Eight giant dinosaur fossils are going on show at the Hong Kong Science Museum, and visitors also have the chance to touch a real 150-million-year-old dinosaur leg bone.
The exhibition, called "The Big Eight – Dinosaur Revelation", is the largest dinosaur exhibition in Hong Kong.
Visitors can see the most complete skeletons of different dinosaurs, including a skeleton of the Diplodocus from the Jurassic era, 150 million years ago. It was first discovered in Wyoming in the United States.
An Allosaurus known as "Big Al 2", also discovered in Wyoming, will also be displayed. It is the most complete skeleton of the carnivorous dinosaur ever found. Only the tip of its tail is missing.
Some fossils found inside the Allosaurus, including a fish tooth and a small bone of a herbivorous dinosaur, may have been its last meal.
Feel the fossil
Original skeletons of dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous eras, including the Hesperosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and a baby Sauropod, are on display. Also, there are replicas of the Hatzegopteryx and Spinosaurus.
Except for the Tyrannosaurus, the other seven skeletons are being shown in Hong Kong for the first time.
Visitors can "gently touch" a 150-million-year-old leg bone belonging to the sauropod family. The bone, from Wyoming, is not part of the eight giant fossils on show. We don't know which exact species the bone belonged to. Museum director Paulina Chan says more studies are needed to find out.
"We want visitors to feel the fossil. That is very important for the museum's educational role," she says.
She is not worried about any damage to the bone, as they will make sure people are careful.
Height and space
Paulina says some of the biggest challenges for the exhibition were the height and space needed. Each of the giant dinosaurs is about 4 metres tall, so there was a need to find a suitable hall with higher ceilings and enough space.
The museum has specially dedicated almost 22,000 square feet of exhibition space to the dinosaurs.
"We needed to expand the area to accommodate the eight large pieces," she says.
Planning the project took over a year. The exhibits come from museums in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Morocco.
The museum has had dinosaur exhibits before, but they only showed smaller body parts such as bone fragments and teeth.
Admission is free but reservations must be made through an e-booking system.
Fun facts
The Diplodocus was one of the longest known dinosaurs to walk our planet. It ate only plants, but it ate a lot of them. Scientists think the Diplodocus could weigh 17 tons!
Quick questions
- Why does the exhibition hall have high ceilings?
- What did the Allosaurus probably like to eat?
- Where in the world is a good place to look for dinosaur fossils?
