Get ready to let out your loudest ROAR! A massive prehistoric adventure has stomped into Science Centre Singapore and you won’t want to miss it. The DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US exhibition is a fossil-tastic journey through time and features over 90 remarkable artefacts, which include 30 rare fossils and 16 stunning, full-scale dinosaur replicas.
DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US – Journey Through Time at Science Centre Singapore
Brought to you by Science Centre Singapore and the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US is actually two internationally acclaimed exhibitions in one.
It combines the exhibitions Dinosaurs of Patagonia by Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio and Six Extinctions by Gondwana Studios to take visitors on a journey through 400 million years of Earth’s history, exploring five major mass extinction events focusing on the age of dinosaurs.
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One of the jaw-dropping highlights of the exhibition is Patagotitan mayorum. Weighing at 70 tonnes and spanning 40 metres, it was one of the largest dinosaurs and land animals to have ever walked the earth!
Another is “Scotty”, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex ever found. Visitors can get up close with “Scotty” as she faces off with a Torosaurus latus – a relative of the Triceratops!
Ancient Seas
Stepping into DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US, you will be plunged into prehistoric Ordovician seas. The water was teeming with life. One of the top predators was the straight-shelled cephalopod Endoceras giganteum, which could grow up to 5.7 metres long.
Life made its transition out of the water with prehistoric animals such as the Dunkleosteus terrelli or “Dunkle’s Bone”. In this section, you can also view casts like that of the Platyoposaurus stuckenbergi.
There are also high touch exhibits such as a model of Cacops or “Ugly Face”, an early amphibian.
Life on Land
Transitioning from the Ordovician period to the Devonian, Permian and Triassic periods, more land animals emerged. These included archosaurs (“ruling lizards”) and therapsids (“mammal-like reptiles”).
On display at the next zone, there are models of fossils like the Postosuchus kirkpatricki, an ancestor of modern crocodilians that is thought to be able to grow up to seven metres long and walk on two legs.
Pick up a brush and play a palaeontologist and uncover dinosaur bones at a digital display. You can also see and touch models that show the difference between dinosaurs with a “bird” hip and a “reptile” hip.
The Hall of Dinosaurs
The next zone at DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US is sure to get the loudest wows!
After stepping through a crate arch, you will be greeted by an Eoabelisaurus fossil. This dinosaur was native to present-day Argentina and was a carnivore with short hands. You can contrast this with the Leonerasaurus fossil close by. The Leonerasaurus was an early sauropodomorph dinosaur that likely walked on all four limbs.
However, the most impressive sauropod that you will find at DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US has got to be the full-scale cast of the Patagotitan mayorum, one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered. Unearthed in Argentina’s Chubut Province in 2015, it is 40 metres long and weighs approximately 70 tonnes.
Even as you look upwards, don’t forget to see the real fossils of this behemoth dinosaur that are on display underneath it.
Another highlight here is a full-scale cast of “Scotty”, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever discovered. “Scotty” is known to be one of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found and the excavation process in Canada took over a decade to complete due to the hardened sandstone encasing its bones.
Other dinosaur models on display here include Tyrannotitan chubutensis and the Condorraptor.
Thirsty to learn more? Head over to the Imagine Dinosaurs interactive colouring station to find more about what dinosaurs were like in real life and you can imagine what they looked like by adding muscles, textures and ornamentation to dinosaur skeletons.
Early Mammals
Leaving behind the age of dinosaurs, you will next encounter early mammals.
There is a cast of a mammoth, as well as that of a sabre-toothed tiger.
Another rare display to look out for is the Eastern Moa skeleton – an extinct flightless bird native to New Zealand. There is also a model of a thylacine or Tasmanian tiger.
Sadly, these animals are now extinct, highlighting the message of how change can bring about loss and renewal.
Local Extinctions
Bringing the theme of extinction closer to home is a zone that has been curated by Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Even in Singapore, there are species of animals that are now locally extinct, some of which took place as recently as the last two decades.
Species such as the rufous-collared kingfisher, cream-coloured giant squirrel and great slaty woodpecker could once be found in Singapore. However, urban development and human activities have caused them to become locally extinct.
This is a poignant reminder that human activity can lead to extinctions and that we can all commit to taking steps to prevent further habitat loss to conserve endangered species.
Activity Zone & Shop
End your visit to DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US at the final zone, where you will find dinosaur-themed activities.
You can colour your own dinosaurs on a tabletop display and watch them come to life, roaming about digitally on a large screen.
Young kids will also enjoy digging for fossils in a sand pit. With a brush in hand, the aspiring palaeontologists can dig out fossils hidden in the sand. This is a ticketed activity and costs $5. Take note that socks are required.
Outside the exhibition hall, there is also a Test Your Strength challenge for you to pit your strength against a dinosaur’s might.
Stamp Activity
One fun activity that you must be sure to do is the stamp rally.
Pick up a card and look for four stamping stations around the exhibition hall. These stamps layer on top of each other, creating a unique memento of a vibrant prehistoric scene once you have completed it.
DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to view the impressive dinosaur models and real fossils at the blockbuster DINOSAURS | EXTINCTIONS | US exhibition before it goes extinct!
Where: Science Centre Singapore, 15 Science Centre Road
When: From Oct 11, 10 am to 5 pm (Tuesdays to Sundays)
Admission: Singaporeans and permanent residents*, $29.90 (adult), $25.90 (child); standard admission, $39.90 (adult), $35.90 (child)
*Ticket prices for Singaporean and PRs include complimentary admission to Science Centre Singapore.
Ticketing Website: DINOSAURS | EXINCTIONS | US
This feature is brought to you by Science Centre Singapore.
