine animals that include octopuses, squid, cuttlefishes and nautiluses. Ammonites have retractable tentacles for catching small prey, although some species filter-fed for small plankton.
October 2, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Ammonites were abundant in the seas during the Jurassic Period. Ammonites are shelled cephalopods, a class of marine animals that include octopuses, squid, cuttlefishes and nautiluses. Ammonites have retractable tentacles for catching small prey, although some species filter-fed for small plankton.
A flower beetle in baltic amber. We hope to raise money for a museum microscope so kids can examine insect specimens like this one!
October 1, 2025 at 6:59 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!
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.
September 30, 2025 at 6:59 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.
7,000 year old bison teeth found at the Cherney Bison Site. For a donation of $300 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.
September 29, 2025 at 6:59 PM
7,000 year old bison teeth found at the Cherney Bison Site. For a donation of $300 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 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.
September 28, 2025 at 6:59 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.
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.
September 28, 2025 at 1:21 AM
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.
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.
September 27, 2025 at 11:22 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.