Digging for Dinosaurs puts visitors inside the boots of a paleontologist as it explores where to look for dinosaurs, how to uncover their fossil remains, and what the fossils reveal about life more than 65 million years ago.
Examine various types of fossilized dinosaur remains, such as:
- petrified sauropod leg bone
- fossilized footprints from the Connecticut River Valley
- fossilized dinosaur teeth and egg shells
- cast of a juvenile Camarasuraus that covers an entire wall
Scrape away to free cast dinosaur bones and other fossils in the hands-on excavation area (when the area is supervised). The dig site reconstructs some of the fossil assemblage of the famed Morrison Formation as revealed in Utah’s Dinosaur National Monument. Find:
- allosaur arm bone
- sauropod teeth
- stegosaur tail spike
- ancient clam
- and more
What happens after dinosaur fossils are excavated? Geologists observe, analyze, and make comparisons to learn how the dinosaurs lived. Touchable cast specimens encourage visitors to make their own observations. Visitors will be able to:
- assemble a dinosaur using a touch screen
- measure a trackway to determine if the dinosaur that left the footprints was walking or running.
Will you become a fossil? Digging for Dinosaurs includes a board game to help visitors learn how dinosaurs became fossilized hundreds of millions of years ago.
Other interactive stations include:
- computerized CT scan of a dinosaur’s skull that reveals the brain and nasal passages inside
- microscope that features comparisons of two dinosaur bones to a modern bird and reptile
In February 2009, the Bruce Museum is also presenting a complementary exhibition entitled Dinosaurs: The Art of Reconstruction, which explores how an artist reconstructs a dinosaur’s appearance.
Both exhibitions are supported by the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund and by Mr. and Mrs. John E. Stauffer, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred E. Elser, Jr., Stephen and Naomi Myers, and Susan E. Lynch.
