UI Explorers Seminar: “Evolving Icons: Ice Age Horses of the American West” with Eric Scott, San Bernardino County Museum
Event Details
17 N. Clinton St.
Iowa City, Iowa
Contact Name: Sarah Horgen
Email: uimnh@uiowa.edu
Phone: 319-335-0606
Website: http://uiowa.edu/mnh
Event Description
Horses are icons of the American West. Whether it’s prospectors, cowboys, natives, or settlers in their covered wagons, one can’t help but imagine horses alongside them all. But horses have a connection with the west that goes far deeper than just human history, reaching back to the Pleistocene Epoch – the “Ice Ages” – and beyond. Native to North America, horses have been key players in ancient ecosystems for over fifty million years, and were mainstays of large mammal communities throughout the Ice Ages. Because of this success, Pleistocene horse fossils are extremely abundant throughout the American west. Scott’s research focuses on these remains. His studies have taken him to tar pits, frozen caves, and blistering southwestern deserts. His lecture will showcase some of his recent work at a variety of these sites, notably the Tule Springs site in southern Nevada and Natural Trap Cave in northern Wyoming. He’ll also discuss his research in museum collections throughout the US.
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
17 N Clinton St
Iowa City, IA
319-335-0480
