Dinosaurs Unearthed roars into Union Terminal as the largest dinosaur exhibit in the history of Cincinnati, with 24 full-size models. A thrilling and beautiful mixture of life-like sculptures and fully-articulated skeletons (some more than 62 feet long!), make this the most exciting dinosaur exhibit to ever claw and stomp its way into the country.
As exciting new discoveries have been uncovered in recent years, Dinosaurs Unearthed is the first exhibit in the world to feature a set of full-size, feather-covered dinosaur models.
In recent years, paleontologists across the globe have discovered and studied fossilized evidence that many famous dinosaur species, including Tyrannosaurus Rex, may have been covered in feathers to help camouflage, travel or even keep themselves warm.
“A selection of feathered dinosaur models illustrates the diversity of new forms discovered in recent years,” says Glenn Storrs, PhD, Museum Center’s Withrow Farny curator of vertebrate paleontology.
“The feathered dinosaurs of China confirm the long-suspected evolution of modern birds from extinct dinosaurian ancestors,” Dr. Storrs continues. “With each discovery, another evolutionary “missing link” is added to our understanding of the fossil record.”
In addition to the full-size feathered models, the exhibit has another component sure to please visitors. To make Dinosaurs Unearthed more interactive, the exhibit features eight animatronic dinosaurs visitors can actually control. Powered by smooth, tiny electronic motors, full-sized Baryonyx, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus and more come to life with the push of a button and the flip of a switch. With electronics instead of hydraulics, these models capture some of the most life-like motions ever created.
Accompanying the exhibit is the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater’s newest film, Dinosaurs Alive. The film takes visitors on an immersive journey back to the early Triassic period all the way through the late Cretaceous, following the tiniest of dinosaurs to the largest creatures that walked the earth.
Produced by the Maryland Science Center and in association with the American Museum of Natural History, the film explores the early roots of paleontology in the Gobi desert, and sweeps the audience through the beautiful landscapes of Mongolia, New Mexico, and into the famous halls of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Watch as newly discovered creatures, and even some familiar favorites, come alive through the magic of scientifically accurate, computer-generated animation! Audiences will be introduced to breakthrough discoveries, including the first Velociraptor, the first dinosaur nests with eggs, and fossils of early mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous Period.
The film also features actual footage from the 1920s as scientist and adventurer Roy Chapman Andrews led a team on five expeditions to the Gobi Desert to make these finds.
Following in the footsteps of Andrews, paleontologists Mike Novacek and Mark Norell, have been making annual expeditions since 1990 to the Gobi where they discovered some of the greatest dinosaur fossils ever found, including entire communities of animals, perfectly preserved. The film runs for the duration of the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit, which ends September 7, 2009. -- www.cincymuseum.org
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