Fossil Fest: A Look at Vertebrates’ Past

The American Museum of Natural History in New York City this weekend opens what organizers are calling the single largest and most diverse array of vertebrate fossils in the world.

More than 600 specimens--including the Buettneria, one of the early four-limbed vertebrates that lived in North America (pictured left)--are on view in the six halls that make up the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Orientation Center and the Hall of Vertebrate Origins. The facility has been undergoing renovation for seven years.

Unlike most museums, which display their fossil exhibits in the order they appeared on Earth, the Natural History Museum’s exhibits are organized as a giant “family tree” for vertebrates. The museum is located at Central Park West at 79th Street. Information: (212) 769-5100.