Date Born/ Age:Jan 1974/ 27

Length: 5' 3"

Weight: 145

Favorite Food: Montana Steak, rare

Family: Wife Hillary(Fossil Tooth Expert) Son Orion (Future Bone Hunter)

Genus:?

Species: ?

Place of Origin: Binghamton, NY

Habitat: Jordan, Montana, in 3 Months!

Favorite Movie: 2urassic Park I&II Hopefully III

Favorite TV Show: X-Files

Favorite Dinosaur: Triceratops

Favorite Sport: Lacrosse

Exercise: Hiking up those Buttes and running from rattlesnakes

Hobbies: Photographing the Badlands, fishing in the Fort Peck Lake

Distinguishing Features: An old leather hat covered with dust and a rusty
pick at my side

Motto or words of wisdom: 

Other comments:

Students? Pay Attention! Be sure to check out that is to say, investigate, (humph), certain other useful pieces of terminology at the 7V-WOW Archives.

Chris M. Morrow Curator of Paleontology: Garfield County Museum; Jordan, Montana

I began my work in Vertebrate Paleontology at the age of 18, though my interest in fossils and  rocks began at a much earlier age. I was invited to go on an expedition in Montana by a professor at Shenandoah University (1992). That first expedition was all it took to lure me to the field and profession of digging dinosaurs. On that first dig, I discovered a juvenile Triceratops skull (about 2.5 feet long) which after preparation displayed signs of being attacked by a large crocodile. After that summer I began working in the Paleo. Dept. at SU as a Preparator (one who prepares fossils) and worked my way to Head Preparator. I continued to go on digs each summer after ' 92 and became the field manager of the digs, where I organized the quarries, managed and oriented the removal of fossils and lead prospecting teams. I was fortunate enough to keep finding new and rare specimens in the Badlands. 

       My work led me to publishing my finds and interpreting the fossils (a key part of paleontology). I presented and prepared lectures at the Annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meetings in New York City, Chicago, and Mexico City. This was a great opportunity to meet other paleontologists and let them know of my work in the field and lab. I have worked with Phil Currie in Canada at the Field Station, a truly wonderful field program and a beautiful museum. I have also been able to visit with Jack Horner in the field and at his museum in Montana. Jack’s fieldwork is conducted about 20 miles from my camp. Being able to talk with him and discuss dinosaurs is an unforgettable experience and I truly thank him for the work he has done in Paleo and his willingness to help other. I have also had the pleasure of seeking guidance from Peter Dodson, the true Ceratopsian expert in paleontology and a person with the best personality. As I mainly study Triceratops behavior, Peter is the “GURU” of horned dinosaurs. While in the field I also bumped into Bill Clemens from Berkeley. Bill can usually be seen at the top of a butte crouched down low above an anthill looking for tiny fossils that most paleontologist tend to ignore. Bill is looking for  mammals, which were flourishing at the end of the Late Cretaceous. 

       In 1999, I took a position of Curator of Paleontology at a Discovery Museum to help design and create an interactive preparation lab and research in view of the public. The best part of this was the ability for me to work close with children, who are our biggest fans. Seeing their interest and
 knowledge of dinosaurs was a true thrill for me. I was able to travel to schools all over and give presentations on my career and teach children about what a paleontologist does, a task that was very fulfilling to me and to the students. That summer, I led my second dig to Montana, which proved to be a most successful one. We discovered an almost complete Triceratops skeleton (80% so far), a Duckbill skeleton with skin impressions, a few Triceratops skulls and many partial specimens. That summer, I was asked by the Garfield County Museum to become the Curator of Paleontology, a position I couldn’t refuse since it is only 20 minutes from the Badlands and a great opportunity to build the collections and museum. 

       In 2001, I will begin my first season of a 10-year project to fully explore and describe the vertebrate dinosaur of the Upper Boundary at the Hell Creek Formation in Montana. My fieldwork is at the very upper layer of the Late Cretaceous (68-65MYA). The Hell Creek Formation in Montana is probably the best place in the world for finding well preserved dinosaurs from that time period, including  Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Hadrosaurs. We also find dinosaurs like Troodon, Dromaeosaur, and Raptorine dinosaurs. These digs are now, for the first time, open to the public.

     We are inviting everyone to come out and be a part of one of the most exciting expeditions in dinosaur paleontology offered in the United States. I would like all that are interested in dinosaurs to be able to see first hand the remarkable badlands and the dinosaurs that they have encased for over 65 million years. The thrill of that first discovery should be able to be enjoyed by everyone, and that is one of the goals I have. Aside from being there in person, I have teamed up with Paleo-World Inc. to bring the world closer to dinosaur paleontology. They are organizing the expedition registration and also putting the expedition on-line. You can check them out at www.paleo-world.com. This expedition is truly a giant task, and I thank them for all the support they are giving to help pull it off.
 
 

 Introductory Statement from Dino Dish, February 2001:

       Hello, this is Chris Morrow, Curator of Paleontology for the Garfield County Museum in Jordan,  Montana. I have been conducting field expeditions in Montana since 1992. I have had the fortune to  find dinosaur like Triceratops, Tyrannosaurs rex, and Edmontosaur and many others from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation. 

       I started off in paleontology as a fossil Preparator, a person who cleans and puts the fossils together from field expeditions. From there, I started publishing on dinosaurs and presenting lectures at dinosaur meetings. I have had the honor of meeting and working with paleontologist such as; Phil Currie, Jack Horner, Peter Dodson, and Bill Clemens, all greats in the paleontology community. As a Curator, I am responsible for running the field expeditions, overseeing the fossils preparation, and most important, publishing on the fossils discovered, a truly hard task. My favorite dinosaur to find and write about is the Triceratops, mainly because that is what I find the most of on my expeditions. 

       This summer, 2001, I am opening my expeditions up to the public! That’s right, now you can have  the opportunity to see first hand how dinosaurs are found and brought back to the museums. I believe it is very important to let everyone have the experience of finding a dinosaur, aside from the unexplainable excitement it brings, it is also very educational. You can check out  www.paleo-world.com, to see how to join the expedition this summer, all are welcome. There is also a bunch of pictures of our previous digs to look at.

       I am very excited to be a part of this forum and I look forward to answering your questions. My main field of expertise is dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation, focusing on Triceratops. However, I will try my best to answer other questions. Ask me about working in the Badlands, how we find dinosaurs, how we put them together, and how we learn from the fossils we collect. Fossils are natures journal and all we need to do is figure out how to read them. I feel very fortunate to be a paleontologist and I look forward to sharing my experiences and knowledge about  them with you.

A list of News articles from the 2000 field expedition:

       1: "http://winchesterstar.com/thewinchesterstar/000729/front_dan2.asp"

        Abstract: 105th Year. Winchester, Virginia. July 29,2000. The Crew: A Veteran and 3 Rookies  Eager Newcomers Join A Busy Paleontologist In The Montana Badlands By Dan Reany The  Winchester Star MONTANA BADLANDS ? Coming out of the field after a long morning, we were a        ragged bunch. Chris Morrow (left) and J...

       2: "http://winchesterstar.com/thewinchesterstar/000812/front_find.asp"

       Abstract: 105th Year. WInchester, Virginia. August 12, 2000. An other Long, Hot Search ? And a  Big Find By Dan Reany The Winchester Star Under the hot noonday sun we took a break from our rigorous morning work to throw on backpacks and raom for miles through valleys, over hills, andacross dry gulches in search of dinosaurs.

       3:"http://winchesterstar.com/thewinchesterstar/000729/front_dan3.asp"

       Abstract: 105th Year. WInchester, Virginia. July 29,2000. Finding the bones: 'You learn by trila and error' By Dan Reany The Winchester Star MONTANA BADLANDS ? The early mornings and the late afternoons were the toughest in the badlands. For dinosaur bones to be well-protected for 65 million years, they hav...
                5:"http://winchesterstar.com/thewinchesterstar/000805/front_triceratops.asp"

       Abstract: 105th Year. WInchester, Virginia. August 5th ,2000. Paleontologist Chris Morrow poses with an old friend, a model of a 65-million-year-old Triceratops. (Photo by Dan Reany) Nature's Journal' Chris Morrow Has an Obsession: Triceratops.. STORY. The Lure of Dinosaurs Derailed His Career in Business He's a bone collector...

       6:"http://winchesterstar.com/thewinchesterstar/000812/front_default.asp"

       Abstract: 105th Year. WInchester, Virginia. August 12th ,2000. Winchester Star staff writer Dan Reany (above, with some of his fossil friends) spent a week in the Hell Creek Formation of the Montana Badlands as a member of the paleontology team. This is the last in the three...

       7:"http://winchesterstar.com/thewinchesterstar/000729/front_dino.asp"

       Abstract: 105th Year. WInchester, Virginia. July 29,2000 . Good Work in the Badlands A Fossil-Finding Expedition ? and a step Back In Time by Dan Reany The Winchester Star Montana Badlands ? Walking through the badlands of montana is not like stepping back in time, and you don't immediately sense that dinosa...

Books by Chris Morrow

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