World Famous Museum Has Room Full of Fossils from Wyoming [PHOTOS]

On a recent trip to the world famous Field Museum in Chicago, I found a room dedicated to the specimens found in Wyoming. Other than some of the major attractions (like Sue the T-Rex,) no other area had a spotlight on one specific area like this. Local geologist and rock hunters probably already know why.

Wyoming was once part of an inland ocean. The shoreline was a sandy and swampy area that was perfect for preserving these ancient plants and animals. Today  Geologists call it the Green River Formation, and it is a goldmine for fossils. It's part of Fossil Butte National Monument, and even Chicago knows it is a national treasure.

As you look at these artifacts, most of them look familiar. They are fish, lizards, and bats that all inhabited the Wyoming 30 to 50 million years ago. If we view this from the evolutionary theory perspective, their design didn't need to change much to survive. They are "perfect" the way they are. It is also fun to note that fishing in Wyoming was probably good then as it is now. Thankfully today we don't have to fight off giant crocodiles to cast a line.