Our Star Glyptodon

by

After almost a year of collaborative efforts, our Glyptodon, a copy of an original in a museum in Dijon, France, is finally in her place. Come gaze at her gorgeous scutes and adoring smile – it’s there, look carefully. Her favorite spot outside the Science Library, in the lobby of Exley, is decorated with pebbles that resemble those in the bed of the River Lujan, by which she was found in 1846. The screen next to her will tell you about her tumultuous journey from being hunted, to being neglected to finally being loved by all at Wesleyan.

 

The skull of our Glyptodon is a resin replica made by Gaston Design. It was painted to look like fossilised bone, and to match the rest of the cast. The original skull and feet are still missing. Photo courtesy of Olivia Drake.

 

The biological sex of our Glyptodon cannot be determined from the skeletal remains. In honor of the many hidden women figures in the sciences, and in a tribute to a tradition practised by Sir David Attenborough, we assume that our Glyptodon was female.

We are very heartened that our hard work has been appreciated by the community in many ways. Here are some rather comical, but nonetheless appreciated reactions to our GlypGlyp.

 

Alison Gross’18 shows her appreciation of Glyptodon. Video courtesy to Xandra Ellin’18.

 

A little dated, but we couldn’t resist adding this photo of a young prospective Glyptodonologist from the early 1900s to our list of people appreciating the Glyptodon. Photo courtesy of Wesleyan Special Collections and Archives.

If you are wondering, there is so much more in the Wesleyan storage places from where Glyptodon came: she is a mere tip in the sea of icebergs in our collections. The Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History collections on Level 4 of Exley holds over 100,000 fossils, minerals and meteorites. Many of these are world-class specimens that are held by few other institutions in the world. Come feast your eyes on some of nature’s most elusive treasures.

Don’t forget to propose a name for our Glyptodon so that we know what to call her when we walk by.

 

A shout out to everyone who brought the exhibition to fruition. Dr Ellen Thomas and Dr Ann C. Burke, for their mentorship and expert insight. Bruce Strickland, our Glyptodon Engineer, for mounting the pieces together and advising on restoration. James Zareski, for building her a marvellous pedestal like the one on which she used to stand  60 years ago. Joel Labella, for advice and enthusiastic help in restoration. And in a flourish of self-praise, Master Glyptodoners, Yu Kai Tan and Andy Tan restored the cast to its former glory.

 

The Glyptodon Crew. From left to right: Joel Labella, Bruce Strickland, James Zareski, Yu Kai Tan (me), Andy Tan, Dr. Ellen Thomas, Dr Ann C. Burke, David Strickland. Photo courtesy of Olivia Drake.

 

Cover Photo: Frontal portrait detail of Glyptodon skull. Photo courtesy of Olivia Drake.