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Fun Facts
About Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
- The robotic Tyrannosaurus
rex in the exhibition is the most accurate three-dimensional
representation ever of how theropod dinosaurs walked.
- A total of 50
mechanical parts were required to make each of
the robotic Tyrannosaurus rex’s second toes flex in the subtle,
curling pattern described by scientists.
- There are 463
handmade models of animals in the Liaoning
Forest diorama.
- There are 24
models of non-avian dinosaurs in the Liaoning Forest diorama.
- Museum
preparators hand-painted 12,000 leaves for the trees in the Liaoning
Forest diorama.
- There are 58
real fossils in the exhibition, 30 of which are
dinosaurs or dinosaur parts.
- Nearly every
plant and animal on display in the Liaoning Forest diorama is extinct
today.
- The
Liaoning Forest diorama includes models of four bird species, two
extinct aquatic reptile species, three pterosaur species, three fish
species, three mammal species, one species of turtle, and two amphibian
species.
- The
trees and bushes portrayed in the Liaoning Forest
diorama are based on
specimens collected in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in Burlington
County. Some paleobotanists think it is the best contemporary reference
on Earth today for what plant life looked like in this prehistoric
forest.
- The
leaves for four species of plants and trees in the diorama are made of
brass for reasons of durability and ease of fabrication.
- The
background for the Liaoning Forest diorama was painted
on a single,
flat canvas measuring 700 square feet, and later stretched
to form the
curved backdrop of the diorama.
- The full-size
Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton cast breaks down into nine
sections, the full-size biomechanical Apatosaurus
model breaks down into ten pieces, and the base of the Liaoning Forest
diorama breaks down into nine sections on wheels so the entire
exhibition can be transported to and installed in other museums.
Model
of Jeholopterus ningchengensis, a small pterosaur, or flying reptile,
covered with thin fibers sometimes described as “fuzz”. Scientists
believe the first stages in the evolution of feathers could have taken
place in a species that was the ancestor of pterosaurs and dinosaurs.
Photo by Craig Chesek ©
American Museum of Natural History
Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
March 30 to September 3,
2007
review by Ed Vincent
The newest touring exhibit at
the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago is a grand slam of fun,
learning, and
adventure for the whole family. The past couple of years have
seen some remarkable shows coming to the museum. The
Pearls exhibit began a period of displays and shows that had
a very good mix of science and display, all in the right proportions,
something for everyone. This exhibit follows in
that same format. There are large dinosaurs on display and
some new items never before seen.
© Photo by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
Streaming Video of Tyrannosaurus Rex
Walking Display
engineering behind the movements of these massive organisms when
often missing real bones make motion a question wanting an answer.
© Photo by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
The exhibit helps to find answers to questions like movement
of the dinosaurs, using the science of mechanics blended with
the knowledge of biology, using living animals with similar features alive today. The visitors were all engaged and captivated by the displays, commentary, and interactive aspects
of the show.
© Photo by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
A
beautiful diorama stretches one large room and is filled with small
mammals, dinosaurs, pterodactyls, precursors of mammals, and lots of
water animals and plants.
© Photo by Suburban Journals of
Chicago Inc.
The diorama
is creative and will keep your eyes busy for awhile looking for, at,
and within the detailed display. This is a great
visit so get ready to learn and be entertained.....the whole family.
© Photo by Suburban Journals of
Chicago Inc.
When you have finished
viewing the adventure of the Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New
Discoveries exhibit don't forget the large
display in the permanent exhibit of dinosaurs in the evolution
area on the second floor, and the Museum's own world
famous Sue, the most complete and
best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex.
Exhibition Title:
Dinosaurs:
Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
Exhibition Dates:
March 30 to
September 3, 2007
Overview:
Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries brings new life to old
bones. It’s an eye-opening look at dinosaurs as living creatures who
breathed, battled, and bred in complex environments they shared with
countless other species. If you’re ready to catch up with the latest,
ground-breaking dinosaur discoveries and evolutionary theories – where
did birds come from, anyway? – this is the place to be!
Using real fossils and casts,
high-tech moving models, vivid computer animations, and a recreated
Mesozoic forest, the exhibit highlights cutting-edge research by Field
Museum staff and scientists around
the world. You can watch a robotic T. rex run, touch a real Triceratops
horn, and use new computer software to see how an Apatosaurus moved its
neck and tail. You’ll learn about the latest fossil finds, see what
mysteries are being revealed by new technologies, and discover how
scientists are changing their ideas about how dinosaurs lived...and how
they died. It’s all here, at the hottest place to see dinosaurs – The
Field Museum!
Location:
The Field
Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605-2496
Phone Numbers:
312.922-9410
General Field Museum Information
Organizers:
Dinosaurs:
Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries is organized by the American Museum of
Natural History, New York, in collaboration with The Field Museum,
Chicago; the Housten Museum of Natural Science; the California Academy
of Sciences, San Francisco; and the North Carolina State Museum of
Natural Sciences, Raleigh
Admission:
Tickets to
Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries include Museum admission
and are priced at $19 for adults, $14 for seniors and students with ID,
$9 for children 4-11. Discounts are available for Chicago residents.
Visit www.fieldmuseum.org or call (312) 922-9410
Dinosaurs:
Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
An Eye-Opening Look at How They Lived, How They Died…and How
We Know
March 30 to September 3, 2007
Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries brings new life to old bones, with an eye-opening look at dinosaurs as living creatures that breathed, battled, and bred in complex environments they shared with countless other species. If you’re ready to catch up with the latest dinosaur discoveries and evolutionary theories, this is your chance – at the hottest place to see dinosaurs, Chicago’s Field Museum.
Using real fossils and casts, high-tech moving models, vivid computer animations, and a recreated Mesozoic forest, the exhibit highlights cutting-edge research by scientists at The Field Museum and around the world – including new information about the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and modern birds. You can watch a robotic T. rex run, touch a real Triceratops horn, and use new computer software to see how an Apatosaurus moved its neck and tail. You’ll learn about the latest fossil finds, see what mysteries are being revealed by new technologies, and discover how scientists are changing their ideas about how dinosaurs lived…and how they died.
The exhibition is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, in collaboration with The Field Museum, Chicago; Houston Museum of Natural Science; the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; and the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh.
Amazing New Discoveries
“The beauty of paleontology is that we’re constantly finding out new things,” says Dr. Peter Makovicky, curator of dinosaurs at The Field Museum. “It’s a field that constantly rejuvenates itself.”
Makovicky should know. He’s done ground-breaking research on three of the new dinosaur species discovered in China’s Liaoning Province, home to some of the most important and best-preserved fossil beds in the world. This is where, for example, the first feathered dinosaurs made world-wide headlines – and changed our view of birds forever.
You’ll come face-to-face with dozens of extraordinary creatures like these in the exhibition’s centerpiece: a 700-square-foot recreation of a Liaoning forest as it might have looked 130-million years ago. Here a Microraptor, wing-like feathers on its arms and legs, glides between trees; a badger-sized mammal stalks a group of baby parrot-beaked dinosaurs; a small dinosaur sleeps like a bird, with its head tucked under its forearm and its tail encircling its body. The open diorama – there are no glass walls between you and the forest! – includes a host of life-like dinosaurs, unfamiliar mammals, extinct and living plants, huge insects, primitive birds, and more familiar-looking amphibians and fish. Some of these are being shown to the public for the first time.
“The geography of this area in China did an amazing job of preserving not only bones but soft tissue,” Makovicky says. “We’ve been able to see feathers and protofeathers [early, feather-like fibers], and even the veins on insect wings.” The exhibition shows what these delicate finds tell scientists about the evolution of feathers and flight.
Cool New Technologies
Remember the scene in Jurassic Park where a T. rex pursues our heroes at speeds of 45 miles an hour? That plot twist will have to be updated, according to the latest experiments in biomechanics. Scientists and movie directors now have new information on just how fast a creature of that size and shape really could run – and it’s probably about half that speed.
The new generation of paleontologists – like Peter Makovicky – are as much biologists as geologists, studying dinosaurs not only as dead fossils but as living biological entities. Collaborating with engineers, computer scientists, and others, they constantly test and retest their hypotheses.
You’ll see what that means when you encounter the coolest mechanical dino ever: a six-foot, walking, stalking T. rex skeleton – the most accurate model ever built of how the creature moved. Next to it, at a touch-screen station, you can conduct your own virtual experiments, just like the scientists, to see how changing muscle mass, posture, or center of gravity would affect the speed of a rampaging T. rex and other animals, including humans. Vying for the “coolest dino” title is a stunning 60-foot-long Apatosaurus skeleton, its gleaming metallic arcs shaped by computer analysis; you can watch a two-dimensional version of it add layers of bone, muscle, and skin on a giant animated screen.
High-tech tools like these open new doors for scientists as well as museum visitors. Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries shows how our understanding of ancient life is expanding with the help of a host of new technologies – from engineering software that allows scientists to investigate dinosaur movements, to high-tech imaging that lets them look inside fossils and see the outlines of dinosaur brains.
Startling New Ideas
New discoveries and new technologies have led scientists to new insights about ancient life. The now widely accepted evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds is one idea explored in the exhibition – through feathers, bone structure, and much more. Other new ideas address something equally mysterious: dinosaur behavior.
For example, in an analysis that could have been a scene from CSI, dinosaur tracker Martin Lockley examined the tracks of nearly two dozen sauropods that, millions of years ago, walked across an ancient mudflat on what is now a Texas ranch. Lockley was able to identify individual animals and calculate their size and direction. He concluded that small and full-grown dinosaurs were traveling together, the little ones following in the tracks of the larger ones, just as elephants do today. You’ll see a large recreation of the trackway, with special lighting tracing the steps of individual dinosaurs, and learn how scientists read ancient footprints.
And what about those outlandish horns, spikes, crests, and frills sported by so many dinosaurs? You’ll see plenty of them mounted on the exhibition’s “trophy wall” of ceratopsian skulls. Were they used for fighting or defense? For display and competition in attracting a mate? For species recognition? Or for cooling animals on a hot day?
“There’s always been a lot of speculation on that point,” Peter Makovicky says. His own work with the very early ceratopsian, Liaoceratops, revealed small pits in its rudimentary frill indicating strong jaw muscle attachments, possibly for chewing tough food. “Lately we’ve developed a complex model,” he continues – one that suggests that dinosaur adornment may have evolved to serve different purposes in different species over time.
One of the longest-running debates in paleontology involves extinction. If you hold to the giant meteorite theory, you might be surprised to discover that recent research points to a more complicated story – one involving not only a huge impact, but also intense volcanic activity, retreating sea levels, and the survival of the fittest of the dinosaurs: those that evolved into birds. Find out more about it at Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries.
Admission
Tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries include Museum admission and are priced at $19 for adults, $14 for seniors and students with ID, $9 for children 4-11. Discounts are available for Chicago residents. Visit www.fieldmuseum.org or call (312) 922-9410 for details.
To purchase tickets, call 866-FIELD-03 (866-343-5303), visit www.fieldmuseum.org, or come to the Museum’s box office. Special rates are available for tour operators and groups of 15 or more. Call our Group Sales office toll-free at 888-FIELD-85 (888-343-5385).
Hours and General Information
The Field Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Christmas Day. Last tickets are sold at 4 p.m. For general Museum information call (312) 922-9410 or visit our interactive web site at www.fieldmuseum.org.
Location and Travel Information
The Field Museum is located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, on CTA bus lines #6, #12, and #146, and close to other routes and the Metra electric and South Shore lines. An indoor parking garage is located just steps from the main entrance. For more travel information, call the Illinois Department of Transportation, (312) 368-4636, or the RTA Travel Center Hotline, (312) 836-7000.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
published by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.