These tiny fossils represent a few of the animals that lived in Montana some 75 million years ago. Collected by Science Museum Curator of Paleontology Kristi Curry Rogers, her husband Ray Rogers (a geologist at Macalaster College), and their undergraduate students, they preserve bits and pieces of animals that lived in North America near the end of the age of dinosaurs.

Though we tend to think of the most interesting or impressive fossils as gigantic skeletons, these small microfossils are just as exciting to professional paleontologists. Just one tooth or a couple of bones is all we need to “flesh out” the different animals living in a region. These partial remains give us a fuller picture of the ancient environment, and tell us how fossilization happens. Not to mention the fact that it is fun to crawl around searching for these beautiful little fossils. Even my four-year old daughter gets into the act!
– Kristi Curry Rogers, Curator of Paleontology