Take a rare and exciting look at the life of dinosaurs through their eggs, nests and embryos in Tiny Titans: Dinosaur Eggs and Babies opening Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
Tiny Titans, presented in both Spanish and English, showcases an amazing array of authentic fossilized dinosaur eggs and nests collected from around the world, including those of each of the major plant- and meat-eating dinosaur groups. Visitors will learn of recent discoveries about dinosaur reproduction and behavior and about the fascinating people and science behind these discoveries.
A captivating experience for children and adults, Tiny Titans invites visitors to:
– Touch a real dinosaur bone and cast nests, one more than eight feet in diameter
– Dig for dinosaur eggs in interactive dig pits.
– Dress up and be a dinosaur parent protecting its nest of eggs.
– Get up close with exciting lifelike models of embryos and hatchlings.
– View stunning murals and videos featuring prominent dinosaur experts.
Tiny Titans will be on view at Philadelphia’s dinosaur museum through Monday, Jan. 15.
For the opening weekend, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, visitors will be treated to shows and gallery encounters with the Academy’s live birds and reptiles. That’s because birds and reptiles are the dinosaurs’ closest relatives. Rosebud, the Therapy Chicken (she has her own Facebook page!) will demonstrate how she brings comfort to those in need at schools, nursing homes and rehab centers.
On both Saturday and Sunday, visitors also will be able to touch fossilized dinosaur egg fragments, walk on eggshells, and make a dinosaur egg to take home.
“There is no experience as magical as touching a dinosaur egg,” said Jennifer Sontchi, senior director of exhibits and public spaces. “Imagine the baby dinosaur that hatched from it millions of years ago!”
Tiny Titans gives credence to what is now widely accepted among scientists: that dinosaurs and birds are closely related. Each science-rich section is enhanced with lifelike models of embryos and hatchlings and colorful illustrations of dinosaur families.
The collection of real fossils includes an authentic bowling ball-size egg of a sauropod from Argentina that was laid by a long-necked, plant-eating titanosaur that lived 75 million years ago. Visitors also will see a large cluster of eggs laid by a duck-billed, plant-eating dinosaur, and the longest dinosaur eggs ever discovered—almost 18 inches long—laid by a new giant species of Oviraptor, a carnivorous, ostrich-like dinosaur.
A central feature of the multi-media experience is a presentation about the discovery of “Baby Louie,” the nearly complete skeleton of a dinosaur embryo with its bones aligned in the proper position. The embryo, discovered in China in 1993, was nicknamed “Baby Louie” after photojournalist Louie Psihoyos who photographed it for National Geographic. In May 2017 it finally received an official name with the publication of a study in the journal Nature Communications: Beibeilong sinensis, or “baby dragon from China.”
Some of the real dinosaur eggs featured in that May 1996 issue will also be on display in this exhibit.
Tiny Titans was organized in association with the Harvard Museum of Natural History, The University of Tennessee, and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. For discount tickets, visit ansp.org.
To purchase online tickets at a discount, click on the button below.
You may enjoy this article published Sept. 18, 2017 from NationalGeographic.com about new findings regarding colored dinosaur eggs.
Post by Carolyn Belardo
Photos by Florence McGovern