It may look like a T-Rex, but that’s a Giganotosaurus, which is bigger than its cousin. (Manitoba Museum)
A new dinosaur exhibit is coming to the Manitoba Museum – but these ain’t your average dinos.
Ultimate Dinosaurs will stomp their way into the museum starting May 21 and includes unfamiliar dinosaurs that evolved in isolation in South America, Africa and Madagascar, says Dr. Graham Young, the museums’ curator of geology and paleontology.
Some of the unique and bizarre reptiles include:
- Giganotosaurus, the largest carnivorous dinosaur from Gondwana and perhaps the largest land predator ever. Giganotosaurus is similar in size to Laurasia’s more famous Tyrannosaurus Rex.
- Suchomimus, a spinosaur from the Sahara Desert in Niger. This animal was 33 feet long and would have weighed more than 6,600 pounds.
- Eoraptor, a bipedal dinosaur that lived about 228 million years ago that had two different kinds of teeth – both serrated and flat – indicating that it was an omnivore.
- Malawisaurus, one of the earliest titanosaurs, was a sauropod from Africa. Like most titanosaurs, Malawisaurus had bones in its skin, similar to those in modern crocodiles.
- Majungasaurus, a theropod from Madagascar. Extensive research on this species of dinosaur determined that, at least some of the time, it demonstrated cannibalistic behavior.
“Ultimate Dinosaurs features incredible, rarely-seen specimens and colorful environments combined with new technology to create virtual experiences. It’s a powerful example of how augmented reality can bring the deep past to life.”
The exhibit includes hands-on activities as well as virtual ones, says Young.
Next door, the Planetarium will have Dinosaurs: A Story of Survival!, a full-dome show that opens the same day.
The show ends on Sept. 5 and tickets are available at manitobamuseum.ca.
