Back to All Events

20th Anniversary Life Science Lecture Series - Dr. Julia McHugh on Disgusting Discoveries from a Dinosaur Graveyard

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the congressional designation of McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, the BLM and its partners invite you to join on a variety of events to celebrate and learn about the incredible resources in your NCA!


About the lecture

Flesh-eating dinosaurs, like Allosaurus, devouring another dinosaur’s carcass may be the first thing to cross your mind when imagining how dinosaurs died before they became fossils. However, these gigantic predators were not alone in snacking on the remains of dinosaurs; some of the smallest animals in the ecosystem played an outsized role in dinosaur decomposition: carrion insects and snails. Traces left on the surfaces of dinosaur bones from the Mygatt-Moore Quarry in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area in western Colorado revealed a thriving ecosystem of Jurassic decomposers that was completely unknown to scientists. An all-female research team led by Dr. Julia McHugh of the Museums of Western Colorado examined more than 2,300 fossil bones over a two-year study and found over 400 traces left by insects and snails, a surprisingly high number. Learn more in her lecture!

Dr. McHugh has served as the Curator of Paleontology for the Museums of Western Colorado and as a Lecturer of Geology at Colorado Mesa University since 2014. Dr. McHugh is a vertebrate paleontologist with expertise in Jurassic dinosaurs, fossil amphibians, and the Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction.

HQ photo.jpg

This lecture will be held virtually on Zoom and is free. You will get more information on how to access the lecture after registration.


Please contact CCA’s Program Coordinator, Sara Brooker, with any questions via sara@canyonsassociation.org or call (970)263-7902.