Main Gallery
Dinosaur Discovery Museum
Main Level
The main gallery of the Dinosaur Discovery Museum tells the story of how non-avian, theropod dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus gave rise to the avian dinosaurs – the birds.
This is one of the most complete transitions known from the fossil record and can be seen in action in the Museum. The gallery is a primer on dinosaurs – what they were, how we know they existed, what they looked like, how they behaved, how and why they were alike and different, and what happened to them.
The dinosaur skeletons in the main gallery are casts of actual dinosaur fossil bones. The lighter bones are casts of actual fossil bones. The black bones show those missing from the original skeletons but sculpted to replace them. Each dinosaur is labeled with information about the species.
Panels on the gallery wall answer the most-asked questions about dinosaurs. You can listen to the environmental and animal sounds in the exhibit gallery. Step back into the Mesozoic era with outdoors sounds in different terrains and weather conditions during the Age of Dinosaurs.
In association with the Carthage Institute of Paleontology and the Institute’s on-site laboratory, the Museum presents current, ongoing research in the study of dinosaurs. The Museum collaborates with the Carthage Institute of Paleontology in research, field work, and education programs. This includes the collection and preservation of dinosaur specimens for its research collections.
