EXPEDITION

DINOSAUR

Traveling Exhibit Proposal

The Palm Beach Museum of Natural History

Minimum Requirements

3,500 sq ft of display area (5,000 sq ft preferred)

12 ft ceiling clearance (15 ft clearance preferred)

Wall space for four to six 8’ x 10’ diorama background panels

Available for 6-8 week (or longer) periods

Expedition Dinosaur takes five days to set up and take down

Assistance by venue staff may be required to unload, set up and break down the exhibit

Venue provides all set up/break down equipment, including pallet jacks, fork lift, etc.

Structure of Exhibit

Hell Creek Diorama – Nanotyrannus vs Juvenile Triceratops (original fossils)

Cheryll the Triceratops – Wall mounted adult dinosaur (original)

Raid of the raptors – Psittacosaurus vs four raptors (replicas)

Dinosaur Attack – Dilong paradoxus vs Pachycephalosaur (Replica and original fossil)

Birds and Pterosaurs of Hell Creek – Five mounted specimens (replicas)

Dinosaur era fossil amber with insects – Actual specimens with enlarged insect replicas

Recreation of dinosaur hunter’s field camp and dig pits

T. rex skull in matrix (replica)

Dinosaur Touch Bone (original 48” femur)

Children’s dinosaur art rubbing station and simulated dinosaur dig pit

This basic version of Expedition Dinosaur can be adjusted via the modification of the number of

displays and specimens to service venues from 2,000 to 200,000 sq. ft.

We welcome your questions regarding “Expedition Dinosaur”

For additional information or to book reservations please contact

Rudolph F. Pascucci

The Palm Beach Museum of Natural History

rpascucci@pbmnh.org

(561) 729-4246

Expedition Dinosaur Expedition Dinosaur provides the public

with a broad up-to-date view into the world

of the dinosaurs and other fascinating

creatures of their time. Visitors to

Expedition Dinosaur will be able to explore

prehistoric life not only as it existed on land

but will also become witnesses to the rise of

the birds and the origins of flight, the

evolution of flying reptiles, and a view of

actual 65 million year old insects trapped in

fossil amber time capsules.

Standing at the center of the exhibit is a

scene taken from a single dramatic moment

in the struggle of dinosaur life and death. A

young three horned dinosaur faces an

attack by a smaller cousin of Tyrannosaurus

rex. Each is an original, rare skeleton of two

of the latest dinosaurs to be discovered.

Nearby, standing ten feet high is another

authentic three horned dinosaur that could

have been the mother of the doomed

juvenile.

On a day long ago in what is now Siberia, a

lone plant eating dinosaur some eight feet

long has been targeted by a pack of bird-

like raptors. In this dynamic mount, the

raptors are seen racing after their prey,

leaping upon its back, and going for the kill

as they hang from their agonized victim’s

neck with sharp claws and slashing teeth.

Turning to the tree tops and skies of the age

of dinosaurs the expedition focuses upon

the earliest birds and their cousins, the

flying reptiles. Did one evolve from the

other or are they two separate branches in

the tree of life? How and when did the first

feathers come about? Are today’s birds the

last of the dinosaurs? What are the latest

theories of the development and

significance of “birds with teeth”?

Inhabiting these same forests are the

insects of another age. They come to us

now trapped in miniature time capsules,

the result of a careless or unfortunate

moment when they became encased in the

sticky sap of ancient trees. Fossilizing into

nuggets of honey colored amber these

unique and newly discovered specimens

were found in the same rocks as the

dinosaurs of the exhibits central diorama.

These are not fossils! They are the actual

insects that bugged and fed upon the larger

animals seventy million years ago. Do their

bellies contain the blood of the very

dinosaurs seen in this exhibit?

And what of the scientists who search for

the answers, what is it like to live the life of

a paleontologist in the field? How do they

make their discoveries? The expedition

returns to camp, to its dusty tents and

rough field surroundings. Here are the tools

and techniques of the Dinosaur Hunters

The sponsor of Expedition Dinosaur, The

Palm Beach Museum of Natural History, is a

501(c)3 non-profit Florida corporation. They

have more than ten years experience

excavating sites in South Dakota’s famous

Hell Creek formation from which they have

recovered several new species of dinosaurs,

reptiles, fossil birds, and insects in amber.

This last discovery was recently published in

the prestigious Journal of Paleontological

Sciences.

The Dinosaurs of Hell Creek – Central Diorama

Atlantic City, New Jersey July – September 2011

The central diorama of “Expedition Dinosaur” features two rare, actual dinosaur

skeletons. The juvenile Triceratops was discovered in 2005 where it was

excavated from the famous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Also from

the Hell Creek Formation is Nanotyrannus, the only mounted specimen of its

kind in existence.

South Florida Science Museum, West Palm Beach, Florida January – May 2012

At sixteen feet long and six feet high at the

hip, Nanotyrannus represents a new, dwarf

species of its larger, more famous cousin

Tyrannosaurus rex.

Dinosaur Attack

Not all dinosaurs were giants.

Here a four foot long Stegoceras

(actual skeleton) defends itself

from the small but vicious meat-

eater Dilong paradoxus (cast

replica), the smallest relative of

T. rex ever found. The scene is

Asia, 70 million years ago.

Cheryll the Triceratops

“Cheryll” is an adult Triceratops that was excavated from South Dakota’s Hell Creek

Formation by the Museum’s paleontologists during the 2003 field season. When Cheryll died

her left side was left exposed on the ground surface where it could be eaten by scavengers or

washed away, leaving only her right side to fossilize. Assembled as a wall mount, Cheryll is

more than twenty feet long and stands an impressive ten feet tall at her hip.

Posing with Cheryll, Museum Curator of Vertebrate

Paleontology Robert DePalma fascinates a young

visitor to Expedition Dinosaur. Almost as tall as she is,

this authentic upper leg bone of a duckbilled dinosaur

is one of the many “hands on” specimens that allows

the public to get a feel for the real thing.

Raid of the Raptors

About the size of a large bird, raptors such as Sinovenator, with their mouths full of razor-

sharp teeth and large flesh-ripping claws on their feet, have been described as “the turkey

from hell”! Evidence suggests that they hunted in packs. Here, four raptors have selected an

eight-foot-long Psittacosaurus as their prey (cast replicas).

A death in Siberia. Raid of the Raptors

features a dynamic mounting of predator

and prey at the moment of attack that is

rarely seen in dinosaur displays.

Birds and Pterosaurs of Hell Creek

Also from the Hell Creek Formation is this as yet unnamed species of pteranodontid that

features a four-foot wingspan. While these flying reptiles represent some of the last of their

kind, this same period saw the rise of our modern species of birds. Included in this exhibit are

two examples of the earliest known Rails ever to be found in the fossil record. The presence

of such flying creatures provides a valuable insight into the nature of the entire ecological

system of the Hell Creek formation.

The exhibit also contains comparative displays of feather development and the evolution of

the wing.

Hell Creek Insects in Amber

The only examples of amber insects

ever found in the Famous Hell Creek

Formation are represented by these

nuggets of amber excavated by the

museum’s field team between 2003

and 2006. There are approximately

fifteen of these insect bearing

nuggets ranging from peanut to golf

ball size.

A score of amber nuggets assembled

from around the world are provided

for comparison with those of Hell

Creek Formation.

Magnified views of high resolutions micro-CT scans

permit the public as never before to view theses

diminutive creatures from the age of giants. These

entombed insects are in fact only about the size of a

sesame seed.

Enlarged Life replicas of the insects produced

through a state-of-the art process of rapid

prototyping (3-demensional printing) will

permit the visitor to look these bugs in the

eye!

These amber insects provided the

information for a ground breaking scientific

paper published in September of 2010.

Dinosaur Hunter’s Field Camp

Life in the field for a paleontologist has not changed much over the last 150 years. The basic

tools remain the pickaxe, the shovel, small hand tools for digging and burlap and plaster for

jacketing bones. They still live in tents and light their nights with field lanterns. Meals are

cooked on field stoves and sleep on a field cot is a welcome relief after a hard day in the field.

Expedition Dinosaur’s field camp comes with actual equipment used by the museum’s teams

on their digs in the American west. As in any camp, a tent is central to the display. Within the

tent visitors can view tables, chairs, cots, lanterns, field desks, and other items that

contribute to survival and comfort in the field. To the side of the tent, a replica of a typical dig

site demonstrates the excavation techniques used by field teams to recover fossilized bones

from the Earth. Actual unprepared slabs of matrix containing a jumble of fossil bone reveal

the jigsaw puzzle that confronts the paleontologist. Fossil bones in various stages of

excavation are used to demonstrate the methods by which fragile bones are removed from

the ground, encased in protective jackets of plaster, and prepared for shipment from the field

to the museum’s preparation lab.

Paleontologists Field camp

and

Dinosaur Dig Pit

Boards, Labels, Signs

Each diorama and specimen is

accompanied by large (example

at right is 16” x 20”) information

panels that provide the visitor

with interesting details and

scientific facts.

Original life illustrations put

flesh on the bones and bring

the skeletons to life!

Original Art and Photographs

Main Diorama back-drop or wall mounted exhibit mural (8’ x 36’)

Wall mounted photo collage of

images from our field expeditions

(seven photos avg. size 3’ x 4’)

Generalized Expedition Dinosaur Lay-out and

Floor Plan

The following hypothetical floor plan arrangement allows for 8-10 foot minimum width walkways to permit easy traffic flow and to include the accommodation of visitors in wheelchairs. This plan can be modified and adapted to fit a variety of locations or room configurations.

Suggested Floor Plan

50’ x 70’

3,500 sq. ft.

Displays of free-standing terrestrial animals are mounted on custom-made bases, temporary

stages, or directly on the exhibit floor. The main dioramas are surrounded by two-foot wide

wooden barriers upon which are attached the exhibit information panels, graphics, maps,

photos. Hands-on and “touch” specimens are also permanently affixed to these barriers. An

additional one foot wide buffer space between the barriers and the diorama platforms has also

been planned for. Certain back-lit information panels require electrical access.

Exhibit floor plan does not include additional area required for food service or retail sales of

exhibit related merchandise.

Basic Exhibit Inventory

Skeletons (Authentic)

1. Nanotyrannus (16’ long)

2. Triceratops (Juvenile, 16’ long)

3. Triceratops (Adult, wall mount, 20’ long)

4. Stegoceras (4’ long)

Skeletons (replica)

1. Psittacosaurus sibericus (8’ long)

2. Sinovenator (turkey size raptors, four)

3. Dilong paradoxus (3’ long)

4. Pteranodon (flying reptiles, three)

5. Prehistoric birds (several small species)

6. Archaeoceratops (small dinosaur 18” long) 7. Hypsilophodont (small dinosaur 18” long)

Miscellaneous Items

1. Tyrannosaurus Sue Skull in Matrix (replica)

2. Psittacosaurus mongoliensis (replica in

matrix)

3. Insects in Amber (authentic)

4. Life-replicas of Amber Insects (enlarged)

5. Simulated dinosaur dig field camp

6. Dinosaur bones in field jackets (authentic)

7. Wall panels - paintings of dinosaur life

8. Dino Teeth and Claws (authentic & replica)

9. Dinosaur egg nest (replica)

10. Touch bone stations

11. Children’s dinosaur dig box

12. Children’s dinosaur art rubbing stations

______________________________________________________________________________

Psittacosaur in Matrix Oviraptor Egg Nest Oviraptor Claw

Children’s Dinosaur Dig Box

The children’s dig box provides young paleontologists with hands-on experience

of what it is like to be a real dinosaur hunter. Using safe, soft-bristle brushes

children search through a simulated field matrix consisting of biodegradable

corn-husk and/or organic pellets to uncover a variety of dinosaur skeletons and

bones, all firmly anchored to a firm base in order to allow continued use over

the course of the exhibit. Simply sweep the material over their discoveries and

the dig pit is ready for its next set of adventures!

Exhibit Highlights

Actual dinosaur skeletons of young Triceratops and “dwarf” T. rex.

Wall mounted adult Triceratops standing 10’ high at hip

Dynamic dinosaur attack diorama featuring five replica skeletons

The latest discoveries in dinosaur era birds, flying reptiles, and

insects in amber

Dinosaur hunter’s field camp

Children’s art kiosks and simulated dinosaur dig pit

The Palm Beach Museum of Natural History

WWW.pbmnh.org

2805 East Oakland Park Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33306

P: (561) 729-4246 F: (954) 847-9711

WWW.PBMNH.ORG