Paleontology

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  • Are you interested in fossils?
  • Have you ever wondered what the ancient world used to be like?
  • Have you ever touched a real dinosaur bone?
     

For more Paleontology Program information call (800) 261- 4877 or click here.

Program

Mesalands Community College offers a unique educational experience in paleontology – the study of ancient life. The College has exciting degree programs in both paleontology and geology. Our courses are full of hands-on experience and we constantly take advantage of two great local resources:    

College Location

The College is located in an area that has an extensive exposures of rocks from, during and after the Mesozoic (Age of Dinosaurs). These rocks occur throughout the scenic mesalands of northeastern New Mexico and are brimming with fossils from dinosaur footprints to mammoth tusks. These rocks tell the whole story of dinosaur time from the small dinosaurs such as New Mexico’s state fossil Coelophysis, that lived during Triassic times to the mighty meat-eaters such as Acrocanthosaurus that lived during the terminal Cretaceous before all the primordial behemoths were struck from the earth by a mighty asteroid.


        Torvosaurus


Acrocanthosaurus

Coelophysis


Dinosaur Museum

Second, the College operates the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum. Here you can see skeletons and sculptures from a range of animals from saber-toothed tigers to giant dinosaurs. The museum also has a classroom and a lab where Mesalands Community College students can learn, first-hand and hands-on, the basics of paleontology. 


Further Information
From courses in biology to courses in field paleontology, you will receive a well-rounded and action-packed introduction to the study of the ancient world at Mesalands Community College.

Selected courses in Paleontology are also available on the Internet; please inquire about available Internet courses.