The museum's permanent exhibits include North Atlantic Right Whale #2030;
Rock of Ages, Sands of Time; and
A Journey Through Time.
North Atlantic Right Whale #2030 North Atlantic Right Whale #2030 was killed after becoming severely entangled in fishing gear in May 1999. Rescuers attempted to free her, but she fought them off, swimming hundreds of miles before ultimately succumbing to her injuries. Director
Warren D. Allmon expressed interest in acquiring the skeleton after being notified on October 21, 1999, by the
National Marine Fisheries Service that the
right whale had been spotted dead off the coast of
Cape May, New Jersey. where they were buried in a bed of horse manure for several months in order to remove the remaining flesh and oil. After cleaning, North Atlantic Right Whale #2030 was mounted on a steel armature in a greenhouse on-site. The museum building was left open on the northeast end so that the whale could be brought through for installation. In November 2002, the skeleton was transported into the building via crane and mounted in the atrium lobby. By 2004, a permanent exhibit about the whale had been installed, funded by a grant from the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation. The exhibit includes
baleen specimens as well as a short film by David Brown featuring footage of the unsuccessful attempts to rescue #2030 from the fishing gear that ultimately killed her.
Rock of Ages, Sands of Time Rock of Ages, Sands of Time is a series of 544 mural paintings by artist Barbara Page. Each of the 544 11✕11"
masonite tiles represents 1 million years, encompassing the
last 544 million years of history, from the
Cambrian Explosion to the present day. Each tile features life-size images of fossils from its respective interval of time, both two-dimensional and in low
bas-relief, displayed on a background representing the common rocks and sediments of the time. A book contains reproductions of each painting and describes their scientific context in detail.
A Journey Through Time A Journey Through Time leads visitors through four billion years of history, from the
Big Bang to the present day, with an additional focus on the future as shaped by human effects and dependence on the Earth. The exhibit explores the scientifically technical areas of geologic processes,
evolution, and
biodiversity, as well as the cultural contexts of such understanding, and features a diverse selection of fossils from PRI's collections, including the largest complete fossil
eurypterid ever found.
The Hyde Park Mastodon The Hyde Park
mastodon was discovered in 1999 when a local family noticed some unusual-looking logs during a pond excavation of their backyard in suburban
Hyde Park, New York. Upon further investigation, they were identified as the bones of an
American mastodon (
Mammut americanum). In June 2000, PRI staff along with volunteers from several organizations and universities began draining the site and discovered more mastodon bones. The excavation took approximately 6 weeks and more than 95% of the bones were discovered, including both tusks, the skull, and the major limb bones, making the Hyde Park mastodon one of the most complete and well-preserved skeletons of its kind ever discovered. The specimen was most likely an older male weighing as much as . During the excavation, PRI recovered of
matrix from the site and turned to volunteers to help sort through it in what is known as the Mastodon Matrix Project. Post-excavation, the specimen was shipped first to the
University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, where it was studied and a cast of the bones was created, then to
Alberta,
Canada, where an armature for the skeleton was assembled. In September 2003, the Hyde Park mastodon was put on display at the Museum of the Earth.
Coral reef aquaria The coral reef exhibit, located in the Ice Age section of
A Journey Through Time, features
Indo-Pacific and
Caribbean reefs. Both aquaria were designed to be accurate and educational while simultaneously emphasizing environmental sustainability and conservation.
Glacier exhibit The glacier exhibit, built to commemorate the Museum of the Earth's 10th anniversary, allows visitors to learn about glaciology and the impact of glaciers on the Finger Lakes region through an interactive walkthrough ice cave.
Steggy the Stegosaurus Steggy the
Stegosaurus is a permanent gift to the Museum of the Earth from the
National Museum of Natural History in
Washington, DC. The life-size
papier-mâché model was originally constructed by Milwaukee Papier-Mâché Works, Inc. for the 1904
Louisiana Purchase Exposition and was displayed in the
Smithsonian Institution for over a century. In 2015, the sculpture was restored and transferred to the Museum of the Earth. It currently resides next to the Dino Zone, in the museum's Jurassic area.
Amelia the Quetzalcoatlus In 2016, Amelia the
Quetzalcoatlus was permanently transferred to the Museum of the Earth alongside Steggy the
Stegosaurus from the National Museum of Natural History. The model pterosaur was named in honor of
Amelia Earhart after a monthlong naming competition during its installation and currently resides alongside Steggy in the Jurassic area of
A Journey Through Time. ==Educational Programs==