The Treasure Coast
BY LORRAINE BERTAN
CULTURAL COMMITTEE
MEMBER
What does T. rex taste like?
At the American Museum
of Natural History “T. rex: The
Ultimate Predator” new exhibit,
T. rex has acquired a new set of
clothes, feathers, which has a transforming
effect on his appearance.
It is now established that birds are
dinosaurs, so T. rex would taste like
chicken.
Dinosaur fossils were first discovered
in England, by Gideon Mantell.
The Iguanodon fossils were fleshed
out to emphasize their huge size at the
Crystal Palace Exhibition in London,
1854. The public was enchanted
with them, and so began the hunt
for dinosaur fossils. This made the
the fossil hunters of Europe very
happy, and as the American railroads
opened up the west, the fossil hunters
found the Hell Creek Formation, a
rich field for dinosaur fossils. The
competition for dinosaur fossils was
fierce, and gave rise to the “Bone
Wars”, in which Barnum Brown, was
one of the most prolific fossil hunters.
He is responsible for the T-rex fossil
dinosaur exhibited at the David H.
Koch Fossil Halls in the American
Museum of Natural History. Barnum
Brown discovered another relative of
T. rex, “Deinonychus”, which was a
star performer in the movie, “Jurassic
Park”. He appeared under his stage
name, “Velociraptor”, in the cafeteria
scene where he is a more graceful
and menacing dinosaur, terrifying
the children. Recently, in China, an
imprint of Deinonychus/Velociraptor
was found showing feathers. Fossil
evidence is leading to the relationship
of dinosaur and birds.
The “T. rex: The Ultimate
Predator” exhibit describes the
anatomy of a predator, the huge
skull with forward facing eyes, like
humans, the serrated teeth shaped
like scimitars and the huge jaw
which can crush bone, all excellent
killing tools. The tiny arms were
probably used in concert with the
powerful legs to hold and crush
a victim. The three walking toes,
shown by fossil imprints and shared
by the birds of today, who now
classified as dinosaurs. According
to annual fossil bone rings, it took
T. rex about 20 years to grow to
adulthood, to a weigh about 11,000
pounds, growing about 7 pounds a
day, so it had to hunt constantly. The
unusual growth rate of T. rex was
probably a key to its outcompeting
other predators. The exhibit has an
Interactive that compares human
and T. rex growth in a user friendly
way, as do all the Interactives in
the exhibit. The cast of the brain
case of T. rex is on exhibit, showing
the complexity of a predator’s
brain. Reptiles and birds can see
more colors than we humans do,
and imagine how brightly colored
feathers appear to them. The exhibit
has an Interactive where visitors
can explore fossil evidence for dinosaur
feathers, which could possibly
be used in mating displays, species
recognition, insulation and camouflage.
Another Interactive includes
fossil evidence describing how
crocodiles and birds make sounds,
and the exhibit has a playful way of
describing them. Visitors can use
the “Hear Me Roar” Interactive to
blend the sounds of birds, crocodiles
and other living animals to
approximate the sounds of the roar
of T. rex. Do feathers and sounds
play a role reproduction? is it possible
to find out exactly what T. rex
ate? On display are “Coprolites”,
fossilized feces attributed to T. rex,
showing the actual bones of animals
consumed by T. rex.
T. rex is the star performer in
this exhibit and the stagecraft provides
lots of excitement using an
Interactive Projection Wall showing
T. rex in its actual environment hunting
other dinosaurs. There is also
a Unique Interactive Multiplayer
Virtual Reality Experience, where
up to three players will work
together to build a bone- by- bone
skeleton of T. rex similar to the one
in the Saurischian Hall. Dr. Mark
Norell is the Curator of the “T. rex
Ultimate Predator” exhibit. I am
not including recommendations for
places to eat in this article; you will
be too busy exploring this exhibit
and the actual skeleton of T. rex
and its relatives on the Fourth Floor
Saurischian Dinosaur Hall.
BY ROBERTA GRAFF
For almost three decades,
snowf lakes, snowbirds,
residents and just plain
tourists have beaten a steady path
to a magnificent building in Palm
Beach where they have been dazzled
by performances in drama,
dance and music that are Broadway
caliber. The Kravis Center,
the brain child of Raymond K.
Kravis, the Oklahoma oil and gas
consultant and philanthropist
who wintered in Palm Beach is
easily a highlight of any visit to
the Treasure Coast.
Recent performances have
included Capitol Steps, the hysterical
spoof of all things political,
the Brussels Philharmonic, Itzhak
Perlman and Sir James Galway
renowned flutist. The list of future
programs is equally astonishing:
the riveting rock musical “Rent,”
“School of Rock” by Andrew
Lloyd Webber, and the talented
Bernadette Peters will be on stage
this spring as well.
The Festival of the Arts in
Mizner Park, Boca Raton, is an
event everyone on the Treasure
Coast looks forward to. This year,
from February 28 to March l0,
Doris Kearns Goodwin was the
featured speaker; there was an
evening of orchestral favorites,
notably “Rhapsody in Blue” with
the marvelous Shelly Berg at the
piano; and a favorite of ours, “An
Evening of Russian Music and
Ballet,” which was breathtaking.
There were additional lectures in
the Cultural Center as well as performances
in the Amphitheater.
We never miss the Wick Theatre.
Not only is it a unique venue
with its world famous Costume
Museum and charming restaurant,
but the shows are superb.
We loved “Funny Girl” and are
looking forward to “Crazy for
You.” Every season is a treat and
you can be sure the performances
are stellar.
Spanish River Concerts hosts a
series of concerts that are among
the more special events you will
find on the Treasure Coast. “Four
Best Men” is bound to be a spectacular
venue. Just imagine an
evening of four amazing tenors,
brilliant on their own, together on
stage. Who could not make this
event?
For years, the Treasure Coast
was the perfect spot for sun and
surf. Today, the sun is still shining
and the beach is still inviting but
the evenings are filled with glorious
entertainment. Visit as many
performances as you can. Your
stay will be all the richer.
“T. rex:The Ultimate Predator” Exhibit at
The American Museum of Natural History
50 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ May 2019