Press Releases

Hear a paleontologist discuss his dinosaur research Aug. 21 at the Virginia Living Museum
July 29, 2008
 

Meet dinosaur expert Dr. Nick Fraser and learn about his research in China and Virginia on Thursday, Aug. 21 at the Virginia Living Museum, Newport News.

“Uncovering the Past, Digging for Dinosaurs” is the subject of the 2 p.m. lecture.

Fraser is keeper of natural sciences at the National Museums of Scotland and former director of the Department of Research and Collections at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

His research interests include the origin of the dinosaurs and the change in fauna between the Triassic and Jurassic periods.

Fraser has excavated in Liaoning Province in northern China and at the Solite Quarry in Saltville, Pittsylvania County. Under a grant from the National Geographic Society Fraser and other Virginia Museum of Natural History scientists are collaborating with Chinese scientists to discover why 225-million-year-old fossils found in Liaoning are similar to those found in the Solite Quarry. The researchers are comparing the locations and life forms from 225 million years ago when all the continents were joined.

Fraser says the Solite Quarry contains “an entire ecosystem of salamanders, plants, dinosaurs, lake fish, and a whole array of life found in this area 220 million years ago.”

In July 2007, Fraser announced the discovery of a long-necked, gliding reptile based on two fossils found in a 220-million-year-old sediment layer at Solite. Writing in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Fraser said the reptile, named Mecistotrachelos apeoros (which means “soaring, long-necked”), probably is related to a group of extinct reptiles called the protosaurs, which also had long necks. “One of the really neat things about the new glider is the feet. They are preserved in a hooked posture, which is unusual and strongly suggests a grasping habit, further emphasizing a lifestyle in the trees,” Fraser said in the article.

In March, Fraser announced the discovery of a 220-million-year-old leaf fossil during a geological survey in Liaoning. The fossil of this small plant could change scientists’ view of the environment in which the Triassic dinosaurs lived because it is the first time this plant has been found in the northern hemisphere.

Scientists had previously believed there was a sharp distinction in types of vegetation found on northern and southern continents, but this new find blurs the distinction.

Fraser’s talk is recommended for ages 10 and above.

It is included in regular museum admission, $15 for adults and $12 for children (ages 3-12). Ages 2 and under are free.

The museum is located at 524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News, I64, exit 258A.

For more information call 757-595-1900 or visit the web site at www.thevlm.org.

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