Dinosaurs.
By today’s standards they were often big, bizarre creatures.
This summer at the Canadian Museum of Nature you can see dinosaurs that were even bigger and more bizarre, even by dinosaur standards!
Ultimate Dinosaurs is a touring exhibition that features dinosaurs from the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. It eventually became the southern continents of South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.
Dinosaurs in the southern hemisphere evolved differently than their northern counterparts.
Take, for example, Giganotosaurus, an imposing carnivore that matched or even exceeded the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Then there’s Suchomimus, a dinosaur with the head of a crocodile, or Amargasaurus with mysterious twin ‘sails’ on its long neck. The exhibit also features the towering leg bones of one of the Titanosaurs, long-necked sauropods that dwarfed their contemporaries.
Southern specimens like these are uncommon sights in North America. This is just the third time Ultimate Dinosaurs has been seen in Canada. "I think dinosaurs from both parts of the world are very strange. I think the southern ones seem even stranger to us because we're not used to seeing them," says palaeontologist Jordan Mallon.
The exhibition features more than a bunch of rare old skeletons. It also uses new technology to help bring them to life.
Some displays have ‘augmented reality’ screens that can tilt and pan around the skeleton. On the screen, the dinosaur springs to virtual life. “Instead of seeing the skeleton behind it, you’re seeing the animal, what would it have looked like if it had flesh and bone,” says Dan Boivin, Head of Design at the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Another display shows a prehistoric scene. Sensors pick up your movement as you approach and the animals in the scene react to your presence.
Just some of the new ways technology can help bring old bones to life. Ultimate Dinosaurs runs from June 11th to Sept. 5th at the Canadian Museum of Nature.
