LA's Natural History Museum Unveils Natalie the Dinosaur

On November 17th, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will debut its nhm commons, a $75 million expansion that features Natalie, a 75-foot long and 5-ton fossilized dinosaur skeleton. Discovered by the museum's paleontologists, this dinosaur's story began around 150 million years ago when its remains were buried in Utah's silt-rich riverbeds. After more than a decade of excavation, museum crews uncovered not only Natalie but also a wealth of other late Jurassic creatures, including crocodiles and ankylosaurus. As paleontologists painstakingly pieced together the skeletal remains into a new dinosaur category known as sorods, visitors can now marvel at a dinosaur skeleton renowned for its unique greenish-brown coloration owing to the salinite mineral. The Welcome Center greets visitors with Natalie's impressive structure, a 3D-printed rendition for portions that weren't preserved. No ticket is necessary to enjoy the Welcome Center, which also features a vibrant mural and other museum treasures, fostering an enriching experience about the natural history and discovery processes surrounding this remarkable find.