Find Your Spirit Animal at NHMU's Past Worlds Exhibit

Utah residents share their home with thousands of fossils belonging to ancient life forms. The Natural History Museum of Utah brings these animals to life in the Past Worlds exhibit.
The gallery features casts of all of the animals listed here and many more! Take the quiz to find out which ancient creature is your spirit animal. Then head over to the Natural History Museum of Utah to meet them in person!


Gryposaurus monumentensis
Gryposaurus, meaning "hooked beak lizard" was a large hadrosaur, or "duck-billed" dinosaur.  Reaching 40 feet in length, paleontologist Scott Sampson referred to it as the “Arnold Schwarznegger of duck-billed dinosaurs.” It is believed that hadrosaurs lived in herds and nested in colonies to care for their young. Gryposaurus roamed North America during the late Cretaceous era.

Utahceratops gettyi
A Triceratops relative, Utahceratops had three horns and a large frill. A beak-like mouth and closely-packed teeth were used for cutting and eating plants. The skull alone of this dinosaur was 7 feet long! Utahceratops lived in Utah during the late Cretaceous era. Unlike Triceratops, Utahceratops had short, stubby horns above its eyes and nose.


Barosaurus lentus
Barosaurus roamed North America and Western Africa during the late Jurassic era. Barosaurus was massive, measuring more than 85 feet in length and weighing more than 20 tons! A long neck and
even longer tail added to an all around impressive and intimidating dinosaur.




Megalonyx jeffersonii 
Otherwise known as the Giant Ground Sloth.
An ancient relative of the sloth living in the Pleistocene era, the Giant Sloth grew 8 to 10 feet long and weighed over 1 ton. The Giant Sloth had a short snout with a large jaw and teeth used to grind up plants. Long claws allowed the sloth to tear tree branches and leaves.




Deinosuchus
Deinosuchus, meaning "terrible crocodile," is an extinct alligator relative that lived during the late Cretaceous era. Deinosuchus had a life span of up to 50 years and could grow to be 35 feet long. A ferocious carnivore, Deinosuchus lived in the water and preyed on dinosaurs at the water's edge.



Allosaurus fragilis
Allosaurus, meaning "different delicate reptile" was a prominent predator in the Jurassic Era and is the state dinosaur of Utah. With sharp teeth, hooked claws, and long limbs built for running, Allosaurus was a formidable carnivore that preyed on smaller dinosaurs.

Take the quiz to find out which ancient creature is your spirit animal!