In my earlier entry from Canon City, I mentioned that the specimen at the Royal Gorge History Center was one of only two casts of “Ms. Spike,” a nearly complete Stegosaurus skeleton that’s become the official state fossil of Colorado. Here is the other one! Located a few hours away at the University of Colorado Boulder, this cast can be found in the computer lab at the Jerry Crail Johnson Map Center (Benson Earth Sciences Building.) There’s also a nice bonus display nearby with other local fossil finds as well as a breakdown of Ms. Spike’s unique traits. The skeleton has a distinctive broken spike and is only missing the forelimbs and one hind leg, which is pretty unbelievable after being in the ground for 150 million years. Besides being a great way to decorate a wall, it’s a remarkable fossil and it’s nice to see that the students and faculty of the school seem to appreciate it so much.
Boulder, CO – Benson Earth Sciences Building – University of Colorado Boulder
