The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, North Carolina opened its new traveling exhibit "The Dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World"" with a talk by Dr. Dale Russell about a specimen of Thescelosaurus which may have a preserved heart. (See my article "Thescelosaurus: Dinosaur with a Heart?"."
The travelling exhibit will be at the museum through January 15th, 2001. The admission cost is $3 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is free to Friends of the Museum.
The exhibit contains skeletons of 32 different species of dinosaurs and other extinct animals, including Archaeopteryx and the Pterosaur Dsungaripterus. Props and clips from the movies and interactive computer activities help to explain some of the hypotheses paleontologists have. Jeff Goldblum (who played the part of mathematician Dr. Ian Malcom in both movies) hosts a video about dinosaur extinction, focussing on the asteroid impact hypothesis, in the Extinction Theater. Real-life paleontologists, including Dr. Jack Horner who was the paleontological consultant for both movies, talk about paleontology in video clips.
Skeletons of several dinosaurs not seen in the movies are also on exhibit, including Giganotosaurus, sometimes called the "new king of dinosaurs" because it is larger and heavier than Tyrannosaurus rex. Tarbosaurus, an Asian cousin of Tyrannosaurus and Albertosaurus are also on display.
After you visit the travelling exhibit, be sure to go up to the third floor of the museum, where you can view Willo, the Thescelosaurus with a heart (see my article "Thescelosaurus: Dinosaur with a Heart?" for more information), and the Acrocanthosaurus: Terror of the South exhibit (see my article "A Visit to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences").
If you live in the Raleigh area, or will be visiting, be sure to stop and see the exhibit. Consider becoming a Friend of the Museum. Benefits of being a Friend include free admission to special exhibits, a discount at the Museum store, and invitation to members-only events. Also included in the benefits is free admission to participating science and technology museums around the world.
For those who live outside the Raleigh area, it is always a good idea to become a member of your local natural history museum. Your membership will help support museum activities.
Fossil enthusuiasts in the Raleigh, North Carolina area can attend meetings of the North Carolina Fossil Club, which meets the third Sunday of each month at the Museum from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. The Tarheel Gem and Mineral Club meets the third Tuesday of each month (except December) from 7:30 to 9:00pm, call Marge Abernethy at 919-989-8262 for more information.
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