American Museum of Natural History exhibition reveals how Dinosaurs livedThe huge dinosaurs called sauropods astound us. So massive! So tall! Such long necks and tiny heads! But more astounding is this: these strange giants rank among Earth’s great success stories, roaming the planet for 140 million years.
A detailed model of a 60-foot-long Mamenchisaurus is on display during the media preview of "The World’s Largest Dinosaurs'" exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, in New York. The exhibition on view at the American Museum of Natural History from April 16, 2011, through Jan. 2, 2012, explores the biology of a group of uniquely super-sized dinosaurs: the long-necked and long-tailed sauropods [Credit: Mary Altaffer/AP]Today, scientists from many fields have joined in an effort to figure out how they did it. Paleontologists, biologists, botanists, animal nutritionists and engineers all agree: the world’s largest dinosaurs were extraordinary creatures. The challenge is to discover what made them tick.
The exciting exhibition features cutting-edge research on super-sized sauropods—including the giant Mamenchisaurus, one of the largest animals to ever walk the Earth—and offers new insights into how their colossal bodies functioned. Visitors will have a chance to examine life-sized bones, muscles, internal organs, and more to discover the amazing anatomy of The World's Largest Dinosaurs.
The World’s Largest Dinosaurs (April 16, 2011-January 2, 2012), a new exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, goes beyond traditional fossil shows to reveal how dinosaurs actually lived by taking visitors into the amazing anatomy of a uniquely super-sized group of dinosaurs: the long-necked and long-tailed sauropods, which ranged in size from 15 to 150 feet long.
Visitors to the American Museum of Natural history inspect a detailed model of a 60-foot-long Mamenchisaurus on display during the media preview of "The World’s Largest Dinosaurs'" exhibit, in New York. The exhibition on view at the American Museum of Natural History from April 16, 2011, through January 2, 2012, explores the biology of a group of uniquely super-sized dinosaurs: the long-necked and long-tailed sauropods [Credit: Mary Altaffer/AP]Drawing on the latest science that looks in part to existing organisms to understand these extinct giants, The World’s Largest Dinosaurs will answer such intriguing questions as how an extremely large animal breathes, eats, moves, and survives by illuminating how size and scale are related to basic biological functions.
Innovative interactive exhibits—including the exhibition centerpiece, a life-sized, fleshed-out model of a60-foot- long, 11-foot-tall female Mamenchisaurus, known for its remarkable, 30-foot neck—will take visitors inside these giants’ bodies, shedding light on how heart rate, respiration, metabolism, and reproduction are linked to size. An interactive excavation at the end of the exhibition will introduce visitors to how dinosaurs are discovered in the field through a replicated dig site.
