Dinosaur
Encounter
Information pack
Dinosaur Encounter information pack Contents
Dinosaur
Encounter
Information pack
Exhibition overview
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Aims of the exhibition
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Gallery plan: example
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Content6
Specifications
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Merchandise and publications
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Touring Exhibitions
The Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 5BD
www.nhm.ac.uk/touringexhibitions
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 6245
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Exhibition overview
Exhibition
Overview
This exhibition features nine stunning animatronic
dinosaur models. With over a dozen replica skulls,
claws and teeth, our collection can be developed into
a themed dinosaur exhibition to reflect your different
conceptual ideas.
In-depth research and advanced technology bring new
levels of lifelike reality to the Natural History Museum’s
animatronic models. By involving Museum scientists
in the design stage, we ensure our dinosaur models
appear as scientifically accurate as possible.
This hands-on exhibition is aimed at families, and
school groups are warmly welcomed.
‘The large-scale animatronic dinosaurs proved to be a
constant source of wonder for young and old alike.’
* Please note: visitors are not allowed to touch the animatronics in the
exhibition
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Aim of the exhibition
Aim of the exhibition
Through this exhibition visitors will:
•be inspired to discover more about dinosaurs
and the study of them
•enjoy engaging with the exhibits and the
animatronics
•be immersed in a fun, enjoyable atmosphere
•engage with science in an accessible way
•handle specimens
•learn about scientists working in the field
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Gallery plan: example
Gallery plan
Please note: As the size and shape of the display area may vary from venue to venue,
it is not always possible to show the exhibition in its original form and layout.
Torium Shopping Mall, Istanbul, organised by
and courtesy of: Istanbul Children’s Theatre
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Content 1
Content
Models
¾ size animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex
This famous creature was one of the largest land-dwelling
meat-eaters that has ever lived. Adults grew to 12m long,
stood 5m high and weighed about 7 tonnes. Tyrannosaurus
had large powerful back legs, with clawed feet that were
probably used to hold down its prey. It fed by biting huge
mouthfuls of flesh from its prey, its 15cm-long teeth ripping
through skin and muscle. Lower jaws were hinged in the
middle to allow an even wider gape. Tyrannosaurus probably
lived a solitary existence or settled in small family groups.
The fearsome animatronic model weighs 1300kg and its
dimensions are 4.37m wide, 7.1m long and 4.5m tall.
Animatronic Ankylosaurus
Ankylosaurus was a short-legged, sturdy-limbed creature
with bands of bony studs or plates to protect its body.
Large triangular horns were positioned at the rear corners
of the skull, with the sides of the head completely closed
in by bone. The heavy bony club at the end of the tail
was probably used as a defensive weapon, which it could
swing with some force to inflict a crippling blow. These
animals, which lived in North America and Mongolia, were
surprisingly agile creatures for their size,
This three-quarter-size model weighs 350kg, and its
dimensions are 1.9m wide, 4.5m long and 1.51m high.
Animatronic Baryonyx
Baryonyx lived in the warm floodplains of England, France
and Belgium. This predator prowled through conifer and
cycad forests, ferny glades and horsetail meadows fringing
rivers, lakes and swamps. It waded into water to catch large
fish up to 1m long using its great thumb claw. The long
mouth, narrow pointed teeth and its S-shaped curve of the
jaw gave it strikingly similar features to that of modern fisheating crocodiles.
The 3/5-size animatronic Baryonyx model is 1.2m wide,
4.5m long and 1.85m high, and weighs in at 350kg.
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Content 2
Animatronic Ornithomimus
Also known as the ‘ostrich dinosaur’, Ornithomimus lived in
the late Cretaceous Period in Western North America and
East Asia (Mongolia). Ornithomimids seem to be very similar
in size and appearance, reaching body lengths of about 3
to 4 metres, and bearing a strong resemblance to modern
ground-dwelling birds such as the ostrich or emu. The
Ornithomimus could run faster than an Olympic sprinter.
The full-size animatronic model weighs 100kg, and its
dimensions are 0.7m wide, 3.25m long and 1.88m high.
3/5-size animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex:
Although scientists hold different views on the subject,
Tyrannosaurus probably used a combination of ambush
predation and scavenging to obtain a meal. It could survey
the landscape from 3 to 4 metres up in the air, using its
acute vision, and had a good sense of smell.
The 3/5-size model weighs 450kg, and its dimensions are
1.6m wide, 4.82m long and 2.63m high.
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Content 3
Half-size animatronic Triceratops:
Triceratops, a horned plant-eating dinosaur, lived in
western North America. Tyrannosaurus certainly preyed on
Triceratops, which used its three horns and large bony neck
frill to protect itself. A five-tonne charging Triceratops could
have deterred one of the largest predators, much as a rhino
defends itself today.
The half-size model weighs 400kg and its dimensions are
2.45m wide, 4.33m long and 1.79m high.
Two static Oviraptors and one animatronic
Oviraptor
One of the most unusual dinosaurs, Oviraptor measured
1.5 to 2.3 metres in length. It had a short head, and its jaws
were relatively more massive than those of Ornithomimus.
The jaw was completely toothless, but might have been
covered with a horny sheath. This, and the massive curved
shape of the lower jaw, suggests that Oviraptor could exert
a very powerful force on its food. Its name suggests ‘egg
thief’ – but while Oviraptor may have fed on the eggs of
other dinosaurs, which it crushed by biting, latest findings
indicate these dinosaurs had a varied diet and may have
been protecting their own nests rather than stealing eggs.
The full-size animatronic Oviraptor weighs 80kg, and its
dimensions are 0.7m wide, 2.7m long and 1.43m high.
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Content 4
Replicas
Thirteen museum-quality fossil replicas form part
the exhibition including:
Tyrannosaurus rex skull
Tyrannosaurus rex claw
Deinonychus skull
and forelimbs
Tyrannosaurus tooth
and root
Allosaur tooth
Velociraptor claw
Allosaur claw
Herrerasaurus skull
Allosaur skull (juvenile)
Eoraptor skull
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Content 5
The Niger expedition
The exhibition also includes images taken on a joint Natural History Museum/
Kingston Polytechnic expedition to Niger, between December 1987 and
February 1988. The images show some of the fossils found by the scientists including the
remains of a large sauropod with an articulated tail of at least 10 metres.
Visitors can see the scientists working in the field excavating the bones,
marking out the dig site, removing rock from around the bones and preparing
them to have plaster of Paris applied to protect them during transport.
Finding fossilized bones
Removing the rock
Applying the plaster
Marking out the site
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Specifications
Specifications
We provide
•nine animatronic models and two static models •13 fossil replicas from the Museum’s collections
•photographs from the Niger expedition
•three interactive displays
•exhibition graphics and text on CD
•marketing toolkit
•suggestions for educational events?
•installation and dismantling service
•technical support services
•instructions for day-to-day supervision
•some exhibition lighting
Average installation/dismantling period
•4 days
Minimum hire period
•three months
Venue requirements
•indoor display area 450m2
•scenery, backdrops, lighting and barriers
•environmentally controlled conditions
•minimum doorway access: height 2.3m and width 1.7m
•minimum 4.8m gallery ceiling height, minimum 3m
ceiling height for all other models
•4.3m-high area required for the assembly of the ¾-size
Tyrannosaurus rex
•transport costs from previous venue in two trailers
•storage facilities for transport cases
•translation of text and production of text panels and
graphics if translating out of English
•translation and production of text for digital interactives
and subtitles for video footage
•skilled installation and dismantling support staff
•air compressor and pipework
•(single-phase) electrical supply
•forklift including driver, crane, or other equipment, as
required
•hoists and other equipment required for access and
installation
•staffing (the exhibition must be manned at all times)
•additional exhibition lighting
•promotion and publicity
•insurance
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Dinosaur Encounter information pack Merchandise and publications
Merchandise and publications
PVC aprons
Pack of dinosaur plates
Excavation kit
Dinosaur models
T. rex lunch bag
Over the last few years, the Museum has developed
a wide range of licensed merchandise. Based on the
70 million specimens cared for at the Museum, each
product is checked and approved by one of our 350
scientists to ensure it is scientifically accurate.
As the host of a Natural History Museum touring
exhibition, we can offer you the opportunity to purchase
some of these products, while supporting the work of
the Museum and making a good margin yourselves.
For a copy of our comprehensive dinosaur merchandise
catalogue, please do get in touch at: [email protected]
Dinosaurs
In this interactive book, eye-catching images, pop-ups
and pull-tabs provide a truly 3D guide to the mightiest
creatures to have lived on Earth. It explains in simple
language how dinosaurs evolved, what they looked like
and why they mysteriously disappeared from the planet.
Striking dinosaur reconstructions and photographs of
fossil skeletons help to provide amazing insights into
dinosaur anatomy and behaviour, while fact boxes reveal
the greatest fossil finds.
ISBN: 978 0 565 09245 0
£14.99
Ideal for children aged 8 and over
Available to UK and Ireland customers only
Format: Hardback
Size: 254 x 254 mm / 10¼ x 10¼ in
Extent: 30 pp with pop-ups, flaps and other novelty features
Crucial read…check out this fab dino book.’
Dinomite magazine
For all book queries and sales, please contact Publishing on
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7942 5336
Full online catalogue at www.nhm.ac.uk/publishing
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