Tyrannosaurus rex "Tyrant Lizard King"

Hail to the king baby! Once thought to be the largest land walking carnivore to ever exist on the planet, this creature could weigh up to 6400 kg and stretch almost 13 meters. Jaws lined with over 50 serrated teeth, this animal became one lean, mean, herbivore crunching machine roaming what is now southwest Canada and western United States. They lived about 68 to 66 million years ago (Cretaceous Period, Mesozoic Era).

This fossil cast is of the Tyrannosaurus rex fossil at the Museum of the Rockies (MOR 980). The cast (CM 81336; acq. 2007) is on display next to the T.rex holotype (partially seen in bottom photo to the left) at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit. The original fossil (aka "Peck's Rex") was discovered by J. Keith Rigby, Jr. at the University of Notre Dame in 1997. 

Troosticrinus reinwardti Blastoid

The elusive Silurian blastoid, Troosticrinus reinwardti (Troost, 1835), found in Decatur County, Tennessee. Benjamin Shumard named the genus in 1866. This specimen was found in the Brownsport Formation. Named for Tennessee's first state geologist, Gerard Troost (learn more about Troost: CLICK HERE).

Thanks to Mark Palatas for letting me take these pictures of one in his collection.

Pemphix sueri Arthropod Fossil

 
This arthropod fossil has been identified as a Pemphix sueri.  This animal lived in the Middle Triassic seas and living life similar to today's lobsters. This creature still has crustacean relatives alive today in the Pacific Ocean.

Fossil displayed at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (July 2011) and has the accession numbers is CM 2526 and CM 2537.

Visit the Carnegie museum web site:  http://www.carnegiemnh.org/