Digital Collections: University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates Launches Publicly Accessible Database of 3D Scans on Sketchfab

From the University of Wyoming:

Some of the skeletons in the University of Wyoming’s storage closets are now available for the public to view.

UW’s Museum of Vertebrates, located in the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center, and Coe Library Digital Collections recently released 65 3D scans, such as the skulls of eagles and bears. These images are available free to remote learners, researchers and teachers.

The specimens can be viewed through augmented reality and rotated 360 degrees or downloaded as still images. The 3D scans include a range of vertebrate species such as the skulls of a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). The collection also features other bones such as vertebrae, teeth and ribs.

“These skull scans bring a wealth of information to students of all ages. I can think of so many educational subjects they can be used for: biodiversity, comparative anatomy, form and function, adaptation, evolution, systematics and taxonomy,” says Dorothy Tuthill, education coordinator and assistant director at the UW Biodiversity Institute. “Plus, it’s hard not to appreciate them as items of wonder — a quarter-billion years of vertebrate evolution resulting in this fascinating diversity of forms.”

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Sketchfab, where the models are uploaded, is a free 3D and augmented reality experience. Anyone can access, download or save these resources to a “collection.” Users can save their favorite 3D scans to a public collection on their accounts, similar to Pinterest..

Learn More, Read the Complete Introductory Blog Post

Direct to Digital Collection of 3D Scans (via Sketchfab)

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