VMNH paleontologist to appear in PBS documentary

MARTINSVILLE (WSLS 10) - A member of the Virginia Museum of Natural History is getting his moment in the spotlight.

The museum's assistant curator of paleontology, Dr. Alex Hastings, will be featured on a PBS documentary airing Wednesday night.

The documentary investigates a large crocodile bone from about 60 million years ago that Hastings helped uncover.

It compares the crocodile bone to the Titanaboa snake, another large predator of the time period.

Hastings said the documentary gave him a chance to further his research and better understand the climate 60 million years ago.

"[The documentary] will very likely pit [the crocodile and the snake] against each other. I'm very excited to see the final product. I haven't seen it yet, but I'll be right there with everybody else tonight," said Hastings.

The documentary, "Secrets of the Dead: Graveyard of the Giant Beasts", airs at 10 p.m.