"Archie" is how we affectionately refer to the aetosaur fossils that Dr. Andy Heckert and his team identified in Raleigh, NC. They named the new species Gorgetosuchus pekinensis. Learn more about the North Carolina aetosaur here, including where the species name came from and how ASU sculptors, led by Travis Donovan, created a life size, 3D clay model of it.
Archie in the News!
Read about the Making Of Archie here:
- From the Triassic to Appalachian — Archie the aetosaur makes his bronze debut on campus (AppalachianToday, August, 2020)
- Art and geology students at Appalachian collaborate to sculpt Triassic aetosaur based on a handful of pre-historic bones unearthed in North Carolina (Appalachian Magazine, May 2017)
- App State's aetosaur project one step from completion (The Mountain Times, March 2017)
- ASU geology, art department collaborating on life-size "dinosaur" model (Watauga Democrat, September 2016)
- Fossils from a new aetosaur species discovered in North Carolina (Appalachian Today, January 2015)
- A new aetosaur (Archosauria, Suchia) from the Upper Triassic Pekin Formation, Deep River Basin, North Carolina, U.S.A., and its implications for early aetosaur evolution (Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Vol 35, 2015, Issue 1)
Looking for general information about the Gorgetosuchus pekinensis finding and reconstruction project? The FAQs document is a good starting place.
Archie Games and Resources for Teachers
Archie has been featured in outreach events through out North Carolina to educate the school students and the general public about the state's prehistoric life, specifically during the Triassic period. If your school has a science night or similar event coming up and you would like to feature an Archie booth/ interactive table, please contact us at mckinneymuseum@appstate.edu. We are also constantly adding resources for teachers to bring to light this amazing discovery in their classrooms. Here are a few we have made so far:
Archie Memory Game (by Ashley) - This is not your average Memory game! Rather than match two pictures to earn a pair, you need to match a question about Archie's life and discovery, with the appropriate answer to earn the pair.
Dino-Mite Coprolite Toss (by Uli and Landon)- Answer questions about Archie for your chance to pop balloons in this coprolite toss. The more questions you answer correctly, the more coprolite bean bags you get, the higher the chance you'll get of popping a balloon. The player with the most balloons popped wins.
Tales and Tails (by Nik and Syd)- In this game, four players go head to head in an intense Archie challenge. The questions players have to answer get harder as the game progresses.
Go Archie! (by Alexandra)- A twist on Go Fish!
Fix Archie! (by Todd)- A two player game where participants ask each other questions and place tiles on the correct answers. The tiles are then turned and the Archie image reveals whether the questions have been answered correctly or not.
Archie Myth or Fact? (by Madilyn and Amber)- This game cards are a quick way to learn more about the NC aetosaur.
Minecraft FossilFinder (by Alec) This is a big file, please contact us at mckinneymusem@appstate.edu to access it.
Thank You for Helping Bring Archie to Life
The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences appreciates the numerous donors who brought Archie to life. Below is a list of donors and the part of Archie that their support made possible.
Head: Subhorizon Geologic Resources
Holotype osteoderms: Fred Webb Jr & Barbara Webb
Forelimbs: Steve & Jane Heron
Hind limbs: Cabot Oil & Gas
Body: Johnny Waters (left) and Anonymous (right)
And, bringing up the rest of the tail: Vulcan Materials Corp.
Osteoderms of the neck, body, and tail: Numerous private donors, listed below.
Maryam Ahmed; Joey Anderson; The Andersons; Appalachian Geological Societyl; Billy Armstrong & Sarah Evans; Francois Avet; Carol Babyak; James R. Bain, Ph.D.; Luke Beane; Tristan G. Bedell; Deborah Bergfeld; Emily B. Blackburn; Gwendolyn Brown; Sam Brewer; Kevin Burnette; Tony Calamai; Sarah Carmichael; Gabe Casale; Dan Caton; Charles Causey, in honor of his five grandchildren; Yi-Chen Chang; James Clary; Sandie & Michael Cockerill; Tonya Coffee; Ellen Cowan; Michael R. Collins ’71 and Elaine H. Collins ’73; Cynthia Crane; Cory E. Dalton; Sarah Donovan; Anna Duvall, Andrew Duvall, & David Duvall; Alexandra & Joshua Sonstroem; Cole T. Edwards; Sue Edwards; Erin Ethridge; Carey Mummaw Fissel ’06; Karen Fletcher; Frankie Fludd; Mike Gangloff; Glen Greer; Pete Groothuis; Chuanhui Gu; Steve Hageman; Tom Hansel; Haley Banks Harwood; Diane Hassler; Kyle Hassler; Hatchet Coffee; A.B. Heckert, in honor of Kailin, Tessa, Delaney, and Breena Heckert; Ben Heckert, in honor of Dr. Andrew B. Heckert; Rebecca J. Heckert, in memory of C.I. Heckert and D.C. Heckert; Katie Howard; Phillip Howard; Edward Hyle; Kristin Hyle; Mark Ivystrom; George F. Joyner; Cary Junie; Jeana Klein; Trish Kohler; Ramona E. Krailler, Ph.D.; Jamie Levine; Katie Lindsay; Tasse and Rich Little; Cynthia M. Liutkus-Pierce, Ph.D.; Matt and Lori Combs Livingston; Anthony Love; Gabe & Celia Madritch ; Adrian Maldonado; Ashley Martin; Clifton Meador; Bynum and Susan Merritt; Jess Miller-Camp; Charles O. Monroe; Jennifer L. Moore; Julie Niederkom; Niall Oseteck; Uijin Park; Sarah Penniston; Todd Plating; Fulton and Fran Ross; René Salinas; Tracie Salinas; Mark Schulman; Asa and Brodie Seldomridge; Keith Seramur; Lynn Siefferman; Logan Smith; Eli Somersett; Ruth and Jack Sparks; Neva J. Specht, Ph.D.; Kenneth Taylor; Chris Thaxton; Marta Toran; Anthony Wade; Alex Waterworth; Lauren Waterworth; Jamie Webb Brandt; Ann Webb Sicochi; Diane and Robert Willis; Crystal Wilson; Brandon Yokeley; David Young; Brian Zimmer