tags: creationism, mastodon skull, Mt Blanco Fossil Museum, fossils
The volkswagon-sized Mastodon skull, which the museum named "Lone Star," is thought to be the largest four-tusk mastodon skull ever found. It was discovered near La Grange, Texas, and was sold in 2004 to Joe Taylor, owner and curator of the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum.
A creationist "museum" in Crosbyton, Texas is in dire financial straits so they are going to put a mastodon skull up for auction tomorrow. The skull is estimated to be worth $160,000 or more, and should help the "museum" to keep its doors open a little longer so they can promulgate more lies onto the public. This museum claims that humans and dinosaurs co-existed and that the universe, the earth and everything on it were created ten thousand years ago.
"If it sells, well, then we can come another day," said Joe Taylor, founder and curator of the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum. "This is very important to our continuing."
Apparently, Taylor lost a legal dispute over finders' rights to an Allosaurus skeleton and was ordered to pay $136,000. An additional $141,000 was used to restore the mastodon skull, which they are now offering for sale. Taylor admitted that the local authorities will seize his museum and sell its contents in February if he doesn't pay up.
"We've struggled so long here just to keep this thing going," Taylor said. "We're kind of losing interest. You can just tread water for so long."
If you look at the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum's web site, you will find that they claim that Noah took dinosaurs aboard his ark. But how's this for irony: even though the museum says the everything was created 6,000 years ago, the Mastodon skull is described as being 40,000 years old by the Heritage Auction Galleries. Hrm. I smell irony, and it stinks.
Sources
AP (quotes).
Mt Blanco Fossil Museum (image).
Heritage Auction Galleries (image).
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I tease my wife that I would love to have a mammoth skull or mastodon skull on our front lawn as our landscaping centerpiece. Too bad I don't have $140,000. But then again, who wants to aid and abet a creationist museum?
Ummmm, the museum is located in Crosbyton, TX that's about half an hour away from Lubbock.
the press releases all said it was dallas, so thanks for the correction-- straight from a native!
"We've struggled so long here just to keep this thing going," Taylor said. "We're kind of losing interest. You can just tread water for so long."
Forty days and forty nights would seem to be the right amount...
Joe Taylor was interviewed on a local public radio program, "Texas Matters", this morning, and was allowed to bloviate idiotically about catastrophic events (i.e. biblical floods), liquid mud, and his "scientific research" (LOL). Usually, "Texas Matters" covers at least a few topics that I find interesting (Texas wildlife, environmental issues, renewable energy sources, etc.), but if they present more creationist fairy-tales like the ones promoted by the Mt. Blanco Museum, I'll have to rethink my listening choices.
:-D @ Paul B
This is important. The skull is important (or at least interesting) to all those of us who are interested in real science and real history. But all those of us who are interested in real science and real history must not buy the skull ...
Taylor admitted that the local authorities will seize his museum and sell its contents in February if he doesn't pay up
... Let's see that happen first.
It violates the code of museum ethics as developed by the American Association of Museums to sell collections items to support the museum, as well: http://www.aam-us.org/museumresources/ethics/coe.cfm
To paraphrase Olbermann..a creationist museum going extinct?
Hmmmmm!
Well, we WOULD pay you $160,000 for the skull, if it were 40,000 years old. But since pursuant to your teachings, it can't be more than 10,000 years old, we're only able to pay you $40,000.
Noah had a lot of fun getting tyrannosaurs, brontosaurs, triceratops, and pterodactyls on his ark, and keep them from eating the cattle. He also had saber-toothed tigers and mastodons that were made the day after God made the Sun.
How did Noah do this? Easy! He read the New Testament to them, and when all those dinosaurs and critters heard the words of Jesus, they stopped trying to each eat other!
Creationist history is fun! Support the museum. Buy the 40,000 year old skull! It was made 10, 000 years ago!
When they describe the skull as Volkswagen size, which VW do they mean? The VW Camper?
I suppose "a Beetle-sized skull" doesn't sound quite so impressive.
Bob
From the Mt Blanco site:
"The braincase of the skull is lighted by a tiny LED. This has never been done before.
"The hollow root cavity of the right tusk is lighted by an LED. It looks like an ice cave inside! Appropriate for this King of the Ice Age."
Ergo, anyone interested in science and history needn't lose any sleep over not buying this skull. It's been turned into a frickin LAMP.
Pffft. If they were serious Texans, they would have mounted the skull on the front of an F-350 or a Suburban.