Paleontology
Study paleontology from paleontologists
The paleontology program is led by Prof. Thomas Carr, assistant professor of biology. Prof. Carr is a vertebrate paleontologist (studying fossils of animals with backbones) and a recognized expert on tyrannosaurid dinosaurs.
“The Biology Department at Carthage has strong research opportunities and lots of interesting classes to take. The professors are helpful and are very good to get to know.”
“Not only a perfectly sized smaller school, but Carthage also offers everything I need to become a paleontologist.”
“There is a variety of specialties and skills you can learn as a biology major. I came to Carthage for its paleontology program, which is rare in undergraduate studies and even rarer to have it through a biological and anatomical perspective.”
Prof. Carr is also the senior scientific advisor for the Dinosaur Discovery Museum (DDM) in downtown Kenosha, which houses the Carthage Institute of Paleontology (CIP). A noted professional researcher on dinosaurs, Prof. Carr has been featured on the National Geographic Channel, in popular publications, and as curator for museum exhibits, including the “Feathered Dinosaur” exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum.
COLLECT THE BONES OF DINOSAURS SUCH AS T. REX & TRICERATOPS
The CIP leads a month-long dinosaur-hunting expedition to southeastern Montana led by Prof. Carr. Carthage students have the opportunity to discover and collect in the Hell Creek Formation, a unit of rock deposited in Montana and adjacent states at the end of the age of dinosaurs. The expeditions take place on public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.
Since the expedition started, the crews of Prof. Carr have located dozens of dinosaur skeletons. So far, they have cataloged 110,000 fossils that include teeth, bones, and scales of dinosaurs, crocs, turtles, fish, birds, and mammals. The dinosaurs include rare juvenile Triceratops and T. rex. Bones collected during the expedition are brought back to the CIP, where the fossils are prepared and conserved by student volunteers and citizen scientists. The fossils are stored in the permanent collections of the DDM, which is a federal repository for paleontological resources.
