Cynarctoides lemur

tactile bronze sculpture at John Day Fossil beds National Monument

About the project

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is located in eastern Oregon, and is one of the richest sources of Cenozoic fossils in North America. The Thomas Condon Visitor’s Center has a beautiful gallery to showcase these artifacts, but its exhibits were a bit behind the times in terms of accessibility. I was brought in through the artist in residence program to create a tactile sculpture that would provided an experience specifically for visually impaired guests. It was ultimately decided that the sculpture should be a life-sized reconstruction of Cynarctoides lemur, a small prehistoric dog. This exhibit is first (and currently only) exhibit about this animal creating an experience that is exclusive to John Day, while being inclusive of people of all abilities.

About the Animal

Since so few of its fossils have been found, there remains quite a lot that is unknown about Cynarctoides lemur. What we can say is that it lived in North America around 21-25 million years ago, was part of a dead lineage of canids called borophagines (typically known for their larger, bone-crushing cousins), and had some features that were rather unusual compared to modern dogs. Its abnormally large inner ear bones tell us it would have had oversized ears, and based on the unusual cusps of its its teeth, we believe it had a primarily vegetarian diet. This, with its diminutive size, lead to a hypothesis that Cynarctoides lemur lived a lifestyle similar to a raccoon; likely spending part of its life in trees in pursuit of food such as fruit, nuts and possibly insects.

Process

Half the process was determining the look of the animal. Since so little evidence is available this was the first attempt anyone has made at a full reconstruction of Cynarctoides lemur, and until more evidence is found, any reconstruction will be highly speculative.

I started by studying other dogs to rebuild the missing parts of the skull. A plausible ear size was determined by studying the ears of contemporary animals, specifically the relative size of ear in proportion to the auditory bulla (ear bones of dogs and related animals). The rest of the body was estimated by studying the head to body, and body to limb length ratios seen in other dogs. This gave us a total length of about 15 inches. Related fossil evidence about the climate it lived in led us to believe this dog would have had a moderate coat suited for a temperate environment.

Of all the animals found at John Day we chose Cynarctoides lemur due to the limitations of the gallery, and where a new sculpture could fit. A drawer that had been displaying small fossils was deemed the best location for a retrofit, and, if made in a sleeping position, our dog would be small enough to fit within one of the limited space. This also gave us enough room for casts of the skull and a plaque with braille and raised lettering, so that guests with any degree of visual ability could experience the exhibit. The dog was depicted on the ground, sleeping near tree roots, enriching the piece with a variety of textures including fur, sand, tree bark, the skulls and letters. These aspects of design were suggested and approved by two advocacy groups.

Completion

Once the model passed approval of our scientist, chief of interpretation, and accessibility consultants, the mold was sent to a foundry for bronze casting. Bronze was considered the best material for long term durability as well as aesthetics. A temporary resin cast was installed while production was underway, and the final bronze was installed in October 2020.

People and Organizations involved

• Sandra Gladish, then Chief of Interpretation, John Day Fossil Beds

• Dr. Nicholas Famoso, Chief of Paleontology, John Day Fossil Beds

• Richard Turner, consultant, Oregon Commission For The Blind

• Bend Accessibility Council

• Firebird Bronze