Uncover Dinosaur & More At San Diego Natural History Museum: Josh Schubert & Eric Worley

San Diego Natural History Museum - These astonishing prehistoric creatures have stirred our imaginations for centuries, and now with the Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries Exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum we will rethink how we see these beast. Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries will introduce a dynamic new vision of dinosaurs and the scientists who study them through the combination major fossil finds, computer simulations, and provocative life-size models. Are you ready to dig into this adventure?

“Over the last 20 years, scientific knowledge about dinosaurs has increased astronomically and has involved the use of many new methods and lines of evidence, not to mention exciting new fossil discoveries. Using actual fossil specimens, casts, and models, this exhibition explores the fascinating subject of dinosaur biology, addressing aspects of locomotion, feeding, metabolic rate, and even social behavior. And of course, there are some cool dinosaur skeletons in the exhibition, including a new mounted specimen of the ‘tyrant lizard,’ Tyrannosaurus rex” says Tom Deméré, Ph.D., the Museum’s Curator of Paleontology.

The Dinosaurs Exhibit features a wide range of fossil specimens and fossil casts, many on public display for the first time. A major highlight of the exhibition is a 700-square-foot walk-through diorama depicting the rich diversity of animals living in a Mesozoic forest in China—the most detailed re-creation of a prehistoric environment ever constructed. Visitors can stroll back in time through the forest as it existed 130 million years ago and come face to face with many of the amazing creatures that lived there, including the largest Mesozoic mammal yet uncovered, the badger-sized Repenomamus giganticus.

Museum President and CEO, Michael W. Hager, Ph.D., says, “Every few years, the Museum hosts a traveling dinosaur exhibition that feeds the curiosity of children and hopefully, inspires a lifelong love of, and desire to learn more about, science and natural history. Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries is especially fitting because it deals with the latest paleontological discoveries and even the brightest child—of any age—will come away from the exhibition informed, inspired, delighted, and motivated to explore more.”

To complement Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries, the San Diego Natural History Museum is planning a wide range of programs and activities for adults, families, and children. Highlights include a behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum’s paleontology lab and collections, bus trips and private tours of the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in Los Angeles and the Diamond Valley Reservoir, and family programs including a free Family Day and an overnight camp-in at the Museum.

Another exhibition highlight is Bambiraptor feinbergi, an incredibly well-preserved dromaeosaur fossil that, along with numerous other fossils, provides strong evidence that dinosaurs are closely related to modern birds. These fossils present an intriguing thesis: the great dinosaur extinction that occurred 65 million years ago was not final. In fact, dinosaurs have survived and prospered into the present age and walk among us, or more often fly above us, as modern birds.

Celebrating its 135th year, the San Diego Natural History Museum is the second oldest scientific institution in California; third west of the Mississippi. Its mission is to interpret the natural world through research, education, and exhibits; to promote understanding of the evolution and diversity of southern California and the peninsula of Baja California and to inspire in all a respect for nature and the environment. Located in Balboa Park at the intersection of Village Place and Park Blvd., the Museum is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.