Idaho Museum of Natural History’s buzzsaw sharks featured story in December National Geographic Magazine
December 5, 2019
POCATELLO – Idaho Museum of Natural History Director Leif Tapanila is ecstatic that Helicoprion sharks, the focus of an Idaho Museum of Natural History exhibit “The Buzzsaw Sharks of Idaho,” are the centerfold story in the December 2019 National Geographic magazine.
鈥淲e are pretty excited about our buzzsaw sharks having the center tri-fold in this month鈥檚 magazine,鈥� said Leif Tapanila. 鈥淚t is a treat to see it get the centerfold.鈥�
Tapanila, Idaho Virtualization Laboratory Manager Jesse Pruitt and museum Career Path Intern Evelyn Vollmer have been working with National Geographic staff for weeks on the story that appears this month, that includes social media promotions by National Geographic Magazine. They were recognized as 鈥渟ource credits鈥� in the article.
鈥淥ne of the nice things about working with National Geographic is they want to get it as right as possible,鈥� Tapanila said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e come back with corrections, bouncing back-and-forth with us on a nearly daily basis to try to nail it down.鈥�
Given all the national and international attention these sharks have garnered, Tapanila encourages members of the local community to enjoy the 鈥淏uzzsaw Sharks of Idaho鈥� exhibit at the museum that will be taken down in mid-January.
鈥淚f you haven鈥檛 had the chance to see the exhibit, come out during the holidays, it will be taken down in mid-January,鈥� Tapanila said. 鈥淲e really want people to see it if they haven鈥檛 had a chance, especially if they have family in town for holidays. It is one of Idaho鈥檚 best stories.鈥�
This unique exhibit combines science, art, music, and humor to tell the story of the strange Helicoprion shark of 270 million years ago. Although the fossil has been found worldwide since the 1800s, it is Idaho where the greatest number and quality of Helicoprion fossils are unearthed in the phosphate mines between Soda Springs and Pocatello. The Idaho Museum of Natural History is home to the single largest collection, now exceeding 85 specimens.
鈥淥ur studies on Helicoprion show it was the largest predator on earth at the time, nearly 270 million years ago,鈥� Tapanila said. 鈥淭his is Idaho鈥檚 most spectacular monster.鈥�
The exhibit presents a wide array of spectacular Helicoprion fossils integrated with original artworks by Alaskan artist, Ray Troll. Also featured are dramatic life-sized models of the shark, a mechanical interactive jaw, children鈥檚 activities, original music, a short documentary and more.
The Idaho Museum of Natural History has been serving Idaho since 1934. To learn more about the museum, please visit .
For those with an Instagram account, the National Geographic promotional video for this story is located at .
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