Seven new exhibits to open at Idaho Museum of Natural History on Oct. 12 to honor National Fossil Day

The Idaho Museum of Natural History at Idaho State University will unveil seven new exhibits from 12:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 12 to honor National Fossil Day.

IMNH research curators and collections managers will be on hand to answer questions.

The seven new exhibits are:

• "Utahceratops!"  The newly discovered Utahceratops dinosaur skull is on display. With a skull measuring 7 feet in length and covered with horns, this giant roamed the desert southwest more than 75 million years ago.

• "The Gem State."  Brilliant flashes of color radiate from our collection of faceted gemstones, which features a one-of-a-kind 5,280-carat citrine and Idaho's famous garnet.

•  "From Field to Folder – How Herbarium Specimens Are Made."  What is a herbarium? Discussion of what we do at the herbarium and why it is important. Then a walk-through of the process of making pressed plants.

• "The Nature of Skunks."  An exhibit with skunk skins and information about their behavior. Also a DVD of Nature's 1 hour program "Is it skunk?" to play continuously in the Discovery room.

• "The Sights and Sounds of Fort Hall, Idaho (1930-40s)." A digital photo frame will transport you back to 1930-1940s Fort Hall, Idaho. See Fort Hall through the lens of a Fort Hall Indian Agency Nurse and the musical sounds of Fort Hall as recorded by Dr. Sven Liljeblad.

• "Tribes of the Amazon." A collection from South American takes you on a journey through the Amazonian Basin and introduces you to nine of the indigenous tribes of the region. These tribes are described through ethnographic descriptions; household, hunting, fishing, transportation, and ceremonial objects; and through photographs collected by Dr. Borys Malkin and Dr. Anthony Stocks (ISU).

• "Bows and Arrows." View early 20^th-century bows and arrows from Fort Hall.

The Idaho Museum of Natural History is regularly open from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday.

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